Competency Best Practices Part 1: The Basics

Lately there have been a lot of Cornerstone clients, as well as potential clients, asking about best practices in Competency Management.  Either they are new to competencies, converting from a paper process or creating an entirely new process. And some questions have been sparked by my blog post, “Competencies: At the ‘Heart’ of the Talent Management Strategy.” (Thanks for reading!)  

I’ve been collecting a lot of ideas based on conversations with other HR and talent management leaders, as well as from materials I’ve read on the subject of competencies.  I’ve been doing this for quite a while, but as with all best practices, things change, and they change often!  

So here’s my latest collection.  I’m dividing it into two posts.  Part 1 will share some basic best practice tips for Competency Management.  Part 2 will explore how specific organizations should go with job competencies, as well as measuring everyday job performance.  

Competency Management: Some Basics

Reaching for the Stars

Not everyone can be a rocket scientist, astronaut or a science-fiction writer, but with the right opportunities, we can find a shared purpose at work

There’s something fascinating about mankind’s achievements in space exploration, especially if you consider the vision, the goals that were set and the collective effort that went into advancing space programs to where they are today – all in a relatively short period of time.  Whether it was the famous John F. Kennedy speech that challenged Americans to put a man on the moon within 10 years, or the imagination that gave us War of the Worlds and Flash Gordon, it all started with a vision of the future.  And in turn, this translated into the dreams and goals of a generation – uniting people in special ways to achieve a shared purpose.  

Not everyone can be a rocket scientist, astronaut or a science-fiction writer, but with the right opportunities, we can find a shared purpose at work.

The Art of 360-Degree Feedback

Why the delivery of performance feedback – and the person who is delivering it – can make or break the 360 degree feedback process

How is 360-degree performance feedback being delivered in your organization?
 

Over the years, I’ve seen varied approaches to this process.  The ideal approach is to have companies engage their employees in masterful conversations that help to build self-esteem and instill change in its people.  But you would be surprised by the amount of organizations that simply hand over the feedback results to their people and instruct them to “start developing.”  Some organizations even train employees on how to decipher the results themselves and create their individual development plan on their own, versus having someone there to guide them through the process. 
 

Based on my experience, you can seriously damage your 360 assessment process if you are not delivering the results in a way that is productive, positive and motivating. 
 

Advantage Sales & Marketing Puts Social Learning to the Test

Why a slow build approach is the best bet for organizations considering the use of enterprise social networking tools for their talent strategies

Last summer, we posted a blog about Knowledge Infusion analyst Jason Corsello’s take on the use of enterprise social networking and collaboration tools for talent management.  One of the tips he offered for businesses getting started with these tools was to identify quick wins vs. “big bang” deployments.  Not only does a lower investment lessen the pressure to demonstrate ROI, it also gives organizations an opportunity to adapt their strategies over time for broader distribution based on lessons learned.

Have You Considered How Individual Contributors Perceive Your Goal-Setting Process?

Evaluating this part of your performance management strategy can help to determine whether your organization is an entrepreneurial environment or one that sticks to the status quo 

As an individual contributor, the goals-setting process can be an extremely positive experience. But for some people it can be a nightmare. This posting explores how some individuals perceive the goal-setting process and gives you an opportunity to think about what your organization's process could be as part of your employee performance management strategy. What's your perspective?

Which Performance Management Rating Scale Should You Use?

Moving to a smaller rating scale can increase distinction between high- and low-performing employees. Read the pros and cons of the Three, Four and Five-Point Scales. 

Over the years, I have gathered numerous papers and research from various sources about Performance Management Rating Scales. This is always a very sensitive discussion for companies as they determine which rating scale they should use for their employee performance management process and why they should change their current rating structure.   

Some of the research shows moving to a smaller rating scale approach (Five-Point, Four-Point, or Three-Point) because fewer categories hold the following benefits:

• Increased distinction between high and lower performers
• Decreased complexity
• Increased consistency between ratings

Competencies: At the “Heart” of a Talent Management Strategy

While competencies should be at the core of your strategy, they can be a confusing topic for many HR and Talent Management leaders. Learn more about what competencies are, how they benefit organizations and how to get started.

Whether it is for performance management, succession planning, career development and more, there are many definitions for competencies and the ways they can be used as part of talent management strategies. As time goes by, I feel people try to use competencies in ways that may not support a measured outcome or result –- it’s just another “thing” we need to include in our organizational strategy to build talent. With this in mind I thought I’d talk about some of things I’ve learned and how I've used competencies over the years in hopes I may help to guide many of you as you sail towards this new horizon. For those of you in the more advanced stages of competencies, I’ll talk about that in another posting.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Rolls Out a Global LMS

The international hotel & leisure giant talks about replacing its “tremendously unsuccessful” on-premise LMS, including its thorough software vendor search and internal change management process

Having a comfortable bed in a hotel room may seem like a no-brainer idea, but when Westin Hotels and Resorts introduced its signature Heavenly Bed in 1999, it was a game changer for the hotel industry.  It is this type of marketing-leading innovation on which Westin’s parent company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, prides itself. 
 

One of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies, Starwood owns, manages and franchises more than 1,000 hotel properties around the world under nine unique brands, including: W, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton St. Regis, Four Points, The Luxury Collection, aloft and element.  At the core of Starwood’s success is its commitment to creating a company that is a great place to work and provides wonderful guest experiences. 

Analyst Panel Shares Expert Take on Latest HR Technology Trends

HR Executive's Bill Kutik and top industry analysts from Bersin & Associates, Forrester, IDC and Knowledge Infusion discuss the down economy, social networks, succession planning, ROI measurement and more at Convergence 2009 

If you are looking for guidance and insights on the latest HR technology trends and best practices, then who better to talk to than an all-star line-up of the industry’s leading experts?  That’s exactly what we did at our recent client and partner conference, Convergence 2009. We hosted an expert panel entitled “Critical Trends in HR Technology,” featuring top industry analysts in the learning and talent management software space, such as:

Social Collaboration: The Future of Talent Management?

Knowledge Infusion analyst Jason Corsello explains the power of combining talent data with social tools – and how this is driving an evolution in talent management strategies

One of the more buzzed about trends at Convergence 2009 was enterprise social networking and Web 2.0 collaboration tools – such as blogs, wikis, communities of practice, instant messaging (IM) and more.  How can organizations use these tools to support their human capital management strategies?  Is there a measurable impact?  Or is it all just a bunch of hype?

Observes Adam Miller, CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, “Ultimately, the point is to embed user-generated content with traditional data.  It is taking organizational data that everyone uses and meshing it with user-generated content to give you a holistic picture when making decisions about your talent as well as your business.”