Managing your upskilling needs

Competency profiles for your team

This is a critical tool for refocusing team activities, as time spent on this will be beneficial down the line.

To recap: competencies focus on someone’s personal behaviours and abilities (technical and personal) that are required for them to do their job effectively. A competency framework is a tool or matrix that helps everyone understand the definition and levels of a particular competency relevant to them and their tasks. 

For many team members, this may be a new concept. It will be essential to communicate its purpose so that they can understand how it applies to them. The framework should be a good starting point for defining shared expectations of skills and performance.

More information can be found on the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development website. 

Competency framework requirements:

• Only include measurable components
• Limit the number of competencies
• Each competency should include a clear definition of the expected behaviours
• Behaviours deemed unacceptable should also be identified. 

NB: Be careful of the level of detail included – too much and it’s too difficult to manage, too little and team members will not have enough guidance on what is expected of them.

Last month, we discussed the possibility of using core principles to help create a bespoke framework for your business. Having a competency framework in place offers the following management benefits:

• Increased employee effectiveness
• Greater business effectiveness
• Increased understanding of how team members can develop
• Better analysis of training needs
• Fair and transparent performance reviews
• Support with ongoing recruitment.