Competency-Based HR Application:
Training & Development

You know that there is a direct bottom-line connection between employees with the right competencies and their performance in positions that require those competencies. But getting from "A" (competency) to "Z" (performance) requires that competencies not only be present, but that they be honed and developed to facilitate superior performance.

Workitect's Competency-Based Development is designed to help organizations improve their employees' productivity and effectiveness by strengthening the specific competencies needed in specific positions. Our training can also help you prepare employees for the nextstep in their career progression by developing specific competencies that will help them move horizontally or vertically in the organization.

Competencies are the foundation for performance

They are the "how" of performance and must be present to ensure long-term success. But competencies don't just exist in a vacuum. By first identifying the required competencies for your key positions and then evaluating and targeting improvement in specific, individual employee competencies, you can increase performance, productivity, and personal job satisfaction. Workitect will help you improve individual employee performance on position-specific competencies through assessment, feedback, coaching and training.

Focused Competency-Based Training and Development

Improve individual employee performance in position-specific competencies to drive overall organizational performance against those competencies. Each targeted competency is trained in 2-4 our modules following by focused individual development efforts.

> A New, Unique, and more effective Approach to Developing Competencies

Customize your Training to Develop the Competencies in your Competency Model

Improve each person's performance in terms of their position-specific competencies, and the organization's overall performance against those competencies, through feedback, coaching and training.

Our nine-step process

Our nine-step process includes a customized 360° feedback survey to identify individual strengths and development opportunities, a personalized feedback report and specific strategies for individualized developmental activities.

Not only is this training developed and delivered specifically based on your organization's needs-it's designed to focus on specific, individual employee or job group competency needs.

Each targeted competency is trained in 2-4 hour modules followed by focused individual development efforts.

Our approach consists of nine steps:

A. Develop a competency model for a job group.

1. Create a formal competency model for the specific job group.

B. Identify the strengths and development needs of each individual and of the total group.

2.Customized 360° survey.

A customized 360° feedback instrument based on the model is developed and administered.

The survey provides clear, concise feedback from direct reports, peers, internal customers and supervisors along with the participant's self-assessment. The participant receives feedback on the degree to which he/she has been observed demonstrating competencies identified and listed in the group's competency model, usually 8-15 competencies.
3. Feedback to each individual

Each participant receives a feedback report that identifies strengths and development opportunities. This is done in a session where the participants learn how to interpret and use the feedback to prepare individual development plans.
4. Identify the total group's needs

For the group, this baseline assessment identifies which competencies are strengths and which require development in order to help the organization meet its long and short-term goals.

In addition, participant strengths and development areas can be used to identify optional team projects which can provide developmental experiences in desired competencies for group members.

C. Plan and create a training and development approach and program.

5. Plan the development approach and program

Based upon the baseline data, a training and development curriculum, including learning goals for each of the targeted competency development modules, is planned. Each competency will be covered in a 2-4 hour session.
6. Develop training materials*

We then select or develop the required training materials. Materials already exist for many of the competencies.

D. Implement the program.

7. Conduct training*

Training for each targeted competency is delivered in 2-4 hour modules. Your own instructors can be trained to conduct sessions.
8. Complete individual development plans

At the end of each module, we help participants work on their individual development plans, utilizing our Resource Guide for Developing Competencies and online eDeveloper™. This is where the optional team projects can be introduced as a developmental approach for selected competencies.
9. Follow-up coaching

We train your managers in coaching skills to enable them to help the participants achieve their individual goals.

Examples of Programs*

Leadership With Results

This three to four-day program equips managers and team leaders with many of the 34 competencies our research has shown to be needed for leadership success. Participants receive feedback from a 360° multi-rater feedback assessment (Leadership Competency Assessments). Through experiential learning, case studies, and personal development planning, this program assists in building new strategies and competencies to improve personal performance and organizational effectiveness.

Outcomes
As a result of active participation in this program, participants will be able to:
- Ensure that each team member receives clear direction, assessment of current skills, and suggestions for improvement
- Establish standards of performance, clarifying roles, responsibilities and objectives of departments and individuals.
- Encourage, empower, motivate, and develop subordinates and/or team members.
- Implement work planning and objective-based performance management systems.
- Establish effective open lines of communications between all levels of an organization to ensure ownership and commitment to the organization's goals.
Leadership Competencies Developed
- Establishing Focus
- Providing Motivational Support
- Empowering Others
- Managing Change
- Attention to Communications
- Interpersonal Awareness
- Influencing Others
- Building Collaborative Relationships
- Diagnostic Information Gathering
- Analytical Thinking
- Results Orientation
- Personal Credibility
Managing Performance - With Competence

Outcomes
As a result of active participation in this program, participants will be able to:
- Establish goals linked to the organization's strategies and goals.
- Collaboratively develop clear job goals and competency development goals.
- Gather and analyze performance data in a way that improves the accuracy of performance assessments.
- Conduct performance reviews that reduce resistance and improve acceptance.
- Produce concrete performance improvement and personal development plans that get implemented.
- Create a culture where coaching and feedback occur as a routine part of each workday.
Competencies Developed
- Communicating and Enhancing Interpersonal Awareness
- Establishing Focus and Goals
- Gathering and Analyzing Information
- Developing People
- Coaching and Reviewing Performance
- Providing Motivational Support
- Empowering Others
- Managing Change
  Detailed Program description [471kb PDF]

More About Action Learning:

Delivery Options

All programs are delivered onsite and can be tailored to the needs of the organization. Public sessions of the Building Competency Models workshop are also offered. Instructor certification for internal delivery is now available for the FOCUS Coaching [637kb PDF] program, and can be provided for many of the other programs as well.

Contact Workitect

Contact Workitect for more information on how this training can be brought to your organization. We'll help you design and implement a results-driven competency-based development system.

Facilitators provide

* Frameworks and models
* Processes, including competency sharing sessions where the focus is not on how a particular competency should be used, but on how it actually is used-how a group of talented and experienced people get things done.
* Options
* Coaching
* An environment that is "safe" and encourages risk-taking, experimentation and innovation.
* Stimulation
* Interesting and purposeful, clear, helpful materials, exercises, experiences and assessments
* Information - a constant flow of information and feedback
* Something for all learning styles.

Rules for our Facilitators

1. Don't overwhelm participants with material. We emphasize quality and relevance vs. quantity. Going through 500 beautiful PowerPoint slides is not our idea of good training.

2. Profess less: the participants usually have more to learn from each other than from us. (This is about what they learn, not about what we teach.)

3. Listen. Listen. Listen. And be responsive. Do not strive for the perfect training session, but to engage in a common learning experience with the participants.

4. Help participants identify and build on strengths, but give them some insight to help them prevent "derailment".

5. Concentrate as much of the learning as possible on the needs of the individual participants and their organizations. Use work rather than make work. Recognize the day-to-day pressures on the participants in their jobs. Tailor each module to their concerns.

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Competency-Based HR Application: Training & Development