In the previous blog post we have already presented the most important basics on the topic of competence management/skill management. Here we will now take a closer look at competence models and why it is best to design them and competence management in general in an agile way. To do this, let’s start with an explanation of what agile actually means in this context.
What Does Agile Competence Management Mean?
Agile competence management is primarily about using instruments, such as agile models, in order to ultimately promote HR processes, such as competence development, in the company. In this case, agility is needed to be able to react quickly and at short notice to changes and new requirements, which makes the whole topic more efficient. In the classic procedure for the development of a competency model according to the waterfall principle, this is not always the case. It is more time-consuming and requires more resources.
In agile skill management, the necessary flexibility is available to keep up with the times, to constantly adapt to changes and to record, add new or further develop existing competencies as needed. These aspects can also be applied to the development of competency models, which are explained in more detail in the following section.
Developing Competency Models – Classic vs. Agile
There are different ways to get a competency model. For example, it can be purchased externally, templates can be used that are individually adapted in the company or it can be developed directly in-house.
In addition, there are different development approaches. Competencies can be developed classically based on the company’s values, on the basis of competencies from successful studies or own surveys. However, they can also be derived from the corporate strategy and foreseeable requirements. This is more of a classic method with a top-down approach. However, a lot of time is often needed until all competencies are worked out to the last position and this process often takes months or even years. In addition, this development process is very cumbersome and the model often proves to be not so easy to change afterwards. Due to the extent, such classic models are usually not feasible for small or medium-sized companies.
The Agile Approach
Another possibility is to record skills in an agile model, which can be completely developed by the company itself and can be supplemented and updated again and again over time. This method has some advantages compared to classic model development.
- Start quickly and easily: Normally, getting started is always the biggest hurdle. But not with the agile model. This is because this does not claim to be developed immediately and completely down to the last detail, but arises in the process. This means that you can easily start with a design without much preparation.
- Increase motivation: Necessary processes can be simplified here, as you only have to work on the model when there is an organically developing need and therefore no time or effort is invested unnecessarily. After all, requirements will always change over time. These changes should therefore be accepted and taken into account.
- Simple system: The agile model can be easily recorded without any special prior knowledge, as it can change constantly. There is no need for special training or a complicated system for presentation.
All in all, agile competence management is very gentle on the company’s time and financial resources due to the points mentioned. Another challenge that always arises when developing models, however, is deciding what level of detail they should have.
Detail Level of Models
When a competence model is to be developed, the question always arises at the beginning of how it should be structured and how detailed it should be at all. For example, whether there should be uniform competencies for the entire organization or only for the management level, department level or for each individual position. There are different approaches or structures that can be chosen.
One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Here, competence models are developed for each individual job. However, this can also quickly lead to a very high level of effort. Therefore, it is particularly important to define what an individual job is in the first place. Just like the one-size-fits-all approach, this approach is very one-sided and in this case too specific, as the holistic approach at the organizational level is missing.
Single-Job Approach
Competencies can also be assessed through observation in a natural or artificial setting.
In a natural setting, employees are observed in their actual everyday work. The results of this are then later retrieved from the memory of the observer in the written documentation. To ensure that these observations do not take place indiscriminately, it must first be determined which behavior and which situations are to be observed precisely in order to measure competencies. This means that the procedure should be standardized and systematic to a certain extent. In practice, however, this variant is hardly realistically feasible for companies with a normal everyday business, but we still wanted to briefly mention the possibility here.
In an artificial setting or simulation-oriented process, competencies are measured on the basis of simulated work tasks such as work samples. Although the work situation here is artificially created, it often comes very close to reality and can therefore be assessed just as well by appropriate experts. This procedure is useful if a review of the skills learned in working life is to take place, which are the basis for certification, for example. Here, the current status of a person can be measured and it can be determined which tasks can be mastered well with the existing competencies and where there may still be a need for development. The advantage of this is that the person will most likely complete the work sample conscientiously and as well as possible, knowing that the results will be directly controlled. So it should be relatively easy to determine what skills the person actually has.
Now we have presented the possibilities of measurement. But at this point the question arises as to how the whole thing can be implemented. With paper and pen? Or are there not better ways to systematically record the results and thus make them usable in the first place? That’s what we’re going to talk about in the next section.
Multiple Job Approach
This approach is a hybrid of the above-mentioned variants. Both job-specific technical and cross-job interdisciplinary competencies are considered and recorded. In addition, a distinction is also made here as to whether certain competence requirements are organization-specific or generally valid for other areas of life. This approach is particularly compatible with agile skill management, as it allows you to start with a few jobs and add more to the competency model over time as needed. In addition, in the case of specifically identified development needs, it can be looked at directly whether these skills are or could also be relevant for other jobs. Such a model should be recorded in an orderly and hierarchical structure and competencies should be clearly described. Because in the end, it should be possible to easily read out which tasks in the company can be mastered by which competencies or behaviors.
Due to the consideration of different levels and perspectives, the multiple job approach is therefore the most recommended for an agile competence model. However, once a model has been created, a new question arises, namely how competencies can then be measured at the end in order to evaluate developments. We will address this question in our next article in a timely manner.
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