Upload
don-zillioux
View
56
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
S D W P U B L I C A T I O N SBuilding Results-Focused Organizat ions
EFFECTIVENESS, COMPETENCYAND COMPETENCY MODELS
Strategic Development Worldwide • San Diego, California • sdwnet.com
D o n Z i l l i o u x , P h . D .
Maynotbeduplicatedwithoutpermission.
Effectiveness, Competenceand Competency Models
ByDonZillioux,Ph.D.ChiefScientistandCEO,SDW
DiscussionsabouthumancompetencehavebeenoccurringinacademicandHRcirclessincethe'70s.However,becauseintellectualassetsarenowrecognizedasoneofthefoundationsforcompetitiveness,competenceandcompetencymanagementhavebecomestrategicissues.Theabilitytoimplementstrategyandachieve“bottomline”resultsrequiresthatorganizationstakestockofavailablecompetenciesandmanagetheminawaythatincreasestheeffectivenessofpeople'sperformancethroughoutthevaluechain.
CompetenceandPerformance
Whilemostpeoplebelievetheyknowcompetencewhentheyseeit,theytypicallyhavetroubledeFiningit.Infact,itmaybeeasiertothinkofcompetenceintermsofwhatitisnot.ItisnotaspeciFicsetofbehaviors,althoughthesemaybeevidenceofcompetence.OnewaytodeFinecompetenceisasa“functionoftheratioofvaluableaccomplishmentstocostlybehavior.” Thatis,aperformeriscompetenttotheextent1
heorshecanproduceaccomplishmentsthatareofvaluetotheorganizationwithoutincurringmorecoststhantheaccomplishmentisworth,(hereIdeFineeffectivenessasmeetingtheoutputrequirementsofthesituation).
Forexample,anewperformermaybeabletoproduceadesiredaccomplishmentbutatwhatcost?Howlongdoesittaketodoso?Howmanytimeswasitreworkedbeforeitwasofacceptablequality?Ifanswerstothesekindsofquestionsrevealthattheaccomplishmentwasproducedatgreatcost,theorganizationmaynothaveachievedanyrealvalue.
Whensomeoneiscompetent(situationallyeffective),theyincreasethevalueofaccomplishmentswhilereducingthecostandenergyputintotheeffort.Thetruenatureofcompetenceisderivedfromthevalueofouraccomplishments;asGilbertnoted,competenceisacomparativejudgmentabouttheworthofperformance.
Findingcompetencethatpredictsexceptionalperformanceinanorganizationoritsvalue-producingnetwork,requiresexaminingthetopperformersinspeciFicjobroles.Theyareabletoconsistentlyproduceoutcomesoraccomplishmentsthatarevaluedbyandbringvalueto,theorganization.Notonlydotheyconsistentlyproducethese
Gilbert,T.HumanCompetence:EngineeringHumanPerformance,InternationalSocietyforPerformanceImprovement,2007.1
Effec%veness,CompetenceandCompetencyModels
accomplishments,buttheyalsoareabletodosoinamannerthatincreasesthevalueoftheaccomplishmenttotheorganization.Exemplaryperformancemustconsiderthequalityofthework(forexample,accuracy),thequantityorproductivityofthework(therate,timeliness,volume)andtheassociatedcost(labor,material,management).Topperformersproduceaccomplishmentsthatmeetorsurpassastandardforquality,quantityandcost.
CompetenciesandOtherFactorsInfluencingPerformance
Topperformersareabletoproducehigh-valueaccomplishmentsprimarilybecausetheyhavetherequiredcompetenciesandtheyknowhowtodothingsmoreproductivelythanothers.CompetenciesareabilitiesandtraitsthatpredictandenableeffectivenessorexemplaryperformanceofajobwithinaspeciFicorganizationalcontext.Tobedeemed“competent”inanarea,aperformermusthaverequisiteskills,theappropriatebodyofknowledgeandtraitsorpersonalcharacteristicsthatcontributetosuccess. 2
Forexample,onemeasureofeffectivenessforthejobofaprojectmanagermightbe“customerrelationshipmanagement.”ThiscouldbedeFinedastheabilitytoarticulateprojectvisionanddeFinition,deFinescopeandsuccesscriteria,identifyassumptionsandcommunicatetoensureclientsatisfaction.SpeciFicknowledgeandskillswouldberequiredtoenableanindividualtodemonstratethiscompetency,suchasknowledgeoftheclient'sbusinessneedandskillslikelisteningandconFlictresolution.SpeciFicpersonalcharacteristicsandtraitsthatwouldcontributetosuccessinclude“interpersonalunderstanding”and“clientfocus.”
SometextsdeFinecompetenciesas“skills,knowledgeandabilitiesortalents”or“skills,knowledgeandattitudes.”Othersusetheterms2
“traitsandpersonalcharacteristics”toencompasstalentsandabilities,whichweprefer.Wecanobserveevidenceoftheexistenceofpersonaltraitsandcharacteristicsandresearchhasshowntheirimpactonperformance.SeeSpencerL.andSpencerS.CompetenceatWork:ModelsforSuperiorPerformance,JohnWiley&Sons,1993.
�CopyrightÓ1999-2017,StrategicDevelopmentWorldwide,LLC.Allrightsreserved. Page� of�2 7
Motivation and Incentives
Environment and Culture Job Design Management
Practices
Skills Knowledge TraitsEffective Job Performance
OrganizationalSupportIn0luencesPerformance
Figure1.Ittakesmorethancompetenciestoensureeffectivejobperformance.
Effec%veness,CompetenceandCompetencyModels
Competenciesalonecannotensureeffectivejobperformance,however.AsFigure1illustrates,organizationalsupportcanmaketheoccurrenceofeffectiveorexemplaryperformancemoreorlesslikely.Organizationalsupportincludesthefollowing,eachofwhichisknowntoinFluenceperformance:
• MotivationandIncentives-Whatperformersaremotivatedtodo,basedontheircompensationstructureandincentives.
• EnvironmentandCulture-Thephysicalenvironmentinwhichworkoccursandthemindsetandsharedbeliefsystemoftheorganization(i.e.,“thewaywework”).
• JobDesign-Thewayparticularjobsaredesignedtospreadresponsibilityandaccomplishmentsacrosstheworkforce.
• ManagementPractices-Howmanagementacquires,develops,reinforcesandretainscompetencies.
Consequently,theexistenceofcompetenciesalonedoesnotensureperformanceatthedesiredlevel.Notonlymustrequisitecompetenciesbeavailablebutalsotheorganizationmustdoallitcantoincreasethelikelihoodthatcompetentperformersproducethedesiredoutcomesofvalue. 3
CompetencyModels
Acompetencymodelisamechanismorframeworktoorganizetheskills,knowledgeandtraitsthatresultineffectiveorexemplaryperformanceofaspeciFicjob.Goodcompetencymodelscanbeextremelyusefultoanorganizationasitattemptstoaccomplishthefollowing:
• Explicitlylinkperformancetobusinessresults.• Developasharedmindsetaboutwhatisimportantinajob(itsoutput
requirements),whatwillbemonitored(itstime-boundedobjectives)andwhatwillbemeasured.
• Developbehavioralinterviewingquestionsandamodelagainstwhichtojudgecandidatestoensuretheorganizationacquirestheneededcompetencies.
• IdentifyprioritiesfordevelopmenttoFillthe“gap”betweenthecompetenciesanindividualhasandthoseneededtoperformajobatthedesiredlevelofproFiciency.
• Facilitatemoreeffectiveperformancefeedback,reviewandappraisal.• Helpindividualsplancareergrowth.• Providelinksfromaneededcompetencytoappropriatelearningresourcesor
availableinterventions.
SeeSDWarticle,Zillioux,D.,Ph.D.AnyManager’sClearResponsibility,SDWPublishing,1999.3
�CopyrightÓ1999-2017,StrategicDevelopmentWorldwide,LLC.Allrightsreserved. Page� of�3 7
Effec%veness,CompetenceandCompetencyModels
ApproachtoCompetencyModeling
Thetwoprimaryapproachestothedevelopmentofacompetencymodelcanbeenvisionedasacontinuum.Atoneendofthecontinuumisahighlygenericcompetencymodelandattheotherendisahighlycustomizedmodel.Genericcompetencymodelshavebeendevelopedandvalidatedacrossanumberoforganizations.Theycanbepurchased,typicallyasadatabaseofcompetencies.Thepurposeofthesemodelsistopresentcorecompetenciesofajobacrossorganizations.Whilethiscanbeausefulplacetostart,thesemodelsoftendonotprovidethelevelofdetailrequiredforexemplaryperformancewithinaparticularbusinesscontext.
Genericcompetencymodelstypicallycoverapproximately50-60percentofwhatonemustdotoproduceanaccomplishmentthatwouldbeconsideredexemplarywithinaspeciFicorganization. Theyaremostappropriateforuppermanagementpositions,4
wherewell-understoodleadershipcharacteristicsandtraitsaresocrucialtoperformance orforpositionsthatarerelativelythesamefromorganizationto5
organization.
Attheotherendofthecontinuumistheorganization-speciFiccompetencymodel.Thisapproachrequiresthatafullcompetencyassessmentandanalysisbeconductedforeachposition.Onevariationofthisapproachprescribesworkingwithtopperformersonly;anotherprescribesworkingwithbothtopandmediocreperformerstoidentifydifferentiatingcompetencies.Thisapproachmostoftenrequiresanalyzingthefullspectrumofajob.
AcompetencymodelisdevelopedtoreFlectperformancewithinthespeciFicorganizationandisvalidatedbyperformersandtheirmanagement.Thisvalidationtypicallyincludesfocusgroupsandtrialratingsofexistingemployeesusingblindsortingtodetermineifthemodeldiscriminatesbetweenexemplaryandmediocreperformers.Thisapproachcostsmoreandtakesmoretimetocompletebutcanhaveahigherpayoffintermsofenablingtheorganizationtohiretherightpeopleandincreasethepercentageofexemplaryperformers.
Inthemiddleofthespectrumisacombinationapproach.TheorganizationpurchasesexistingcompetencymodelsandreFinesthemsotheybetterrepresenttheirdesiredoutcomesandcompetencies.Forexample,theorganizationmightperformacompetencyassessmentontopperformersforcriticaljobsandanalyzetheinformationelicitedtoreFinesomeofthegenericmodels.
Boulter,N.,Dalziel,M.,Ph.D.,&Hill,J.(Eds.)AchievingthePerfectFit,GulfPublishingCo.,1998.4
Lucia,A.andLepsinger,R.TheArtandScienceofCompetencyModels,Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer,1999.5
�CopyrightÓ1999-2017,StrategicDevelopmentWorldwide,LLC.Allrightsreserved. Page� of�4 7
Effec%veness,CompetenceandCompetencyModels
TypicalProblemswithCompetencyAssessmentsandModeling
Peopleoftenencounterasimilarsetofproblemswhenworkingthroughacompetencyassessmentandmodelingactivity.Oneofthemostcommonproblemsisthattheyrarelyunderstandthetruesizeoftheendeavorandtheamountoflaborrequiredtodoitwell.Becausetheytendtounderestimateit,theyoftenfailtoproducetheresultspromisedwithinthetimeframerequiredandmaylosetheirfocus,fundingorboth.
Anothertypicalproblemisthatmanagementmayconsidertheprojecttoo"academic"orimpracticalifanyofthefollowingconditionsexist:
• Theresultinglistofcompetenciesforajobistoolongtobepracticalormanageable.Forexample,onemodelwereviewedhad54competenciesforonejob,someofwhichwereobviouslytrivialandnotlikelytoproduceanaccomplishmentofgreatvalue.
• Themethodologyistooarduous,takestoolongoristoocostly.Somebusinesseswillnottolerateamethodologythatcan'tshowresultsquicklyoronethattakesmonthstoanalyzemoundsofstatistics.Theprojectdiesaslowdeath.
• Analysisparalysissetsin.Becausetheteamdoesnotapproachthetasklookingforaccomplishmentsthatmatter,theydon'tknowwheretofocus.Theytrytocoverthewholejobandeachminusculetaskinsteadoffocusingonthecompetenciesthatproducetheaccomplishmentsofvalue.Orinanefforttobediplomatic,theyattempttotalktopeopleperformingthejobfromallover,withoutregardtowhoisdoingitwell.Theyendupwithtoomuchdatathatistoohardtomanage,compileoranalyze.Theprojectstalls.
• ThecompetencymodelisdevelopedusingaFlawedmethodology.Forexample,theprocessproducesmodelsthatwould"clone"currentemployeesinapositionwithoutregardtothechangingbusinessstrategiesandnewcapabilitiesneeded.OrtheteampurchasedandFieldedgenericcompetencieswithoutregardtotheirabilitytoaddressspeciFicneedsofthebusiness.PerhapstheprocessdidtapworkerswithinthespeciFicorganizationduringthecompetencyassessmentprocessbutfailedtofocusontopperformers.Theresultingcompetencymodelmightsucceedindevelopingaverageperformersbutwillnotincreasethepercentageofexemplaryperformers.
TheSDWSolu?ontoCompetencyModeling
SDWbelievesthatitmaybepragmaticforacompanytopurchasegenericcompetencymodelsanddatabasesortodeveloporganization-speciFicmodels.However,westronglysuggestthatgroupschoosinggenericmodelsforkeytechnicalandprofessionalpositionsconsiderreFiningthesemodelstoreFlecttheaccomplishmentsandperformancethattheircompanyanditsclientsvalue.Weapplaudattemptsto
�CopyrightÓ1999-2017,StrategicDevelopmentWorldwide,LLC.Allrightsreserved. Page� of�5 7
Effec%veness,CompetenceandCompetencyModels
developorganizationorenterprisespeciFicmodelsbutcautionthosewhoundertakeittocarefullyconsiderthemethodologytheyuseandtheproblemsthatcanoccur.
SDWdesignedamethodologytohelpclientsinterestedinpioneeringtheirownpositionspeciFiccompetencymodelsorinreFininggenericmodelstheymayhavepurchased.TheSDWEffectivenessAreaAssessment(EAA)methodologyisbasedontheprinciplesandguidelinesthatfollow:
1. Startwiththecompany'smissionandstrategyandanunderstandingofthebusinesscontextinwhichitcompetes.
2. Spendvaluableresourceswisely.Startwithkeyjobpositions-thosethatarestrategicinnatureandcriticalintermsofbeingabletoaccomplishstrategyandbusinessgoals.
3. Identifyanddocumenttheprimaryaccomplishmentsandoutcomesofvalue;linkaccomplishmentstobusinessstrategyandgoals.
4. Documenttheprimaryeventsandactivitiesthatareperformedtoproducethedesiredoutcomesofvalue;donotattempttocaptureeverypossibletaskinvolvedinajob.Thesearereferredtoastheposition’sEffectivenessAreas,thegrandobjectivesoftheposition.
5. Analyzeprimaryeventsandactivitiesandworkwithtopperformerstounderstandtherequiredskills,knowledgeandpersonalcharacteristicsortraitsthatpredictorenableeffectiveperformance.
TheoutputoftheEAAmethodologyisapreliminarymodelthatcanbevalidatedbothinternally(withstaffandmanagers)andexternally(throughbenchmarking).Theresultisavalid,job-speciFiceffectivenessmodelthataddressesaccomplishmentsofvaluethatareimportanttotheorganization.
BeneFitsoftheEAAincludeavoidanceofsomeofthetypicalproblemsassociatedwithcompetencymodeling.Forexample,the"analysisparalysis"phenomenoncanbeavoidedandthemodelcanbeconstructedinatimelyfashion.Additionally,theEAAmethodologyresultsinthedeFinitionofoutcomesforwhichoutputmetricscanbedeFinedtomeasurejobperformance.Furthermore,theEAAfocusesontopperformerstoidentifytheaccomplishmentsandoutcomesthatarevaluedbytheorganization.Consequently,iteliminatestheneedtointerviewandanalyzemediocreperformerstodeterminediscriminatingcompetencies.
ThematrixinFigure2illustrateshowtheSDWapproachcomparestoatypicalgenericmodelingapproachandthepureorganization-speciFic,assessmentdrivenmodelingapproach.TheEAAsupportsthedevelopmentofcompetencymodelsthatareappropriatetotheclient’svalue-producingnetwork.ThesemodelshavehighFidelityrepresenthowspeciFicjobsareperformedwithinaspeciFicorganization.They
�CopyrightÓ1999-2017,StrategicDevelopmentWorldwide,LLC.Allrightsreserved. Page� of�6 7
Effec%veness,CompetenceandCompetencyModels
reFlectgoodcoverageofthecompetenciesrequiredwithinthiscontext.Asaresult,theEAAmethodologycanbeaverycosteffectiveapproachtothedevelopmentoforganization-speciFicmodels.
SDWservicesareavailabletoassistclientsinusingtheEAAmethodologytodeveloporreFinetheirpositionspeciFiccompetencymodels.Ourpreferredengagementmodelistobeginbyworkingwithseniormanagementonstrategy,visionandchallengesthatimpactbusinesssuccess.Usingthisinformationwewillworkwiththeclientteamtoselectjobpositionsthatarecriticaltotherealizationofstrategy.
Next,weprovideteamtrainingonthebackgroundanduseoftheEAAmethodology.Afterinitialtraining,wecoachandsupporttheteamasitsmembersuseittoassessandanalyzeoneoftheselectedjobpositions.ThisenablesustomodelandmonitortheuseofspeciFictechniquesfor:
• ElicitingcriticalinformationandperformingtheanalysisthatresultsinapreliminarymodelorreFinementstoanexistingmodel.
• Compilingtheinformationintoausableformat.• Validatingtheinformationusingindividualandgrouptechniques.
Afterthecompetencymodelhasbeencompletedandvalidatedfortheselectedjobposition,SDWisavailableforfollow-onreviewandcoaching,ifnecessaryastheteamcontinuestobuildmodelsforotherkeypositionswithintheirorganizationorvalue-producingnetwork.
�CopyrightÓ1999-2017,StrategicDevelopmentWorldwide,LLC.Allrightsreserved. Page� of�7 7
Cos
t and
Tim
e
Coverage, Fidelity and Potential Impact
x Organization-specific
model with full assessment
x
SDW Effectiveness
modelx
Generic model
Figure 2. Matrix of competency modeling approaches.
Any Manager’s Clear ResponsibilityBrief on Organizational DevelopmentBuilding the Self-Sustaining FirmChange as a Strategic WeaponEffective Situational DiagnosisEnhancing Managerial EffectivenessEstablishing the Organization’s DirectionHitting the Wall
How to Defeat Organizational SclerosisIs Your Company Frozen? Managing by Business Evidence New Execution AdvantageNotes on the Effective Organization Turnaround StrategiesYou and Your Situational SensitivityYou and Your Style Flexibility
Don Zillioux,Chief Scientist and CEO, SDW
For more than 20 years Don has advised a diverse variety of businesses, large and small, throughout North and Central America, Europe and Russia. He is a recognized thought leader and senior advisor in effective change management and the senior leader and chief scientist to SDW’s Worldwide Organization Effectiveness practice.
Don has worked with various Native American government and business organizations including the Seneca Tribe of New York, Gila River Community, Fort Sill Apache Tribe, Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington and the Comanche Gaming Enterprises in Oklahoma.
Along with an extensive business within the Native American communities, SDW clients have also included SKF-West Germany, University of Rochester Medical School, National Training Institute for the Deaf, Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort, PURE Canadian Gaming along with many others.
Don is the author of The Results-Focused Organization, the soon to be published series of Field Guides to Organizational Effectiveness and Instrument Based Training: A Guide to Increased Effectiveness in Training. Don’s writings and consulting/advisory work focus on planned change, organizational development, managerial effectiveness, sustainable performance, effective leadership and managing change with measurable results. He has been visiting professor and lecturer at the University of Rochester, National University, USIU in San Diego and is regularly featured at the National Indian Gaming Conferences. Don has authored over 30 assessment and training instruments and over 40 specific competency focused trainings.
2 1 0 L e d o u x S t r e e t
Ta o s , N M 8 7 5 7 1
6 1 9 - 2 6 9 - 7 3 3 8 𝄀 s d w n e t . c o m
Other articles from SDW Publications:
For ordering information, please email [email protected] or call 619-269-7338. For a complete and updated list of available articles and other publications, visit our website: www.sdwnet.com.
About the Author