Wednesday 29 June 2011

The Importance of Communication and Change Management Strategies

Competency-based human resource management is almost always implemented as part of a larger framework for change aimed at aligning and integrating human resource management processes and initiatives in support of the vision, mission and mandate of the organization.  It is important, therefore, to communicate the importance and benefits of the competency initiative to all stakeholders and to engage them in a way that will ensure the long-term success of the change initiative.   

The following “best practice” features are typically incorporated in the CBM project plan.

 Communication Strategy
Throughout every stage it is important to communicate the goals, purpose, benefits and expected outcomes of the initiative for all stakeholders.  This can be done through processes and tools specifically designed for this purpose (e.g., employee communiqués; employee orientation sessions; newsletters; e-mails; web-based information; etc.) as well as through the ongoing processes that are part of the overall project plan (e.g., in competency profiling focus groups, communicate the goals and purpose of the profiles as well as the benefits to employees and the organization).

 A Strategy of Involvement
The strategy for competency profile development and implementation should involve employees and management at all levels of the organization.  This creates buy-in and understanding for the profiles, tools and HR processes to be implemented.  If employees, managers and other significant stakeholders feel that they have had a “say” in the tools and processes that will apply to them, and understand the benefits for both them and the organization, there will be a higher chance for project success.  This strategy of involvement must at the same time be tempered with the understanding that employees and managers may not be readily available to participate due to heavy operational demands.

A Program of Implementation that Minimizes Resistance
Best practices and lessons learned from a variety of organizations indicate that to minimize resistance, and maximize the likelihood of successful implementation competency-based management, organizations should start with HR processes that are least threatening and most supportive of employees and managers (training/learning programs, career development) and move gradually to those that more directly impact employee performance reviews, compensation, promotion and advancement.

“Quick Wins” and Demonstration Projects
“Best practice” has also shown that it is important to demonstrate how the implementation of new methods and processes can be of benefit to employees, managers and the organization.  Very early in the project it will be necessary to identify high need areas and to develop and implement competency-based solutions to meet these needs.  It is best to choose organizational areas where the leadership sees a compelling need and is willing to put the organizational resources into ensuring that the initiative will be successful.  Finally, it is important that the leadership and / or representatives for the demonstration projects are willing to champion these initiatives (things done well and lessons learned) in other parts of the organization.
  
 Continuous Improvement
It is important that a process of continuous improvement be included in the overall plan.  The project plan therefore should be flexible and allow for ongoing evaluation and improvement as the project unfolds.

Thursday 23 June 2011

The Ongoing Debate: DIY Competencies or Off-the-Shelf Competency Dictionary

Competency Dictionary defined: Competency Dictionaries include all or most of the general competencies needed to cover all job families as well as competencies that are core or common to all jobs within the organization (e.g., Teamwork; Adaptability; Communication).  They may also include competencies that are more closely related to the knowledge and skills needed for specific jobs or functions (e.g., IT skills, financial administration skills). .

Building your Own versus Purchasing a Dictionary
Organizations may choose to create their own competency dictionaries, or purchase one that has been developed by experts in competency profiling and competency-based management.  The advantage of developing your own competency dictionary is that it will reflect the breadth of competencies that are required for success in the organization expressed in a way that reflects the values, vision and way of communicating within the organization.  On the other hand, this option is very costly and time-consuming, and most do not have the internal expertise to embark on such a venture.

Purchasing a Competency Dictionary from a reputable company has the advantage providing the organization with a well-developed and researched Dictionary that can be used in a timely manner to support profile development and implementation.  The disadvantage is that the Dictionary may not reflect the full range of competencies needed, nor reflect them in a language that is suitable for the organization.

Organizations often achieve a compromise by customizing a purchased Competency Dictionary (e.g., adding competencies; modifying the language slightly to reflect the organization’s style of communicating; including additional behavioural indicators to reflect performance expectations of the organization).  This provides a more expedient and cost-effective solution, and results in a Competency Dictionary that is targeted to the organization’s specific needs.

Learn more about HRSG’s Competency Dictionary.

Thursday 16 June 2011

How are your Time Management Skills?

In my last post, I spoke of finding an article about the negative effects of commuting to work.  I am lucky, I have the opportunity to work from home; however when I do commute to work, I use the bus.  It is better for the environment, cheaper then gas at $1.35 a liter and I can use this time to read.  I find with our busy lifestyles...children, gym, yoga, friends, family....there is little opportunity to do simple, enjoyable things for ourselves.  Not to say that I always read books/publications on talent management and competency development, but sometimes I do (usually after catching up on the sports page) and I believe this is a great use of my time.

How do you see your Time Management Skills?  Compare your daily time management behaviors with the behaviors below and see what level of proficiency you are.


What to see more competencies?  Check out HRSG's extensive competency dictionaries:

http://www.hrsg.ca/competency-dictionary

Wednesday 8 June 2011

The Daily Commute

As I work from my home office today, I came across this article. It suggests that commuting is harmful to relationships and overall well-being and contributes to obesity, stress and loneliness.


Why Commuting Sucks the Life Out of You

But does it have to be? Are there ways to make this time more enjoyable, more useful to you? 


How have you made your commute more enjoyable? What ideas do you think would change the paradigm about commutes?  How do you mange this time?

Monday 6 June 2011

Recommended Readings for Competency-based Management

As trainers and consultants, HRSG is often asked for recommended readings. 

Check out HRSG's Publications: http://www.hrsg.ca/?q=publications

Books
Dubois, D., & Rothwell, W. (2004). Competency-Based Human Resource Management. Davies-Black Publishing
Dubois, D., & Rothwell, W. (2000). The Competency Toolkit (Volumes 1 & 2). HRD Press
Lucia, A., & Lepsinger, R. (1999). The Art and Science of Competency Models: Pinpointing Critical Success Factors in Organizations. Pfeiffer
Shandler, D. (2000). Competency and the Learning Organization. Crisp Learning.
Spencer, L M. in Cherniss, C. and D. Goleman, eds.  (2001) “The economic value of emotional intelligence competencies and EIC-based HR programs”, in The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace: How to Select for, Measure, and Improve Emotional Intelligence in Individuals, Groups and Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Wiley
Spencer, L., & Spencer, S. (1993). Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance. Wiley
Ulrich, D. and Brockbank, W. (2005) The HR Value Proposition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press
Wood. R., & Payne, T. (1998). Competency-Based Recruitment and Selection. Wiley

Articles
Bartram, D. (2005) The Great Eight competencies: A criterion-centric approach to validation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 1185–1203
Catano, V., Darr, M., & Campbell, C. (2007). Performance appraisal of behaviour-based competencies: A reliable and valid procedure. Personnel Psychology, 60, 201-230
Cheng, M. I., &. Dainty, R. I. J. (2005). Toward a multidimensional competency-based managerial performance framework: A hybrid approach. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20, 380-396
Draganidis, F., & Mentzas, G. (2006). Competency-based management: A review of systems and approaches. Information Management &Computer Security, 14, 51-64
Homer, M. (2001).  Skills and competency management. Industrial and Commercial training, 33/2, 59-62
Horton, S. (2000). Introduction- the competency-based movement: Its origins and impact on the public sector. The International Journal of Public Sector Management, 13, 306-318
Kochanski, J. T.,& Ruse, D. H. (1996). Designing a competency-based human resources organization. Human Resource Management, 35, 19-34
McEvoy , G., Hayton, J., Wrnick, A., Mumford, T., Hanks, S., & Blahna, M. (2005). A competency-based model for developing human resource professionals. Journal of Management Education, 29, 383-402

Friday 3 June 2011

HR Executive magazine to feature HRSG

HRSG client, CMA Ontario, is feature technology case study in this month’s HR Executive Magazine for using HRSG’s i-SkillSuite® assessments.

http://www.hrsg.ca/?q=publications#casestudies 

Thursday 2 June 2011

The HRSG Story

HRSG is committed to providing services and products precisely tailored to meet client needs using the most advanced knowledge, tools and techniques in the field of human resource and talent management.
Launched in October 1989, HRSG earned its leadership position by developing innovative, customer-centered solutions to strategic HR issues across a wide range of government and industry. Our goal is to help organizations maximize their full potential by aligning their human resources with their strategic vision and goals.  We focus on improving the quality of working life for employees, while making a positive difference to the bottom-line success of organizations.


We continue to expand the breadth and depth of our professional services, integrated solutions and our strategic HR tools. Our latest innovation,  i-SkillSuite®  is a Software as a Service (SAAS) offering as well as a web-based Enterprise solution that was developed from our store of knowledge obtained from more than 20 years experience in the field of competency-based talent management.
HRSG takes great pride in the fact that we target our services and tailor our solutions to the unique  needs of our clients. Our ultimate goal is to empower clients - that is, provide them with the skills and capabilities to better manage their talent, not to build dependencies on HRSG.