The COMPETENCY CULTURE Valerie Ridgway Cathy Grant Pickering

The COMPETENCY CULTURE Valerie Ridgway Cathy Grant Pickering Public Library

Background Good news about competencies: q most of us are already using competencies – human terms q require skills library staff have: observers of behaviour; evaluate behaviour all the time q simple to establish (but not easy!) Pickering Public Library

Background Flourished in 1990 s based on key article by Hamel & Prahalad in HBR q Partly a reaction to expansionist 80’s q “Core competencies” and “competencies” used interchangeably q Pickering Public Library

Some examples Fedex Service: Delivery Core competency: Logistics Eastman Kodak Service: Photography products Core competency: Chemical imaging Pickering Public Library

Organizational competencies Core competencies originally applied to organizations as a whole: q q q Confer competitive advantage Valuable Rare Difficult to imitate Pervasive in the organization Pickering Public Library

Individual competencies Applied to individuals in an organization: q Relate to performance of major part of job q Underlying, deep & enduring q Identify and predict successful job performance q Behaviourally-expressed and evaluated q Can be improved by further training q (Sometimes refer to technical skills) Pickering Public Library

Behaviours determine competencies Example: “Flexible” vs. : Accepts new roles and responsibilities q Anticipates and adjusts for changing circumstances in achievement of objectives q Demonstrates a positive attitude during times of change q Handles multiple tasks and responsibilities successfully q Pickering Public Library

Competencies in a System Model Strategic Foundation Mission, Vision, Core Values excellence; personal; communicate; enhance Organization Individual Job Core Competencies • confer competitive advantage • value for user • qualities rare/unique • hard to imitate • pervasive people/clients; services; Competencies • leadership • innovation • continuous improvement • problem-solving • etc. Pickering Public Library

3 approaches to competencies Homogenized – same set for all q Individualized – unique set for each q Stratified – sets vary by class of job q Pickering Public Library

Who has adopted competencies? Other libraries of all types q Professional organizations q Private sector q See thousands of lists on the internet q Pickering Public Library

Advantages of competencies q q q Behaviour easier to talk about than labels Reduces bias Distinguishes top-tier staff from average Gives staff a common language which permeates & aligns the organization Provides focus for training Provides consistency Pickering Public Library

Disadvantages of competencies q q q Some behaviours “personal” Extensive documentation and control needed Not all behaviours can be captured Competencies can overlap/become vague or repetitive Change in format generates its own problems Pickering Public Library

Implementation I q q q Aim for fewer than 12 competencies Decide on approach – individual, specialized or homogenized Focus on how, not what work is done (tasks change) Learn from others Include a definition for each competency as well as a handful of behaviours Prepare a 1 st draft for staff and management input and expect many revisions Pickering Public Library

Implementation II After competencies have been defined: q q q q Create job specifications Recruit using job specs Interview using behaviourally-based competency questions Orient new employees to competency expectations Introduce competencies to existing employees and offer training Coach staff performance based on competencies Evaluate all employees using competency-based evaluation forms Pickering Public Library

Building a competency culture at PPL q Why was this needed at PPL? q No clear understanding of what was expected from employees in an environment of change q PPL needed a comprehensive system to define, communicate and manage employee performance. Pickering Public Library

Defining the desired competencies I January 2004 q Developed a consensus on concepts and their relevance q Reviewed the competencies of other organizations – other libraries, professional lists, etc q Took what was appropriate for our organization q Core competency was difficult to define so we left it Pickering Public Library

Defining the desired competencies II Preferred the stratified structure and defined a hierarchy of competencies q Also, a common group of competencies were found in all positions. q Behaviours were the last to be defined q Pickering Public Library

Communicating with staff Spring 2004 q Staff were introduced to the concept of competencies at staff meetings and through various memos and discussions. Summer 2004 q Staff were introduced to the new competency-based evaluation forms during the annual evaluation process Pickering Public Library

Competency-based performance evaluation I Pickering Public Library

Competency-based performance evaluation II 360 degree feedback forms, based on competencies were added to managers reviews’ in 2005 and to staff reviews in 2006 q Managers invited feedback from a random selection of colleagues q Pickering Public Library

Competency-based training I Training is a major part of implementing a competencybased HR system q Some training was system-wide q • Customer service training was first • Coaching Skills for Supervisors • Communications Training Pickering Public Library

Competency-based training II Some training was individual and based on the training plan associated with evaluations q Individualized training was accomplished through in-house methods as well as external sources. q Pickering Public Library

Competency-based recruitment Fall 2004 q New postings included competencies q Interviews included competencybased questions Continuous Learning Think back to when you received a new position or responsibility within the workplace. What have you done to learn the new skills that were required? Pickering Public Library

Hurdles q q q Time-intensive for managers Ratings for behavioural frequency are misperceived in many ways Performance can be a very emotional issue for some staff Using competency measures for 360 feedback is difficult for staff Competency-based recruitment may be difficult if there are not enough suitable recruits Pickering Public Library

Successes Managers and staff now have a language for handling performance issues q Managers find it easier to deal with performance problems and have had much success with underperforming staff q The recruitment process has been clarified q The training process is more focused, less ad hoc q Pickering Public Library

Continuous improvements Streamlining and simplifying performance reviews forms and process q Managers are making more time for performance management. q PPL is committed to this practice and will continue to make improvements over time. q Pickering Public Library

Our core competency (nearly)! Friendly and convenient service to fit every client’s needs. Pickering Public Library

Thank you Valerie Ridgway, valerier@picnet. org Cathy Grant cathyg@picnet. org Pickering Public Library