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Best
Practices in Using an Automated Competency
Management System - Part 2 of 3
|
From Nov - Dec 2009 we're taking a break
from our regular Competency Management Q & A
column to feature a 3-part series on the Best
Practices in Using an Automated Competency
Management System. If you miss the Competency
Management Q & A and have a question you'd
like answered, Submit your question today and
we'll respond to it after the series is
complete.
Last month, in the 1st
part of this 3-part series, we discussed some best
practices in linking competency management to
business needs (if you missed the 1st part, see it
here). This month we
continue our series with some of the best ideas
we've found in ensuring that the organization has
the best possible content.
- Make sure
your skills framework (competency model) works
for YOUR organization. Yes, there
are a myriad of "off the shelf" competency
models out there - including Avilar's
model. They're a good place to start, and
often are fine for a quick skills inventory or a
fast look at skill gaps and learning
needs. For a more accurate picture of
skill inventories and gaps, or to support talent
management initiatives such as career and
development planning or succession management,
you'll need something more closely tailored to
your organization. Here are a couple of
questions to ask to be sure your model works for
you.
- Does each employee's assessment contain only
the skills they really need to get the job
done?
- Are the role profiles geared to what the
organization is going to need in the near
future, not simply what's worked in the
past?
- Are skills defined in terms used in your
organization so that employees and managers will
understand them?
- Are your available learning resources
accurately "mapped" to the skills in your model
so that development planning is more
effective?
- Plan ahead
for maintenance and change. I've
often said that competency management is like
doing the laundry. As soon as everything's
folded neatly and put away, someone throws in
another pair of dirty socks and the process
needs to start over again. Again, a few
questions to ask ahead of time.
- How often will you review your model, who
will do it and when will your first review
be? The right answer depends on how
thoroughly you validated the model in the first
place and how much your organization and
industry are changing. Typically we
recommend the first formal review no later than
a year after the initial launch.
- Who will govern and make changes in
the model? It's important to be clear up
front about who will be permitted to make
changes once the model is launched - and how
they'll get documented in your assessment
system. Both the decision maker and system
administrator need to thoroughly understand the
consequences of changes to the
model.
- Train your
managers. Too often, we've seen
organizations that poured significant effort
into developing their model and customizing
their assessment tool, while expecting managers
to implement and integrate employee development
into their workload with little training or
support. In a recent informal survey of
managers in organizations who were implementing
new employee development programs, over 60% were
somewhat or very reluctant to play a more active
role in employee development. Of these
reluctant managers, the top two reasons cited
were lack of time and lack of confidence in
their ability to do it well. In the best
practice organizations we've seen, management
training on how to assess employees' skills in
an objective, bias-free way and how to engage
their employees in dialog about development
needs is conducted before any
rollout.
Next month in part 3, we'll
focus on what organizations do to make competency
management as easy as possible for employees and
managers. Stay tuned!
Cheers!
Chris
Hipple
Director of Workforce Development
Solutions
hipple@avilar.com
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Is
Your Training on Target? Dial-in on the most
critical skills to improve training
ROI.
|
A
great way to improve performance and maximize 
training budgets is to
make sure that you're time and money are focused
on improving the right skills. When budgets are
thin and you have to make the most of your
existing resources, identify the most critical
workforce weaknesses and apply the necessary
training.
Avilar helps organizations
accomplish this task in two ways:
- Our Rapid Skills Inventory
Service; no software to install or learn... no
long-term commitments to make... just the skills
data you need, when you need it most.
- Our WebMentor Skills software
system. Load your competency model, deliver
web-based assessments, report on skill strengths
and weaknesses, and build development plans to
close gaps and improve
performance.
Whatever the situation,
Avilar can help you understand the skills of your
workforce so you can make more effective
decisions. Contact us today to
discuss your needs with a qualified
representative.
|
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Need
Competency Model help?
|
Avilar
had worked with organizations large and small to
help them develop competency models and competency
management programs that align workforce potential
with business goals.
Avilar can help
you:
Want to speak with someone who's
been working with competency models and competency
management programs for years? Email us today.
Or,
visit our website for a more detailed description
of our Competency Model Development
Services.
|
|
Upcoming
Workshop
|
Workshop: Putting Competency
Management to WORK for your
Organization
This one-day workshop is
designed for individuals who are undertaking
competency management initiatives and are looking
to expand their understanding of competency
management.
Participants will learn
about:
- tools and methods that can streamline the
process
- several different approaches real
organizations have taken to make significant
impact
The workshop is interactive,
fast-paced and flexible based on participant's
needs. All exercises are contained in a 100-page
workshop manual that can be used as a
post-workshop reference tool. See the Table of
Contents.
Next scheduled
date: Feb. 9, 2010
Avilar
Headquarters
Columbia,
MD
$495/person
REGISTER TODAY!
Avilar
can also provide 1-day & 2-day workshops at your location and
a range of online workshops (called WebShops) to educate and
consult with organizations on all things
"competency
management."
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Avilar
on Facebook
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Avilar
has recently started a Facebook Fan Page, are you a fan?
The page will be used to keep our fans  up-to-date on events, new
white papers, software updates, and best practices
and thoughts relating to competency management,
workforce planning, talent management, &
training and development.
Connect with us on Facebook
today!
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Company
Bio
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Avilar provides
web-based competency management and eLearning
solutions to small and mid-sized organizations in
a range of industries and disciplines.
Formed in 1997, Avilar was a pioneer in
the e-learning marketplace and quickly learned
that a competency based approach to workforce
development was the most effective way to deliver
results.
Since its inception, Avilar has
been using its expertise in developing information
technology to improve organizations through
managing workforce competencies. Avilar brings
leading human capital management and business
intelligence professionals together with a
state-of-the-art workforce management system to
solve the complex issues facing managers of global
workforces in the 21st Century.
Avilar
offers much more than a leading software platform
to support competency management. With competency
management and eLearning consultants on staff, we
provide the consulting skills and experience
necessary to ensure your project has a meaningful
impact on your organization. Avilar's management
team, located in the Washington, DC area, believes
our mission to improve organizational competencies
will lead to higher value for our clients and
partners.
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