People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1 - 51

Call
for
Papers
Theme of the Upcoming Issue

HRPS People & Strategy Journal 38.4 (Fall 2015)

Elevating the HR Profession:
Certification and Assessment
Special Editors: Dr. John Boudreau and Dr. Richard Vosburgh
Executive Editor: Dr. Anna A. Tavis

viewpoint of other functions on how they think about
professional certification in their area (e.g., finance,
marketing, legal). Submissions, in general, are expected
to address the following set of questions, though this
list is not limiting:

decisions and doesn't rehash well-known
information; your article should be the type an HR
reader might pass on to a business executive to
educate him or her about a concept, provide the
basis for a discussion, or to influence thinking.

* Ensuring functional excellence within the human
resources organization

* Has research and fact-based studies on the future of
HR

* Maximizing HR's impact

* Reality vs. perception on the impact of HR

* Validating HR's effectiveness

* The global view on the HR profession and its future

* Impact. Has practical use for the HR executive
reader, as well as a business reader; for example,
does not just present research findings but also
discusses applications.

* Solidifying HR's perception and reputation

* Developing a comprehensive "body of knowledge"
for HR

One of the Five Knowledge Areas that has defined HR
People and Stragegy for more than a decade is Building a Strategic HR Function, defined as enhancing
the impact of the profession by:

* Developing solid measurement and reporting tools
To better serve the senior segment of HR, HRPS is now
affiliated with SHRM and cares deeply about providing
the leadership needed to bring the Human Resources
profession to the next level of impact. This Special
Edition of the People & Strategy journal will explore
where we are as a business function and what we
need to do to truly "Elevate the Profession."
This is an interesting topic with a history of its own, and
the journal does not intend to re-run the old mantra of
"why we can't get a seat at the table" and the inferiority
complex that goes with that. Rather, we will optimistically and positively explore what we can do to create
our own future and to increase both the reality and the
perception of the organizational contribution that HR
can bring.
In May 2014 a significant milestone in the history
of the HR profession occurred. The Board Chair of
the leading HR professional association, SHRM,
announced: "The differentiator for HR professionals
will not be what you know, but what you can do with
what you know. SHRM has a responsibility to lead the
profession toward a certification process that proves
competencies. That will benefit the individual, the
profession and employers by aligning HR with the
changing demands of business." The Journal will take
a larger perspective on "leading the profession" with
a focus on HR's professional stature and its evolution
as a key business function. We will also take a global
perspective on the varying accreditation requirements
of different countries.
Other professions have certifications based on a
well-accepted "Body of Knowledge" and HR to date
does not have agreement on its profession's "Body of
Knowledge". We will want to explore the methodological rigor required to create a "Body of Knowledge"
for HR. Ultimately, we are looking for both research
and thought leadership on how HR can make the next
jump forward in its evolution.

Topics to Consider
For the People & Strategy Fall 2015 Issue on
Certification and Assessment we are looking for a
diverse collection of evidence-based articles oriented
toward senior practitioners in management positions.
Contributions are expected to provide the latest
research and practical insights into both where the HR
profession is going and how professionals in it should
be certified and accredited. We would like the

* Actionable. Focuses on solutions, not just
descriptions of issues.

* Debate on creating, implementing and assessing the
impact of competency models

* Grounded. Based on research, theory (with
examples), or proven practice to provide a "proof of
concept," not just armchair observation; provides
frameworks that can be applied in a variety of
situations.

* The role of universities, colleges, associations and
organizations in elevating the profession

* Point of view. Makes a case for thinking about a
topic differently.

* Book reviews

* Readable. Nonacademic prose; active verbs and
minimal jargon.

* Trends in competency assessment and professional
certification (not just in HR)

Our Audience
The typical reader of People & Strategy is an internal
human resource executive or consultant seeking
actionable and practical advice based in sound
research. Our reader wants to be challenged by new
models, approaches, and ideas. Our readers are
experienced, knowledgeable and work in and for a
variety of organizations across the globe. They turn to
People & Strategy for clear, actionable, and thoughtprovoking articles on current topics.

Types of Submissions
Articles can take a number of forms including
frameworks for understanding and taking action on a
topic, presentation of research findings with interpretation, case studies illustrating best practices or essays
advocating new ways of thinking about an issue. Articles
from consultants are especially interesting when they are
written collaboratively with practitioners from a client
company. We are also interested in book reviews. Please
do not submit literature reviews or purely theoretical
pieces. Submissions will be reviewed by members of the
journal's editorial review board. Criteria for evaluation
include significance of contribution to the field of human
resource management; usefulness of knowledge;
timeliness of content; originality; provocative nature of
content; quality of the data supporting the points; logical;
and well-written. The reviewers' comments will be sent
to authors. The first step is to submit a one-page
proposal and the author's bio by April 15, 2015 (see
timetable). If accepted, we will then guide you on the
development of your article.

Writing Style and Guidelines
Articles can range from 2,000 to 2,500 words.
Perspectives articles range from 500 to 700 words.
Book reviews should be 500 words. See example of
former issues articles here: http://www.hrps.
org/?page=PSArticles. We are looking for articles
that have the following attributes:
* Strategic importance. Has a link to business

Publication Timetable and
Submission Information
All proposals should be sent electronically to Anna
Tavis, Executive Editor, People & Strategy at: editor@
hrps.org. (No hardcopy submissions will be accepted.)
Please designate in your email that this submission is
for the Fall 2015 Issue-HR's Emerging Role in
Corporate Governance. Please indicate if your article is
based on any prior publication or is also currently
submitted to another publication for consideration.
April 15, 2015-Proposals due: Submit a one-page
overview of article concept and author's bio.
May 1, 2015-We will provide feedback and direction
on your concept.
June 1, 2015-Articles due: Submit a well-written draft
ready to be edited.
July 1, 2015-We will indicate if the article is accepted,
and, if so, what revisions are needed. If your article is
accepted, we will work closely with you to shape and
revise it to meet the final submission deadline. All
articles are in edited final form by August 1, 2015.

Review Process
Contributions will be reviewed by a committee, and
each paper will get at least three independent reviews,
based on criteria including relevance, clarity,
soundness, and power of the arguments, generality of
results/claims, and novelty. Papers will be accepted
based on this criteria and space availability. Accepted
papers will be published in an attributable form in the
Fall 2015 edition of People & Strategy.

People
Strategy

People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1