Effective Practices for Human Resource Professionals
Although Human Resource professionals play a vital role in organizational development and growth, little actual empirical research on the characteristics of effective HR professionals actually exists.

We, Gateway International - OI Partners, a global leader in assessment-based individual and organizational development, thought it would be helpful for our clients to consider this kind of data. In a recent global study of leadership effectiveness among human resource professionals we found that a number of leadership behaviors reliably distinguish superior leaders (the superstars) from less effective ones.

The Study

1770 HR professionals from over 670 organizations were included in the current study. Each leader completed 360TM leadership assessment and development tool that measures 22 dimensions of leadership practice (what leaders actually do) and 22 dimensions of leadership effectiveness (how effectively they're perceived by their bosses, peers, and direct reports).

A number of key practices were identified that significantly predicted higher leadership effective ratings.

The Findings
In order of importance (starting with the most important) superior HR leaders:

" Analyze the future impact of their decisions and understand the impact of these decisions throughout the organization.

" Maintain in-depth knowledge and expertise in their area.

" Demonstrate an active concern for others and form supportive relationships.

" Energize others, getting them
enthusiastic and involved.

" Clearly express their thoughts and ideas, keeping others informed of their expectations.

" Are comfortable being the one in charge and seek out opportunities to be influential. They know and accept the fact that they will be under constant scrutiny.

" Use effective persuasion to build commitment to their ideas and initiatives.

" Challenge the perceptions and mandates of superiors.

Study Details

Each participant was evaluated during ongoing developmental programs, by their bosses, peers, and direct reports. Participant breakdown by geographic region, management level, and industry are presented below.

A weighted mean procedure was employed to combine the rating of bosses, peers, and direct reports for each participant. An overall measure of leadership effectiveness (based on the summation of 22 effectiveness scales) was regressed on ratings of 22 common leadership practices. As a set, the 22 practices accounted for 59% of the individual variation in overall effectiveness.

Relative importance measures were calculated for each predictor and are displayed in the figure below. Bars indicate the percent of the variation accounted for by each predictor. Light bars indicate an inverse relationship (i.e., higher levels of the practice were associated with poorer effectiveness ratings.

Leadership Best Practices
Relative Importance of Behaviors for Effectiveness