We live in a rapidly changing world with high uncertainty, high complexity and things that are no longer taken for granted. We need to keep up with technological evolutions, embrace digitalization, stay abreast of new legislation, capitalize on trends, overcome crises, and so on. To continue to meet all the demands and expectations of customers, shareholders and other stakeholders, it is necessary to be able to rely on competent, committed and agile employees to do so. The various management system standards (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001...) require individuals to be competent. Further actions should be taken to acquire the required competence and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken. Competence and involvement of employees is thus essential for the success of organizations!
It takes leadership and vision to always attract the right talents and manage competencies in this changing environment. The trick is to fulfill the needs of the organization, as well as enable individuals to achieve their personal development goals.
In short: grow your organization by growing your employees. This will contribute to the involvement of people and finally lead to better results in terms of quality, environment, safety, health....
But what are competencies?
So what do we understand by the term competence? According to the ISO 9000 glossary, competence includes the ability to apply knowledge and skills in order to achieve intended results. For demonstrated competence, the term qualification is often used.
Competence thus encompasses much more than having the right diploma. It is, as it were, the sum of all the knowledge one has acquired (e.g., knowledge about legislation, standards, techniques), all the skills one possesses (e.g., communication skill, commercial skill) as well as what behavior or attitude is displayed (e.g., flexible, respectful, helpful, customer-oriented). What is important here is that one must be able to put these different elements into practice in order to achieve the desired result.
Competence management through PDCA
If an organization wants to get significant added value from human performance, competency management must be an essential part of its operations. According to ISO 10015 (International Guidelines for Competency Management), the process of managing competencies and developing people is based on the widely known Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
1. Plan phase
- Determine what competencies are needed in the organization
- Identify the gap between what is actually present and what is needed
- Planning competency development
In the planning phase, the competencies needed are determined. This is done at the level of the organization, the teams as well as individually. The determination of required competencies is directly influenced by the context of the organization and the company's chosen mission, vision and strategy. For example, an innovative international biotech company will have different competency needs than a local manufacturing company producing low-value metal parts. Notwithstanding these organizations have completely different competency needs, they both need to identify the deficits that need to be further developed.
2. Do phase
- Provide concrete development programs and activities
- Implement planned development activities
In the implementation phase, concrete development plans -and activities- are provided that address the identified needs. These can range from, for example, developing language skills, gaining an understanding of genetic engineering, training audit skills, learning to work with certain machines, etc.
Development activities may include on-the-job training, classroom training, e-learning, coaching, self-study, review of literature, participation in conferences or other forms. Records of development activities performed should be kept as evidence of competency development.
3. Check phase
- Monitoring and evaluating results
In the Check phase, the effectiveness of the actions taken should be evaluated. In other words, evaluating the impact of the efforts. Thus, the extent to which the training activities and the like have produced the desired results should be tested. This can be done through various evaluation methods such as, for example, comparing performance before and after training, 360° feedback, interviews by managers and tests or assessment centers.
4. Act phase
- Adjust and improve
In the Act phase, adjustments will be made according to the results obtained. Thus, the PDCA cycle is closed again and one can start thinking about future competence needs based on new trends and developments.
A competent organization is better able to harness the potential of its employees and involve them in the organization's strategy. This provides stronger focus and motivation.
The right people with the right competencies in the right place, give an organization wings. This undoubtedly leads to commitment, good results and satisfied stakeholders!
Author: Phronesys, Joerdi Roels