Competencies—Building Blocks or Buzzwords An Webcast

Presenter: Mary Ross

mbucherross@earthlink.net

Tuesday, January 812:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Infopeople webcasts are supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

The latest buzzword?

How do you view competencies?

Building blocks for success?

How do you view competencies?

Agenda Definitions of competencies and

competency-based management How competencies can be

identified and categorized How they are used in the library

profession How they benefit your library Why they are important to you

individually

Defining competencies

A cluster of knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs)

KSAs—what does that mean?

Knowledge—what is known and understood that causes successful performance on the job

Skills—behaviors that demonstrate this knowledge

Attitudes—personality traits and values that can be displayed in behaviors

Competencies are KSAs that:

Correlate with successful performance on the job

Can be measured against “well-accepted standards”

Can be improved through training and development

Competency-based management…

… identifies the competencies needed for individual and organizational success and uses them for a wide variety of employee management functions.

In this type of management, competencies are reinforced in:

Recruitment and hiring Job design and work assignments “Onboarding” new employees Promotions and succession planning Performance appraisal Staff training and development

Toronto Public Library developed competency-based management.

Elements of Toronto PL’s CBM:

A “Competency Dictionary” Within each competency, levels

of proficiency are clarified Higher levels of job

responsibility are reflected in the competencies

TPL Competency—Customer Service Orientation Level One—Clarifies customer expectations Level Two—Takes personal responsibility for

addressing problems Level Three—Advocates for the customer

(branch manager) Level Four—Addresses underlying customer

needs (district manager) Level Five—Uses a long-term perspective

(director of public service)

Categorizing competencies

Competencies may fall into one of three categories: Core, Behavioral, or Technical.

Core competencies

Based on organizational values and strategic directions

Necessary for all jobs Expected of all employees

Technical competencies

Sometimes called “professional” competencies

Knowledge and skills critical to a specific job or work role

Not the same as “technology competencies”

Behavioral competencies

Reflect personal characteristics that drive successful job performance

Apply to multiple jobs Demonstrate self-image, typical

behaviors, and motivations

Behavioral competencies are below the water line!

Take a look at MIT’s CompQuickweb.mit.edu/personnel/irt/compquick

Take a look at MIT’s CompQuickweb.mit.edu/personnel/irt/compquick

Identifying competencies for your library

Strategies, methods, and perspectives

Strategies for competency studies

Working backward—Focus on high performers. How does their behavior differ from their less-proficient colleagues?

Working forward—Begin with a comprehensive list and ask employees to rank according to importance.

Using two or more methods validates results…

Surveys (interviews or questionnaires) Focus groups Direct observation Self-assessments Performance appraisals Research (work logs, professional

standards, production data, etc.)

Get a 360-degree view from…

Incumbents Direct reports Supervisors

…using only the incumbent’s perception…limits the role to what has existed in the past.”(C. G. Atwood, “Implementing Your

Succession Plan,” T&D, November, 2007)

Be future-focused!

“Educate yourself about future competency needs for the workforce as a whole, not just your business or industry.”

(Kevin Oakes, Institute for Corporate Productivity)

Look at workforce trends…

“… recent graduates entering the workforce unprepared for current

demands and the looming retirement of large numbers

of baby boomers… undermines the ability of businesses to grow and

compete.”

(Bridging the Skills Gap, an ASTD white paper, Fall 2006.)

Competencies in the profession

Some resources available to help you

In the profession, competencies are used for:

Standards Certification

programs Library education

The American Library Association has developed: Technical competencies

for specific service areas such as children’s, young adult, and reference services

Core competencies for professional values such as intellectual freedom

(These can be found on the ALA Website, www.ala.org.)

Western Council of State Libraries has a competency-based certification program.

(Details at certificate.westernco.org)

The CPLA program is based on nine sets of competencies.

(www.ala-apa.org/certification/cplaapplication.html)

SJSU’s School of Library and Information Science:

Curriculum is based on 15 MLIS core competencies

Syllabus for each class lists the competencies addressed

Students demonstrate mastery of the core competencies in a culminating portfolio

(Details can be found at slisweb.sjsu.edu/coa2007.)

Competencies at your library…

…and how they benefit your organization

For your library, competencies…

Highlight your organizational values

Provide clear roadmaps for employee success

Give you practical tools for performance management

More benefits of competencies:

Help you target staff training and development needs

Enable a better fit between employees and their jobs

Help you forecast future skills and plan for succession

Competencies for you as an individual

Your roadmap to individual development and career planning

For you as an individual, competencies help you:

Compete successfully for promotion Gain recognition as a top performer Work with your supervisor to create an

IDP Build your portfolio of knowledge and

skills Develop the skills to lead from any

position

Ohio Library Council provides a roadmap to skill development.

Names the competency Defines it Lists skills and behaviors Identifies possible

training units

(Available at www.olc.org/CoreCompetencies.asp)

“…people are the most valuable assets of any organization.”

“In order for the organization to succeed, it has to ensure that all staff have the necessary abilities to maintain success.”

(Josephine Bryant and Kay Poustie, “Competencies Needed by

Public Library Staff”)

Thank you!

Randy Glasbergen cartoons, used with permission of the artist, www.glasbergen.com

Photographs from iStockphoto.com, used with permission