Supporting the U.S. Army Human Resources Command's Human Capital Strategic Planning

The 2005 BRAC legislation directed the Army to move its Human Resources Command (HRC) to Fort Knox, Kentucky by 2011. The Army, in turn, directed that a staff reduction also take place at HRC, requiring reorganization. Ensuring that HRC actions stay consistent with new approaches to strategic human capital management throughout this transition is vital. HRC thus asked RAND Arroyo Center to produce personnel competency models and a framework for training to support its future delivery of personnel services in the context of its reorganization and relocation. The project focused on three tasks. One was to develop personnel competency models for jobs that would survive the reorganization. A second was to identify gaps between the competencies HRC would need and the ability to address them in the Fort Knox area. The final task was to develop training concepts to close gaps between current and future workforces. Interviews and analysis of survey responses enabled Arroyo researchers to identify 14 competencies organized into four major categories: enterprise perspective, management skills, domain knowledge, and leadership skills. Analysis also showed that it will be difficult for HRC to meet near-term workforce demand in the Fort Knox area, in part because demand will be so high. Research results indicate that ensuring a fully staffed and competent HRC workforce beyond 2010 will require intensive long-term recruiting, development, and management strategies, including prioritized retention strategies, national searches, and targeted recruiting. HRC should also begin partnering with Kentucky's educational institutions now, to produce workers with the necessary competencies over the long term.