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Competency Based Instruction
Training & Organizational Development
Competency Based Instruction
A forum for exchanging ideas about skills training, leadership training, management training, compliance training, e-learning, as well as organizational development and effectiveness.
Hi all, I'm moving from one organization to another and discovering that my new office uses the term "Competency-based" in a somewhat different manner from my old office. I'm interested to hear about
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Forums » Topic Forums » Training & Organizational Development » Competency Based Instruction
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Competency Based Instruction
posted at 1/2/2008 1:00 AM EST
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Posts: 14
First: 12/12/2007 Last: 2/6/2008 |
Hi all, I'm moving from one organization to another and discovering that my new office uses the term "Competency-based" in a somewhat different manner from my old office. I'm interested to hear about those of you who have competency-based programs, what that means in your organization, and how you implement it.
Thank you in advance! |
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Competency Based Instruction
posted at 1/2/2008 3:10 AM EST
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Posts: 544
First: 9/27/2004 Last: 9/13/2011 |
I went through the same thing at my job 4 years ago. It wasn't any different than an old fashioned needs assessment.
The organization determines what competencies are needed for successful job performance and then looks for gaps in those compentencies in their workforce. This information is then used for recruitment and to develop educational activities for staff to develop the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities. The key is to know what drives your organization's success and to strategically deploy your personnel resources to that end. People put different labels on things, but there really isn't anything new under the sun. I think the further we stray from the basics, the more we over-complicate things. I think the key to executing a strategy is to make things crystal clear, how are you supposed to do your job if you don't know what people are talking about? Don't be afraid to ask people to explain exactly what they mean because labels don't translate from one organization to another. |
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Competency Based Instruction
posted at 1/2/2008 3:45 AM EST
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Posts: 544
First: 9/27/2004 Last: 9/13/2011 |
I forgot to add that this process is on-going, meaning that once the strategies are determined and executed, the outcomes are assessed to determine if gaps have been addressed. My experience is that some skills (competencies) are fundamental and you will always be trying to cultivate and strengthen them, but you may find that your organization does better in certain areas than in others so you would obviously focus on weaknesses.
How do you determine what drives success? Your top leaders should know and they should communicate that clearly and often. If not, you should ask them. Business literature is also a good source. How do you determine gaps? There are lots of places to look. What critical incidents has the organization experienced? What are the main reasons people leave? What is driving lost sales, what are customer complaints, what do people spend too much time doing? Where is the waste, rework? What initiatives are failing to get off the ground? Everyone knows the answers to these, but you have to get people to talk about them. Then you make sure folks agree with what these needs are and what the priorities are. If any of this sounds like a SWOT analysis, that is certainly one approach. Then they need to agree on actions directed at reducing the gaps. From a T & D perspective, the solutions are the various activities designed to develop needed competencies and to strengthen those that are already in place. This could be anything from classroom programs to mentoring to self-directed learning. It's best to have several options available to people, but this is not always possible. |
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