Creation of Competency Framework
Andrea Y Reid
Touro University Worldwide
areid4040@aol.com
The DrewNet Group, Inc., goal is to be in alignment with other companies in the industry by creating a competency-based culture that will properly align employees within the organization with the skill set. A competency-based organization that creates specific skills that is capable to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities requires to successfully perform “critical work functions: or tasks in a defined work setting. The Competency-based practices utilize a competency framework to align the strategic objectives of the organizations with its key HRM business processes.
Scenario:
You have been hired as the Director of Human Resources / HR Business Partner by a company
that has posted large financial losses over the last three years and that is struggling to stay
competitive. Employee morale is at an all-time low. The CEO of the company believes there are
problems that exist in all areas of the company in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, and
wants you to identify deficient areas and begin to develop an action plan to help turn the
company around and improve organizational performance
Written Standards:
The reputation of DrewNet Group, Inc., and its subsidiaries (“DrewNet)” or the
“Company”) is based on the conduct, integrity, and abilities of our colleagues. The Company
expects all its colleagues to share its commitment to high ethical and legal standards and to
avoid any activities that could involve the Company or its colleagues in any real or perceived
unethical, improper, or unlawful act. As used in this in this competency-based procedural documentation, the terms “colleague” and “employee” shall refer to all colleagues (including all employees of the Company), as well as the officers and, as applicable, directors of the Company, unless otherwise indicated. The Competency Framework for DrewNet Group, Inc., is a means by which the organization will communicate which behaviors are required, valued, recognized, and rewarded with respect to specific occupational roles. It will ensure that the employees in general have a common understanding of DrewNet Group, Inc. values and expected excellent performance behavior.
Evaluation of Existing Levels of Competency
What core values and principles exist that will influence employee’s actions and the choices they make? There should be ethical standards that are based on the standards of conduct for the organization and are to be upheld by all staff. A thorough review of the functional competencies which are defined by duties and responsibilities assigned assumed by staff members for a given job. Based on the job complexity and level of responsibility, and the seniority of the occupational role, an average of three to five functional competencies are assigned to a given job. Clear expectations will need to be set, and employees are guided as to how they can assume and reinforce behaviors in line with the organization’s mission, culture, and goals. The various facets of HRM can be integrated, enhancing consistency in HR planning, recruitment, learning and development, and performance management, and thereby contributing to the streamlining of HR operations and ultimately to efficiency gains. Will need to address skills gaps, strengths are further developed and requirements for career progression will need to be clarified. There are several components of competency that could be applied in improving the current culture of the organization. One could be self-awareness which is the ability to recognize and name personal emotions. Another is self-Management which is the ability to regulate behavior so that specified goals are achieved. Another is responsible decision-making as it related to the principles of the organization.
Review of Current Climate in the Organization
I have scheduled meetings with each department head to obtain an understanding of the issues within their respective teams. It is also an opportunity to determine whether each department leads really have a true temperature of the team they are tasked to manage. Often departments leads are promoted or hired for a role, but they lack the applicable skills to manage a team properly and effectively. Leadership skills must be taught, it is not something typical inherent due to a title, it is a learned skill that and should be reviewed on an annual basis as trends within an organization change with growth and technological advancements. As part of this process I would also create a short survey to determine if the department leads are aware of the organizations mission statement, corporate vision and vision statement and if they feel that they are adhering and enhancing their team to be in alignment with the organizations mission. The survey would provide a high-level understanding of the areas of concerns for department leads.
In addressing the morale issue, it would be beneficial to also get a pulse of the employee’s issues by having them also complete a survey. This would also allow the Director of HR to better understand what factors are breeding the areas of concerns within the organization.
After the meetings and the surveys have been thoroughly reviewed and data documented the Director of HR has determined that CEO’s concerns are valid. Majority of the department leads were not fully aware of the organizations mission statement, corporate vision, and vision statement. While some department leads were aware of the concerns of their teams, they either lacked the knowledge in how to correct/address the concerns or simply didn’t feel motivated by the leadership that they could step outside the box and address the issues and determine solutions to change the climate within the organization. The employees were split in their feedback in that some felt that their skills where not being used properly within the organization, or that they were not allowed to share ideas to improve processes that were not working or needed improvement. Some employees felt that there was inadequate training being provided to allow the opportunity for progression and growth within the organization. Finally, but not least the Director of HR must ensure that while we have reviewed the staff, we also need to take a comprehensive and honest look at to what if anything has the CEO done or not done that has allowed this disconnect to continue and impact the efficiency and competitiveness of the organization.
Overall, it will be necessary to create a competency model that will adhere to the organizations overall mission as well allow the organization to grow and stay competitive in the industry.
Initial Plan in Creating a Competency Framework
Working with the departments leads the Director of HR would create a competency framework which would outline the behaviors that will be required, valued by the organization, and rewarded with respect to specific occupational roles. It will ensure that all employees have a complete understanding of the organization’s values and expected performance behaviors.
It would be necessary to create a set of competencies for each role in each department, that would showcase the values, behaviors, and requirements of the organization.
In order to correct the climate in the organization we would evaluate each employee individually within their respective departments then document their skill sets, areas of skills that require improvements and potential growth possibilities. Once this process is completed the Director of HR and the department leads would meet to discuss and determine which members of the team will need to be realigned so we are allowing employees to be in roles that showcases their skills and that allows them to be contributing members to the team and ultimately the organization. Once the alignments of roles have been accomplished, each department would be slated for team building sessions in which there would be specifically designed training sessions that would allow the team to develop and work as one cohesive unit. On going training would be a crucial element of the competency framework. The alignment of roles would also be a tool that would be instrumental in creating and developing an improved recruiting process and subsequently ensuring that future hires are placed in the best roles for not just the employee’s benefit but for the organization’s growth and development. Developing a performance evaluation process that looks at all aspect of the employee’s performance over a period with incentive programs such as quarterly recognition awards will go a long way in resolving the moral issue within the organization. The department leads will also be required to participate in team building sessions that will provide interactive instructions on how to be an effective leader. Leadership comes with its own issues and learning curves, it is not sufficient to be a figure head but rather leaders should know the details of the teams they manage so they can foresee areas within the team that needs improvement before the issue escalated and impacts the entire organization.
Conclusion
Organizations that do not create a mission statement, corporate vision and vision statement that is documented and included in the company’s website and onboarding process has the potential to be detrimental to the organization’s longevity and growth potential. Creating a competency framework is a huge project, that may require the use of an outside company to ensure that you establish the skills, attitudes and behaviors employees need to effectively do their job well. However, the investment of time and money in creating an organizations competency framework will be beneficial in the long term and be instrumental in the expected growth of the organization. When you consider that for an organization to remain in business they must be forward thinking and always anticipating future trends in their specific industry to be able to remain relevant. When you look at the technological advances that have developed over the past 10 years it is clear being relevant, innovative, and willing to take risks are factors that an organization will need to include in their competency framework.
References
Barker, Kimberley, PhD,M.B.A., R.O.D.C. (2020). Creating change and cross-cultural competence while conducting business on the global stage. Organization Development Journal, 38(3),
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https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/competency-framework
Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge. (2020). Organisation Development Core Principles, Competency, and the Way Forward? Organization Development Review, 52(3)
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