PHR, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM & HRCI What is going On?

So if you pay any attention to what goes on out here in HR cyberspace, you could not have missed that SHRM is changing its certification system – and to be correct perhaps I should say “transitioning” rather than changing.  At this point much, has been said and written.  Just in case you have been under a rock or in a different universe, here are a few examples.

• TLNT
• Ben Eubanks at Upstart HR
• Brad Galin at Roller Coaster HR
• Workforce

Not unlike Ben Eubanks, I have done some of my own research to try to understand what is happening.  Some comments that I have heard from fellow SHRMies is that this is a money grab by SHRM, or that it is a family feud (minus Richard Dawson) between HRCI and SHRM.  At this point I do not know how we arrived at this juncture but we are here.  Most of us who hold these certifications value them. We feel it demonstrates to the world our competency.

Now to go and change it, almost out of the blue seems ludicrous.  I am reminded of time when my oldest son was attending what is now Missouri S & T. When he enrolled, they had a huge public relations campaign to grow the university with the tag line “The Name, The Degree, The Difference.”  Then, almost without any notice or fanfare, they went and changed the name of the university to Missouri University of Science and Technology a.k.a MS&T. Thus it would appear that the previous ad campaign was wrong, and the tag line was just a marketing ploy.

My point is this, SHRM is cutting to the credibility of the certification if they arbitrarily stop doing one thing and start doing another.  So all that stuff we said in the past was wrong?  I know that on-going change is necessary but in this instance it would seem change should be more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Another other thing that is unclear to me is this.  As I understand it, HRCI exists to administer the HR Certifications, that’s it.  If SHRM is no longer going to use them what becomes of them.  I would liken this as a business with one customer, and that business decides they are no longer going to do business with their one customer – what now? 

I am not naive enough to not understand there is a whole bunch more to this story, and probably a lot of it makes good sense.  The problem is this.  That story has not been communicated. The story has been communicated poorly, or it has not been communicated at all. Then BAM!  We are changing all of this, PHR, SPHR, GPHR –HRCI.  This is disconcerting to SHRM members who proudly hold these certifications.

I know this will all get squared away, and explained to the masses and it will all be fine.  However,  for now I say SHRM shame on you – you botched this one!

- Dave Ryan Co-Legislative Director for Illinois SHRM

Communicating Up & Down the Line

My dad was a pipeliner.  For those of you who have never known anyone who worked on a pipeline, there are, or were (circa 1965) when father worked there, hard working, mean, tough, foul mouthed, whiskey drinking, ornery hooligans.  Due to political correctness and changes in labor law they may have changed a bit over the years.

My father, Richard or Dick as he was known to his friends was a field superintendent with his Company Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company.  This Company moved natural gas via pipelines from Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana to the Midwest selling it all up and down the line. As a supervisor Dick was involved with managing about a 100 mile section of 36” to 48” metal pipes buried underground transmitting gas at outrageous pressures.  If you look at the map you can see the pipelines as a couple of lines.  All up and down the line they were taking gas off, putting it on and putting pressure back on the line. 

Without going into all of the particulars this is dangerous work requiring skill and a great deal of communication.  In the 1960's company vehicles had two way radios, like the police.  They also used microwave communication to talk via a private phone system amongst themselves. Every morning all of the field supervisors would call in on some number.

They would have a party conversation, 20 to 30 people on the phone talking about what was going on, problems they had encountered,  situations that others could learn from, and probably some other stories that we would not have wanted to hear about.

My point is this in 1965 the visionary leaders of this Company saw a need, purpose and a benefit for their supervisors throughout the heartland of the country to communicate and share ideas and information with each other daily. They had the technology available to their company to facilitate this.

Fast forward 2011; communication has changed, and improved dramatically.  Many of us involved with SHRM as volunteer leaders at all levels have seen the value in this. Imagine having a tool where you could communicate with 500 other H.R. pros, by just making a comment about something on the internet. We are working on an effort to share information up and down the line (just like the pipeline) where different chapters, state councils or members can share information thought web-sites and blogs.  This effort is being coordinated by everybody’s friend Ben Eubanks from the UpstartHR blog.

For those of us in Illinois SHRM we applaud Ben for this effort and will do what we can to help and support him.  So let’s open up all those lines of communication from Alabama and Louisiana to Wisconsin and Ohio and share what we know with one and other.   Whether it is a way to help recruit or retain SHRM members or a new software application that can assist Human Resources, or a blog post sharing some great information – let’s share it with one and other.

Be watching for more posts and links back and forth between all of the chapters and state councils that are participating.

Dave Ryan - ISC SHRM Director of Social Media

Project Social

This is a tale of two men; two men with fiery passion. Let me introduce Ben Eubanks and Victorio Milian. These two men are going to change the world.

In the meantime, they want to make sure that anyone who wants to learn more about new media will have an opportunity to do so. Conversely, they want to make sure that anyone who wants to help enlighten the world about new media has a willing and receptive audience; Saturday October 9, 2010 was rollout day for their new endeavor called Project Social.

Have a look and see what the team of Ben and Victorio is up to. Get involved in this and help.