Designing and Implementing a Competency Framework

Who will Benefit?

This highly interactive event utilizes a range of practical activities to enable you to develop, construct and apply the techniques of competency framework development. During the workshop you will develop your knowledge through a range of learning methodologies including: facilitated learning, case studies and personal feedback. The workshop materials will include comprehensive templates for you to use to construct your framework. Representatives from organisations who wish to identify and apply a competency based approach to a range of functions including: Recruitment and Selection, Talent Management, Employee Development and Performance Management

Strategic Alignment of Human Resource Departments

• The three levels of strategic decision making
• Corporate level, Business level and Functional level strategies
• Preparing to integrate with these strategies: Activity Let’s begin by asking questions!
• Being Clear -The vision – How do we see ourselves in the future?
• Where is the business trying to get to in the long-term (direction)
• Which markets should a business compete in and what kind of activities are involved in such markets? (markets; scope)
• How can the business perform better than the competition in those markets? (advantage)?
• What resources (skills, assets, finance, relationships, technical competence, and facilities) are required in order to be able to compete? (Resources)?
• What external, environmental factors affect the businesses’ ability to compete? (Environment/Climate)?
• What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and around the business? (Stakeholders)
• Is my organisation in a state of readiness to take advantage of a competency based approach?
• Uses of Competencies as an aid to identify standards and measurement

Where do I start?

• Clarifying what you intend to get out of the competency framework and which internal processes will be involved.
• Using competencies to reduce subjectivity during recruitment and selection
• Performance management – overcoming the limitations of objectives design your competency statements to describe
• What should be delivered and How Well or to what degree of competence
• Clear competency statements will help to clarify precisely what needs to be learned or further developed. Writing a competency specification for a training programme
• Succession is inevitable! Succession process should identify the competencies required by individuals in your talent pool and prepare them for a seamless transition into their role. Linking with your organisations intentions for the future

Collecting the Information

• Ensuring the relevance, validity and accuracy of the competency statements
• Ensuring a forward focus – identifying future focused competencies
• Analysing Actions, Skills, Knowledge, Attitude, Behaviour and Emotions
• Critical Incident Analysis – examining unexpected success and failures
• Competency Based Behavioural Event Interviews
• Repertory Grid and Comparative Analysis
• Job Analysis

Constructing a Competency Framework
A competency framework that is constructed with very specific criteria can often restrict people; however, some roles are subject to regulatory and legal processes that must be followed without deviation. This session will provide you with the tools to design and structure your framework.

• Assessing effective and ineffective competency statements
• Avoiding restrictive competency statements
• Ensuring competency statements are defensible  against grievances, employment tribunals and compliance bodies
• Writing competency statements for your role
• Identifying grades or levels
• Designing a core competency framework based on your organisations values
• Exploring rating scales and their suitability for your organisation

Day 2 – Planning a Pilot Study – Communicating the benefits

• What to pilot –checking your intentions
• Influencing the perceptions of those involved
• Identifying the training needs of those involved in the pilot
• The supporting processes and documentation required to implement your competency framework.
• The Benefits of an Integrated Framework to Performance Management
• Utilizing the process to improve performance

Roles and Capability

• How role statements can contribute to performance management
• Generic roles, contribution levels, and Business areas
• What is capability? Knowledge, skills and behaviour?
• What is achievement? – Assessing achievement and capability
• Application of achievement ratings
• How to focus on contribution and not task, role purpose and not activity

Preparation & Planning for Competency-Based Performance Management Interviews

• Providing advice and guidance for employees: how can they provide evidence of demonstrating the competencies
• Designing the interview framework around the competency framework
• Formulating evidence based questions
• Appraising against key competencies and contributions
• Acknowledging natural competencies – personality traits and characteristics that enhance performance in the role
• Considering the future requirements of the role

Identifying Competency Based Learning and Development Needs

• From Unconscious Incompetence to Unconscious Competence and recognizing complacency – knowing where employees are on the learning ladder
• Articulating competency based training needs in terms of core competencies and sub-competencies
• Identifying methods of Training Needs Analysis methods for technical skills, behavioural skills and knowledge requirements
• Ensuring focus on competencies in learning objectives
• When should employee training become competency-based, and when should it be delivered traditionally?