This paper examines how HR and Learning and Development practitioners can develop professionally through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Drawing on the CIPD HR Profession Map, it identifies core professional areas — including insights and strategy, leading the HR function, and learning and talent development — that practitioners should prioritize. The paper also outlines eight essential behaviors, such as curiosity, decisiveness, collaboration, and credibility, that underpin professional success. Together, these frameworks provide a structured foundation for practitioners to plan their individual growth, adapt to evolving workplace demands, and maintain professional standing throughout their careers.
In today's competitive business environment, it is increasingly important for individuals to take responsibility for their own growth and development in the workplace. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a combination of approaches, ideas, and techniques that help one manage their own learning and growth. The focus of CPD is firmly on the benefits that professional development can bring in the real world. Perhaps the most important message is that one size does not fit all. Wherever one is in their career, and whatever they want to achieve, their CPD should be uniquely their own (What is CPD, 2012).
Pre-qualification education and initial professional development cannot provide all the knowledge and skills needed for an entire career. Most professionals will want to specialize or move into senior or managerial positions during their careers, and will need to develop the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the context of changing markets, technologies, and legislation. Continued employment is a key reason for individuals to engage in CPD. Industry and the job market are continually evolving, and individuals need to stay current and flexible to maximize their chances of ongoing employment.
For many individuals, engagement in CPD is a requirement to maintain membership of one or more professional institutions — membership that is important to their professional standing. For sole practitioners, it is vital that they maintain their competence in order to remain self-reliant and provide a professional service. The CPD activities in which an individual engages are likely to be influenced by a combination of opportunities, interests, ambitions, and needs. Those opportunities and needs are in turn shaped by both employers and professional institutions, which may themselves be influenced by client and broader industry expectations (Continuing Professional Development, n.d.).
There are several professional areas of interest that are important for one to concentrate on when developing a professional growth plan. The first is that of insights, strategies, and solutions. This area is one in which a person develops actionable insights and solutions, prioritized and customized around a deep understanding of business, context, and organizational dynamics (CIPD's HR Profession Map, 2012). It is important to understand how business works — and especially how the specific business one works in operates. This understanding helps lay a foundational plan for what one wants to achieve within a company and what steps are required to meet those goals.
Another key area is leading and managing the human resources function. Those who work in this field provide active, insight-led leadership. They own, shape, and drive themselves, others, and activity within the organization. Although not everyone will hold a role in which they lead others, it remains important for all practitioners to continue developing and growing (CIPD's HR Profession Map, 2012).
A third area requiring attention is learning and talent development. This area ensures that people at all levels of the organization have — and continue to expand — the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to fulfill both the short- and long-term goals of the organization, and that they are motivated to learn, grow, and achieve (CIPD's HR Profession Map, 2012). Having the right tools to perform a job is vital to an employee's success. Organizations must ensure that their workers are provided with the tools and skills they need in order to perform their roles to the best of their ability. More information on these professional areas can be found through the CIPD Profession Map.
"Eight behaviors underpinning effective HR practice"
First, one should be curious — future-focused, inquisitive, and open-minded. Practitioners should seek out evolving and innovative ways to add value to the organization through their daily work. Second, a successful person should be a decisive thinker. One should be able to demonstrate the ability to analyze and understand data and information quickly, and to use information, insights, and knowledge in a structured way in order to identify options, make recommendations, and reach robust, defensible decisions.
Third, a person needs to be a skilled influencer — demonstrating the ability to influence and gain the necessary commitment and support from diverse stakeholders in pursuit of organizational value. Fourth, a successful person should be driven to deliver. Showing determination, ingenuity, and purpose in delivering the best outcome for the organization is central to professional success.
Fifth, one needs to be collaborative — able to work efficiently and inclusively with a variety of people, both within and outside of the organization, in order to get things done. Sixth, a person must be credible, building and demonstrating professionalism by combining commercial and HR expertise to bring value to the organization, its stakeholders, and peers.
Seventh, one needs the courage to challenge — showing the confidence to speak up skillfully and challenge others even when confronted with resistance or unfamiliar circumstances. Eighth and finally, a successful practitioner must be a role model, consistently leading by example and acting with integrity, impartiality, and independence, balancing personal, organizational, and legal considerations in order to accomplish both the company's goals and their own (CIPD's HR Profession Map, 2012). Further discussion of these competencies is available through Wikipedia's overview of Continuing Professional Development and resources from the CIPD.
Effective professional development for HR and Learning and Development practitioners requires both a clear understanding of the key professional areas defined by frameworks such as the CIPD HR Profession Map and a commitment to cultivating the behavioral competencies that underpin success. CPD is not a one-time exercise but a continuous process of learning, reflection, and growth that must be tailored to each individual's career stage, goals, and context. By focusing on the professional areas of insights and strategy, HR leadership, and talent development — and by embodying behaviors such as curiosity, decisiveness, collaboration, and integrity — practitioners can position themselves to add lasting value to their organizations and sustain their professional standing throughout their careers.
CIPD's HR Profession Map. 2012. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 07 June 2012].
Continuing Professional Development. n.d. Available at: [Accessed 07 June 2012].
What is CPD? 2012. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 07 June 2012].
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