OUR PROCESSES

We help clients get the most from their current competencies and where needed, help clients create competencies that result in real value. Our work with competency design ranges from the enterprise level to the technical job-specific level. What is the purpose of having competencies? The main purpose is to identify high performance behaviors that, if consistently demonstrated, will lead to business success.

Some organizations invest a lot of resources in creating sets of competencies for various positions such as leadership roles, but then wonder why they aren’t getting a lot of value from that effort. In many cases, the reasons for minimal return are often due to a lack of understanding of what ‘competence’ will look like going forward rather than just reflecting on what has brought past success, a feeling that the competencies are just too cumbersome to be helpful, a concern that the competencies are just a checklist with a limited lifespan, and limited knowledge on how to use them.

WE BASE OUR COMPETENCY WORK ON SEVERAL PRINCIPLES

1. We focus on the future, with a reference to the past. Competencies should identify the high performing behaviors for tomorrow, not just today. We take into account the business strategy and market changes in creating useful frameworks that will guide successful behaviors to achieve the strategy.

2. We keep the competency framework(s) as simple as possible. We encourage our clients to focus on the vital few rather than the useful many. Although there are many behaviors that are helpful to articulate we encourage our clients to focus on the few things that will make the most difference.

3. We go beyond general definitions. We articulate how the specific behaviors within a competency apply over time to help people sustain high performance. We help create a roadmap of behaviors that apply today but can also guide the development and success of employees over the long run.

4. We don’t stop with the competency framework. We assist our clients in putting the competency framework to use through broad communication and application to people processes, including selection, leadership development, performance management, and assessments.

At-A-Glance

Our work usually involves an assessment process to clarify the client consulting need, measures of current status and desired future state, recommendations tailored to the client and follow-up support to ensure success.