Chris Bones rightly identifies that the incoming CEO of the CIPD hassome challenges ahead (Points of Principal, Human Resources, December2007). But Jackie Orme is a successful HR leader in a company withglobal reach and an enviable track record in development of people andinnovation in HR. She is one of a generation of personnel professionalswho understand at first hand these challenges and I look forward to hertaking up her appointment in 2008.
Of course there is a need for further development of the CIPD. But, inmy view, we make these developments from a position of strength. In thepast 10 years the CIPD has been at the heart of many of the advancesmade in the practice of people management. Membership has grown to morethan 130,000; a tremendous body of knowledge on successful HR practiceshas been assembled and disseminated; professional standards have beenraised; and services to members have grown.
However, in setting out his challenges, Chris calls for a completeoverhaul of the professional and business model operated by the CIPD. Inparticular he suggests that chartered membership should be open only tothose with assessed application of the professional body of knowledge atstrategic level, or equivalent practitioner experience at this level. Idisagree.
The chartered accountants' institutes aren't clubs for financedirectors, nor should CIPD be a club for HR directors. The role of anychartered professional body is to set high-quality standards forpractitioners, operate a rigorous assessment framework for admission,and support members in their work and development. We need to have aprofessional qualification that embraces operational personnel andtraining professionals who are at the front line of deliveringhigh-quality people management practice.
If we chose to be elitist, we would forgo the value of a largeprofessional body and the financial strength that flows from it. Thefees from our 130,000 members and the revenues from our successfulcommercial activities fund an impressive array of membership benefits.They're also behind our significant research and public policyactivities. The arrival of Linda Holbeche as director of research andpolicy has marked the next stage in the constant evolution of ourresearch agenda and the development of plans to adopt a more pro-activeand high-profile stance on public policy matters. As we have alwaysdone, we will be actively working with HR leaders on these importantagendas.
Chris and I can agree on some other challenges. As I'm sure he knows,we're working hard to develop more flexible routes to membership. We'reaiming to develop rigorous standards that are relevant to practitionerstoday and tomorrow, assessed in ways that are appropriate to therealities of how they work. We're already well down the road on this andwe'll be implementing elements of the work we've done in 2008.
We're also doing more to foster our links with HR directors. Ourexperience suggests that these links need to be tailored to need,including provision of networking opportunities, personal development,opportunities to participate in public policy and research and supportin development of the HR functions they lead.
Initiatives already under way include design of top-level executivedevelopment programmes for HR professionals moving from operationalroles into primarily strategic business roles. CIPD is an organisationthat has to be close to its members, and the profession as a whole, ifit is to succeed in its aims. Senior professionals are an important partof this - but not to the exclusion of all else. We welcome currentdiscussions on the pages of this magazine, but above all we need toapproach the challenges ahead positively. If there is one new year'sresolution that I would wish for all HR professionals in 2008 it is thatwe worry less about how we're perceived, or think we're perceived, andget on with delivering the value to organisations that I know we can anddo deliver.
- Vicky Wright is president, Chartered Institute of Personnel andDevelopment.
