pickering public library valerie ridgway cathy grant valerie ridgway cathy grant the competency...

Pickering Public Library

Valerie Ridgway

Cathy Grant

Valerie Ridgway

Cathy Grant

The The

COMPETENCY

CULTURE

COMPETENCY

CULTURE


Background

Good news about competencies: most of us are already using

competencies – human terms require skills library staff have:

observers of behaviour; evaluate behaviour all the time

simple to establish (but not easy!)


Background

Flourished in 1990s based on key article by Hamel & Prahalad in HBR

Partly a reaction to expansionist 80’s

“Core competencies” and “competencies” used interchangeably


Some examples

Fedex Service: Delivery Core competency: Logistics

Eastman KodakService: Photography productsCore competency: Chemical imaging


Organizational competencies

Core competencies originally applied to organizations as a whole:

Confer competitive advantage Valuable Rare Difficult to imitate Pervasive in the organization


Individual competencies

Applied to individuals in an organization: Relate to performance of major part

of job Underlying, deep & enduring Identify and predict successful job

performance Behaviourally-expressed and

evaluated Can be improved by further training (Sometimes refer to technical skills)


Behaviours determine competencies

Example: “Flexible” vs.: Accepts new roles and

responsibilities Anticipates and adjusts for

changing circumstances in achievement of objectives

Demonstrates a positive attitude during times of change

Handles multiple tasks and responsibilities successfully


Competencies in a System Model

Strategic FoundationMission, Vision, Core Values

excellence; personal; communicate; enhance

Core Competencies•confer competitive advantage•value for user•qualities rare/unique•hard to imitate •pervasivepeople/clients; services;

Competencies•leadership•innovation•continuous improvement•problem-solving•etc.

Individual Job

Organization


3 approaches to competencies

Homogenized – same set for all Individualized – unique set for

each Stratified – sets vary by class of

job


Who has adopted competencies?

Other libraries of all types Professional organizations Private sector See thousands of lists on the

internet


Advantages of competencies

Behaviour easier to talk about than labels

Reduces bias Distinguishes top-tier staff from

average Gives staff a common language

which permeates & aligns the organization

Provides focus for training Provides consistency


Disadvantages of competencies

Some behaviours “personal” Extensive documentation and

control needed Not all behaviours can be

captured Competencies can

overlap/become vague or repetitive

Change in format generates its own problems


Implementation I

Aim for fewer than 12 competencies Decide on approach – individual,

specialized or homogenized Focus on how, not what work is done

(tasks change) Learn from others Include a definition for each

competency as well as a handful of behaviours

Prepare a 1st draft for staff and management input and expect many revisions


Implementation II

After competencies have been defined: Create job specifications Recruit using job specs Interview using behaviourally-based

competency questions Orient new employees to competency

expectations Introduce competencies to existing

employees and offer training Coach staff performance based on

competencies Evaluate all employees using

competency-based evaluation forms


Building a competency culture at PPL

Why was this needed at PPL?

No clear understanding of what was expected from employees in an environment of change

PPL needed a comprehensive system to define, communicate and manage employee performance.


Defining the desired competencies I

January 2004 Developed a consensus on

concepts and their relevance Reviewed the competencies of

other organizations – other libraries, professional lists, etc

Took what was appropriate for our organization

Core competency was difficult to define so we left it


Defining the desired competencies II

Preferred the stratified structure and defined a hierarchy of competencies

Also, a common group of competencies were found in all positions.

Behaviours were the last to be defined


Communicating with staff

Spring 2004 Staff were introduced to the

concept of competencies at staff meetings and through various memos and discussions.

Summer 2004 Staff were introduced to the

new competency-based evaluation forms during the annual evaluation process


Competency-based performance evaluation I


Competency-based performance evaluation II

360 degree feedback forms, based on competencies were added to managers reviews’ in 2005 and to staff reviews in 2006

Managers invited feedback from a random selection of colleagues


Competency-based training I

Training is a major part of implementing a competency-based HR system

Some training was system-wide• Customer service training was

first• Coaching Skills for Supervisors• Communications Training


Competency-based training II

Some training was individual and based on the training plan associated with evaluations

Individualized training was accomplished through in-house methods as well as external sources.


Competency-based recruitment

Fall 2004 New postings included competencies Interviews included competency-

based questions

Continuous LearningThink back to when you received a new position or

responsibility within the workplace. What have you done

to learn the new skills that were required?


Hurdles

Time-intensive for managers Ratings for behavioural frequency are

misperceived in many ways Performance can be a very emotional

issue for some staff Using competency measures for 360

feedback is difficult for staff Competency-based recruitment may

be difficult if there are not enough suitable recruits


Successes

Managers and staff now have a language for handling performance issues

Managers find it easier to deal with performance problems and have had much success with underperforming staff

The recruitment process has been clarified

The training process is more focused, less ad hoc


Continuous improvements

Streamlining and simplifying performance reviews forms and process

Managers are making more time for performance management.

PPL is committed to this practice and will continue to make improvements over time.


Our core competency (nearly)!

Friendly and convenient service to fit every client’s needs.


Thank you

Valerie Ridgway,[email protected]

Cathy [email protected]

pickering public library valerie ridgway cathy grant valerie ridgway cathy grant the competency...

Documents

desired competencies

competencies example

hierarchy of competencies

concept of competencies

skills library staff

consistency slide

internet slide

common group of competencies