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SCIENTIFIC ASPECT No. 1 - 2013 - Samara: Publishing house of Aspect LLC, 2012. - 228p. Signed for publication on 10.04.2013. Xerox paper. The print is operational. Format 120x168 1/8. Volume 22.5 p.l.
SCIENTIFIC ASPECT No. 4 - 2012 - Samara: Publishing House of LLC "Aspect", 2012. - V.1-2. – 304 p. Signed for publication on 10.01.2013. Xerox paper. The print is operational. Format 120x168 1/8. Volume 38p.l.
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UDC 373.5.05.324
Argunova Pelageya Grigorievna– post-graduate student of the Department of General Pedagogy of the North-Eastern Federal University. M.K. Ammosov. (NEFU, Yakutsk)
Annotation: The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of a wide range of scientific approaches to understanding the essence and structure of competence/competence, classifications of key competencies are presented, their main components are characterized.
Keywords: Competence, competence, basic competencies, groups of competencies.
Most researchers studying the nature of competence pay attention to its multifaceted, diverse and systemic nature. The problem of selecting key (basic, universal) competencies is one of the central ones for updating the content of education. There is a wide variety of opinions on the list of key competencies, while in the scientific and methodological literature both the European system of key competencies and Russian classifications are used. The glossary of the Federal State Educational Standard distinguishes between the concepts of "competence" and "competence". So, competence is understood as “a set of certain knowledge, skills and abilities in which a person must be aware and have practical work experience”, and competence is “the ability to actively use the acquired personal and professional knowledge and skills in practical or scientific activities” . The interpretation of the concept of "communicative competence" is also ambiguous. According to the GEF glossary, communicative competence sounds like this: “The ability to set and solve certain types of communicative tasks: determine the goals of communication, assess the situation, take into account the intentions and methods of communication of the partner (partners), choose adequate communication strategies, be ready for a meaningful change in one’s own speech behavior. Communicative competence, accordingly, includes the ability to establish and maintain the necessary contacts with other people, satisfactory possession of certain norms of communication, behavior, which, in turn, involves the assimilation of ethnic and socio-psychological standards, standards, stereotypes of behavior, mastery of "technique" communication (rules of courtesy and other norms of behavior).
The question remains regarding the allocation of key competencies. It can be noted that it is difficult to talk about a single semantic space for the concept of “key competencies”: they are even called in different sources in different ways - key, basic, universal, transdisciplinary, metaprofessional, systematic, etc. And also the identification of key competencies reveals both laxity and blurring of the division in these competencies (and competencies). So, for example, G.K. Selevko singles out "mathematical, communicative, informational, autonomization, social, productive, moral" competencies. The looseness (overlapping of classes) here is that productivity can be considered as a general property of any activity, for example, the activity of solving mathematical problems or the activity of communication. Information competence intersects with all others, etc. Those. these competencies (competences) cannot be singled out as separate ones.
In selected Khutorsky A.V. competencies, it is also possible to note intersecting meanings - “value-semantic, general cultural, educational and cognitive, informational, communicative, social and labor, personal competence or competence of personal improvement.
It is known that the number of core competencies for different authors varies from 3 to 140. In 1996, at the symposium "Key competencies for Europe", held in Bern, their approximate list was presented. It included:
1) political and social competencies;
2) intercultural competencies that allow harmonious coexistence with people of a different culture, religion;
3) competencies related to oral and written communication; information competence;
4) competencies that determine the ability to learn throughout life.
In the same year, Jacques Delors in his report "Education: a hidden treasure" identified four global competencies: "learn to know, learn to do, learn to live together, learn to live" .
Key competencies are also highlighted by domestic teachers, for example, A.V. Khutorskoy notes seven groups of key competencies: value-semantic, general cultural, educational and cognitive, informational, communicative, social and labor, personal self-improvement. Moreover, each group contains elements of independent learning activities. G.K. Selevko classifies competencies by type of activity, by branches of science, by components of the psychological sphere, as well as by spheres of social life, production, in the field of abilities and by levels of social maturity and status.
The most complex classification proposed by I.A. Winter is based on activity category. The author identifies three groups of competencies:
1) competencies related to the person himself as a person, the subject of activity, communication;
2) competencies related to the social interaction of a person and the social environment;
3) competencies related to human activities.
Each group has several types of competencies. The first group includes competencies: health saving; value-semantic orientation in the World; integration; citizenship; self-improvement, self-regulation, self-development, personal and subject reflection; meaning of life; professional development; language and speech development; cultural mastery mother tongue proficiency in a foreign language. The second group contains competencies: social interaction; communication. The third group includes competencies: activities; cognitive activity; information technologies.
If we analyze the examples of key competencies and key competencies given by the authors, then it is difficult to notice visible fundamental differences. So, "information and communication competencies" are very close in meaning to the so-called "communicative competence".
Therefore, defining our position, we, following I.A. Zimnyaya, we consider competence and competencies as mutually subordinate components of the subject's activity. We believe that competence is considered as potential activity, readiness and desire for a certain type of activity. Competence - an integral quality of a person - is a competence successfully implemented in activity. The components of competence/competence in any area of life, in our opinion, can be represented as follows:
Cognitive component (knowledge);
Motivational component;
Axiological component (orientation, value relations of the individual); practical component (skills, skills, experience); capabilities;
Emotional-volitional component (self-regulation). In this case, competence acts as the potential of competence, which can be realized in a certain field of activity, should become effective with the help of mechanisms of self-organization, self-regulation.
The specific structure of the competence of a specialist with higher education, in our opinion, includes professional competence (willingness, desire to work in a certain professional field of activity) and socio-psychological competence (desire and readiness to live in harmony with oneself and others, harmony of self and society).
In turn, each of these competencies can be divided into general (basic, key) competencies, common to all graduates of all universities and special, important for a given specialty. Thus, in the structure of the competence of a university graduate, four blocks of competencies / competencies are clearly distinguished: general professional competence, special professional competence, general socio-psychological competence, special socio-psychological competence.
General professional competence (GPC) is defined as general professional knowledge, skills, abilities, as well as the willingness to update them in the field of a certain group of professions. We believe that the structure of the defense industry includes the competence of a graduate in the field of research, design, construction, administrative, management, production, and teaching activities.
Special professional competence - the degree and type of professional training of a graduate, the presence of professional competencies (i.e., readiness and aspiration) necessary to perform a certain professional activity. Their content (the content of their instrumental basis) is determined by the state qualification characteristics.
General socio-psychological competence is the willingness and desire to effectively interact with others, to understand oneself and others with a constant modification of mental states, interpersonal relationships and conditions of the social environment. As part of the socio-psychological block, social competencies (tolerance, responsibility, ability to work in a team, etc.), personal (readiness and desire for self-development, self-improvement, self-education, reflection, creativity, etc.), information (ownership of new technologies, their critical use, knowledge of foreign languages, etc.), environmental (environmental responsibility based on knowledge of the general laws of the development of society and nature), valeological (willingness and desire to lead a healthy lifestyle), etc.
Special socio-psychological competence is the readiness and ability to mobilize professionally important qualities that ensure the productivity of a specialist’s direct labor activity. We believe that the classification of professions can be used to describe the socio-psychological competence of a graduate of a particular specialty.
It should be noted that in the countries of the European Union a special place is given to the concepts of "key competencies" and "key qualifications". They represent the main criteria for the quality of education in countries. Based on the analysis of the literature, we came to the conclusion that in foreign studies these categories are often used as synonyms for the concepts of "basic skills" or "key skills" and are defined as "personal and interpersonal qualities, abilities, skills and knowledge that are expressed in various forms in diverse situations of work and social life. These key qualifications (basic skills) include:
Core skills (literacy, numeracy), life skills (self-management, professional and social development skills), key skills (communications), social and civic skills, entrepreneurial skills, managerial skills, ability to analyze and plan;
Psychomotor skills, general labor qualities, cognitive abilities, individually oriented abilities, social abilities;
Socio-professional, sensorimotor and personal qualifications, polyvalent professional competence, professional cognitive abilities, etc.
Comparing their content with “core competencies”, which are given special importance in vocational education European Community, we can note a lot in common:
Social competence (the ability to take responsibility, jointly develop a solution and participate in its implementation, tolerance for different ethnic cultures and religions, manifestation of the conjugation of personal interests with the needs of the enterprise and society);
Cognitive (personal) competence (willingness to constantly improve the educational level, the need to update and realize one's personal potential, the ability to independently acquire new knowledge and skills, the ability to self-develop); competence in the field of independent cognitive activity;
Communicative competence (proficiency in oral and written communication technologies in different languages, including computer programming);
Socio-informational competence (knowledge of information technologies and a critical attitude to social information disseminated by the media);
Intercultural competencies;
Special competence (preparedness for independent performance of professional actions, evaluation of the results of one's work).
E.F. Zeer and his followers call core competencies:
"intercultural and intersectoral knowledge, skills, abilities necessary for adaptation and productive activity in various professional communities";
a complex of universal (integral) knowledge that "include general scientific and general professional categories, principles and patterns of functioning of science, technology, society" ... that "determine the implementation of special competencies and specific competencies."
The same key competencies ensure the productivity of various activities. Key professional competencies determine the social and professional mobility of specialists, allow them to successfully adapt in different social and professional communities. In their study, the authors, referring to S.E. Shishov, give the following definition: key competencies are “the general (universal) ability of a person to mobilize acquired knowledge and skills in the course of professional activity, as well as to use generalized methods for performing actions”.
To (basic) competencies they include general scientific, socio-economic, civil law, information and communication, polytechnical and special general professional knowledge.
But the “qualification”, according to E.F. Zeer and G.M. Romantsev, it is "a set of social and professional qualification requirements for the social and professional abilities of a person."
Another researcher of this issue, L.G. Semushina writes that "qualification characterizes the degree of mastery of a given profession or specialty by an employee ... (qualification can be low, medium and high)". E.F. Zeer clarifies and relates this definition to the concept of "professional qualifications" - "... the degree and type of professional training of an employee, his knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform a certain job." Thus, qualifications, just like competencies, can be key and professional (special), and special qualifications are most often called simply “qualifications”.
The key qualifications” in the domestic scientific literature are:
Extrafunctional knowledge, skills, qualities and properties of an individual that go beyond professional training ...;
General professional knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as the abilities and qualities of the individual necessary to perform work in the field of a certain group of professions ...;
Intercultural and intersectoral knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for adaptation and productive activity in various professional communities.
The structural elements of key qualifications include the professional orientation of the individual, professional competence, professionally important qualities, professionally significant psychophysiological properties. E.F. Zeer and E. Symanyuk call “metaprofessional qualities” as part of key qualifications - “abilities, personality traits that determine the productivity of a wide range of social and professional activities of a specialist, for example, such qualities as “... organization, independence, responsibility, reliability, ability planning, problem solving, etc. And the very concept of “key qualifications” is defined by the authors as “metaprofessional constructs of a wide range of use, which include basic competencies and metaprofessional qualities.
In our study, we made an attempt to compare these categories with the identified clusters of competencies/competences (competence in our study represents potential competence, readiness and desire for activity) by types: general - special; professional - socio-psychological.
The concept of “key competencies” has the broadest meaning here. It incorporates general competencies (“key qualifications”) – competencies that are equally necessary for any specialist with a higher education. They are divided into proper professional and socio-psychological (personal). Such a system of concepts is built into the presented model of the competence of a university graduate, becomes convenient for use, and this, in turn, allows us to determine a system of factors, principles, conditions for the formation of the competence of a future specialist in the course of the educational process.
In a theoretical analysis of the definitions presented in the literature, one cannot but pay attention to the fact that, despite such a variety, one of the most important characteristics of the elements of competence and competencies, it is the activity and effectiveness of existing knowledge and experience that is emphasized, the presence of potential instrumental framework) and implemented structure (internal and external activities) in competence.
It should also be noted the differentiation of competencies by areas of activity in the "Strategy for the modernization of the content of general education" (6):
Competence in the field of independent cognitive activity, based on the assimilation of ways to acquire knowledge from various sources of information, including extracurricular ones;
Competence in the field of civil and social activities, (performing the roles of a citizen, voter, consumer);
Competence in the field of social and labor activity (including the ability to analyze the situation on the labor market, assess one's own professional capabilities, navigate the norms and ethics of relationships, self-organization skills);
Competence in the domestic sphere (including aspects of one's own health, family life, etc.);
Competence in the field of cultural and leisure activities (including the choice of ways and means of using free time, culturally and spiritually enriching the individual.
Thus, considering the many approaches and opinions to the definition of "key competencies", it can be noted that in the totality of their meanings lies the idea of a humanistic type of personality, which should become a conductor of the values and beliefs mastered by it in the modern educational environment.
Bibliography
1. Bermus A.G. Problems and prospects for the implementation of the competency-based approach in education // Internet magazine "Eidos" [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://www.eidos.ru/journal/2005/0910-12.htm.
2. Zeer E.F. Identification of universal competencies of graduates by the employer / E.F. Zeer // Higher education in Russia. - 2007. - No. 11. - P. 39-46.
3. Zeer E.F. Psychology of professions: Textbook for university students / E.F. Zeer. - Yekaterinburg: UGPU, 1997. - 244 p.
4. Zimnyaya I.A. Key competencies - a new paradigm of the result of education / I.A. Winter // Higher education today. - 2003. - No. 5. - S. 34-42.
5. Selevko G.K. – Competences and their classification // National education. - 2004. - No. 4. - S. 136-144.
6. Strategy for modernization of the content of general education. - M., 2001.
7. Khutorskoy A.V. Key competencies as a component of the personality-oriented paradigm of education. Narodnoe obrazovanie. - 2003. - No. 2. - P. 58–64; No. 5 - S. 55-61.
8. Delors J. Education: a hidden treasure. UNESCO, 1996.
9. European Higher Education Area. Joint statement of European Ministers of Education. - Bologna (Italy), 1999. www.bologna.spbu.ru/documents/bol.doc.
Most of the researchers studying the concept of competencies and their types note their multilateral, systemic and diverse nature. At the same time, the problem of choosing the most universal of them is considered one of the central ones. Let us further consider what types and levels of development of competencies exist.
Currently, there is a huge variety of approaches to their classification. At the same time, the main types of competencies are determined using both European and domestic systems. The GEF glossary provides definitions of the basic categories. In particular, the differences between competence and competence are indicated. The first is a complex of certain knowledge, skills and abilities in which a person is aware and has practical experience. Competence refers to the ability to actively use the acquired professional and personal knowledge in the course of their activities.
It should be said that at present there is no single semantic space for the definition of "key competencies". Moreover, in various sources they are named differently. Highlighting the types of key competencies in education, researchers find the blurriness and laxity of the division of these categories themselves. An example is the classification of G. K. Selevko. According to the researcher, there are such types of competencies as:
The overlap of classes (non-strictness) is expressed in this classification in that, for example, productivity can be considered as a general property of any activity: communication or solving mathematical problems. The information category intersects with others, and so on. Thus, these types of competencies cannot be singled out as isolated ones. Intersecting values are also found in the classification of A. V. Khutorsky. It defines the following types of competencies:
The most complex, according to experts, the types of professional competencies are defined by I. A. Zimnyaya. Its classification is based on the category of activity. Winter distinguishes the following types of professional competencies:
Each group has its own types of key competencies. So, the following categories are included in the first:
Within the second group, the main types of competencies include skills:
Competences included in the last block:
If we analyze the types of competencies in education identified by the authors, then it is quite difficult to find the fundamental differences between them. In this regard, it is advisable to consider categories as mutually subordinate components of the subject's activity. Within any area of activity, competence includes the following components:
Types of teacher competencies, according to a number of researchers, should include two basic elements. The first is the socio-psychological aspect. It implies the desire and readiness to coexist in harmony with others and with oneself. The second element is professional. It provides for the willingness and desire to work in a particular field of activity. Each of these components, in turn, can be divided into certain types of competencies. In the pedagogical process there are basic and special elements. The former refers to graduates of all universities. The latter are important for a particular specialty.
A system consisting of 4 blocks has been developed for future specialists. Each of them defines the types of teacher:
The latter is defined as basic skills, knowledge, abilities, skills and readiness for their actualization within a group of specialties. This block may include such types of student competencies as:
The special category assumes the level and type of training of the graduate, the presence of the desire and readiness necessary for the implementation of a specific activity. Their content is determined in accordance with state qualification indicators. General socio-psychological competencies represent the desire and readiness for effective interaction with others, the ability to understand others and oneself against the background of constantly changing mental states, environmental conditions, interpersonal relationships. In accordance with this, the basic categories that make up this block are distinguished. It includes competencies such as:
Special socio-psychological competencies presuppose the ability to mobilize important, from a professional point of view, qualities that ensure the productivity of direct work.
The types of students' competencies act as the main criteria for the quality of their training, the degree of formation of basic skills. The latter include the following skills:
The base unit also includes:
Here are also present:
Analyzing the skills mentioned above, it can be noted that the basic types of competencies in education are consistent with them. Thus, the social block consists of the ability to take responsibility, jointly work out decisions and participate in their implementation. Tolerance to various religions and ethnic cultures, the manifestation of conjugation of individual interests with the needs of society and enterprise are also referred to. The cognitive block includes readiness to increase the level of knowledge, the need for implementation and updating personal experience, the need to learn new information and acquire new skills, the ability to self-improve.
Characterization of behavioral indicators is undoubtedly of great importance in assessing the skills of the subject. However, it is also important to highlight the levels of development of existing competencies. The most universal is the description system used in some Western companies. Within this classification, important qualities can be identified by placing them in the appropriate steps. In the classic version, 5 levels are provided for each competency:
The last degree indicates that the subject does not have the necessary skills. Moreover, he does not even try to develop them. This level is considered unsatisfactory, since the person not only does not use any skills, but also does not understand their importance. Insufficient degree reflects the partial manifestation of skills. The subject seeks, tries to use the necessary skills included in the competence, understands their importance, but the effect of this does not occur in all cases. A basic degree is considered sufficient and necessary for a person. This level shows what specific abilities and behavioral acts are characteristic of this competence. The basic degree is considered optimal for the implementation of effective activities. A strong level of competency development is essential for middle management. It assumes a very good formation of skills. A subject possessing complex skills can actively influence what is happening, solve operational issues in critical situations. This level also implies the ability to anticipate and prevent negative phenomena. The highest degree of skill development is required for top managers. The leadership level is required for managers making strategically important decisions. This stage assumes that the subject is not only able to independently apply the available necessary skills, but can also form appropriate opportunities for other people. A person with a leadership level of competence development organizes events, formulates rules, norms, procedures that contribute to the manifestation of skills and abilities.
For the effective application of competencies, they must have a number of mandatory features. In particular, they must be:
Within the framework of the competence-based approach, the formation of basic skills is a direct result of pedagogical activity. These include abilities:
The formation of competencies is determined by the implementation of not only the new content of education, but also technologies and teaching methods that are adequate to modern conditions. Their list is quite wide, and the possibilities are very diverse. In this regard, key strategic directions should be identified. For example, the potential of productive technologies and methods is quite high. Its implementation affects the achievement of competence and the acquisition of competencies. Thus, the list of basic tasks of teachers includes:
To implement the above tasks, you should be guided by some rules:
All these rules and recommendations are only a small part of the teaching wisdom and skill, the experience of previous generations. Their use, however, greatly facilitates the process of implementing tasks and contributes to a faster achievement of the goals of education, which consist in the formation and development of the individual. Undoubtedly, all these rules need to be adapted to modern conditions. The rapidly changing life makes new demands on the quality of education, qualifications, professionalism, and personal qualities of all participants in the process. When planning his activities, the teacher must, if this condition is met, his activity will bring the expected result.
The development of professional competencies is a continuous process that helps to maintain a high level of professionalism of the staff. Find out which methods and models are considered the most effective and efficient.
The basis of development is the improvement of the personal abilities of the employee. Under the competence are considered professional qualities that help to solve a certain range of tasks assigned to the staff. The totality of knowledge and experience underlies competence.
The level of development of professional competencies depends on the semantic scope of the concept:
models of professional behavior, skills without a certain level covers the whole range of work with simple standards. The list of behavior indicators for all types of professional qualities includes the main functional roles of all employees without exception;
To be successful when working in a particular organization, an employee has a number of competency models. A systematic assessment of methods for developing professional competencies is carried out taking into account the main indicators. Corporate competencies are essential for all working personnel. Managerial will be required by the leaders of the company. Specific competencies are based on the performance of a highly specialized function.
Marina Veselovskaya,
succession planning and personnel development manager at Efes Rus in Russia
With the rapid development of technology and the volatility of the market, businesses need to quickly and effectively respond to what is happening. The high level of professional competence of employees comes to the fore in this situation, so the development of competencies in Efes Rus is one of the company's strategic goals.
Taking into account the developed model, the most effective method for assessing the assessment center was built. Competency-based interviews are often used in practice. When evaluating candidates for a position, a recruiter often takes into account only the ability zone and practically does not pay attention to needs.
As a result, an applicant who is professionally trained, has the necessary level of knowledge, skills and experience is accepted for a vacant position. But already at the initial stage of adaptation, it becomes obvious that the employee is not satisfied with the position received, works sluggishly and shows signs of apathy. What is the reason? The fact that personal needs and expectations were not taken into account. Psychologically, the employee is not ready for the assigned duties.
When evaluating a candidate, it is worth considering his needs
It must be taken into account that at the initial stage it is important to correctly select personnel. And only at the subsequent stages of management to consider which methods will become the most effective. If some employees only need training or a seminar, for others it is rational to use classical methods based on the study of theory and practice.
The model is based on the creation of a set of relevant competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for the successful performance of the professional activities of the staff. In the main methodologies, such factors are described as indicators of behavior.
The development of methods for the development of professional competence is carried out in several stages:
at the preparatory stage, they plan a project, set goals, tasks, create a team for collecting and subsequent analysis of information;
at the next one, they work out a model of the necessary skills and abilities, choose performance criteria, make a criteria-based selection, analysis technique, collect information, check the validity of the project itself;
The next step is to put the model into operation.
Development methods include:
Each job for its successful implementation requires a certain set of competencies from a person, i.e. a set of knowledge, skills, personal, motivational features. Which ones - in each case, the set is different, it is determined by the content of the work. How to do the job better? How to get the best results from employees? The answer seems obvious - to develop competencies. But not all investments in the development of employee competencies can be justified. Because not all competencies lend themselves to development, especially rapid ones.
Why is it possible to develop some competencies, while others are not worth it? How do some of them differ from others?
First of all, competencies differ in their content and what they have more: knowledge, skill, individual predisposition.
Almost all competencies can be developed. And as part of corporate training, it is most effective and relatively easy to improve competencies that imply professional knowledge and skills, for example:
Delegation,
execution control,
task setting,
motivation,
Negotiation,
Service related skills
Sales skill,
Professional knowledge,
Product knowledge.
People who strive to be successful in their work can be trained to distribute tasks, formulate them correctly, encourage people to complete them, set control points and track them. Or teach how to properly present information about your product and encourage people to make a purchase, negotiate or organize the entire sales process as a whole.
It is quite possible to teach staff hospitable service, the correct reception of visitors in a short period of time. Although, it is worth noting that this area still requires a natural inclination to work in this area: teaching the ability to empathize, be helpful and patient in any situation is not always easy.
Such programs work effectively if the company has a system of regular training and support for the development of employees, high-quality programs are used, there are no serious problems with staff turnover, and high-quality recruitment is carried out.
There are a number of competencies, the development of which, within the framework of corporate training, is the most difficult and not always effective to deal with. Often they are called undeveloped. These include, first of all, those that are based on personal characteristics, motivation, innate abilities and inclinations of a person, even the characteristics of the intellect. Trying to change personality traits or innate abilities is an extremely thankless task.
These competencies typically include the following:
Responsibility,
Flexibility,
Making decisions
command,
Loyalty,
systemic thinking,
result orientation,
Creativity.
Such competencies as responsibility or orientation of a person to a result or a process are almost unaffected. To make a person ready to take on a certain burden of responsibility and be able to carry it is a rather difficult task and depends on the development of the individual as a whole, even his self-esteem and aspirations, personal maturity and integrity.
Or, for example, decision-making in managerial activity (although it is more often called a function) is a complex combination of a number of personal components based precisely on the willingness to take responsibility. Plus, this is both decisiveness and the ability to analyze the situation, conditions, resources, and anticipate changes. The decision made is the set goal, which means the ability to take action, push through your decision, etc.
Creativity - as the ability to create something new, to find non-standard, original solutions, to go beyond the template schemes already known. It is largely determined by the flexibility of thinking and the ability to see, analyze, act in a situation of uncertainty, ambiguity. And to influence the flexibility of thinking in an adult and mature person is, perhaps, an unbearable task for business. For this competence, the need of a person for constant creative activity and his own idea of \u200b\u200bthis are of no small importance.
Another example is teamwork - in this case, it means a tendency to teamwork. Teamwork skills can be taught. Our company implements projects in which we train the team to work together, solve a common problem, and negotiate. The effect of such trainings largely depends on how the team is staffed with employees who are initially inclined to work in a team. In this competence, the features of motivation, character, the level of conflict, flexibility, the need to be part of something, the ability to see and feel a colleague nearby, etc. play an important role.
Communication skill is the ability to build relationships with people through communication, communicate productively, the ability to establish and maintain contact, listen. This skill is developing, but it requires a lot of meticulous work. Here it is necessary to distinguish between a communicative skill and such competence as sociability. If the skill can be developed, then sociability, by which we mean the amount of communication a person needs and feels comfortable with, does not develop in any way. There are people with excellent communication skills, but the circle of their communication and the amount of communication is very limited. They just can't handle a lot of interaction.
It is worth mentioning such a frequently encountered competence as leadership, which is understood as the ability to influence people, encourage them to go towards the goal, lead, convince. Leadership also contains poorly developed components, such as the willingness to take responsibility, the ability to analyze the situation, anticipate its consequences, assess the available resources, conditions, and so on.
Of course, there are quite common methods for developing the ability to make decisions, leadership, creativity, and communication skills. They can be learned. But the development of these competencies strongly depends on the motivation of a person, on his natural predisposition. Requires deep inner work on yourself.
Most often, a person is engaged in the development of the above competencies independently. Choosing the forms and programs of training (coaching, mentoring, psychotherapy, counseling, etc.), guided by life goals and aspirations. And with the appropriate determination achieves positive results.
What about undeveloped competencies in business?
If the competence is necessary, but belongs to the group of weak or undeveloped ones, it should be included in the filter at the stage of selection of candidates for the position. And with external selection, and with internal (among their own employees). In this case, we recommend choosing candidates who already have the necessary inclinations and individual characteristics.
The qualifications of those who will carry out the selection and the quality of the assessment methods used are important here.
It is also important to develop the competency model itself with a professional approach: take into account the degree of development of competencies, their balance in terms of the degree of development, working conditions (how they affect the manifestation and development of qualities), the specifics of activities, the organization of work, the corporate culture of the company, the features of its strategy and development, business goals , the real need for certain competencies.
Competency models must be periodically reviewed and audited. This is especially important when the company is going through any global changes, changing goals and strategy.
For example, in practice, we have encountered situations where among corporate competencies (they are expected from all employees without exception), the majority turned out to be undeveloped: loyalty, teamwork, responsibility. But do all employees of the company really need them so much? Do all job positions require teamwork or the same creativity for business efficiency? Maybe somewhere more extreme autonomy and independence is required, or elementary diligence, without introducing creativity into the activity?
When developing a competency profile, selecting methods for identifying competencies or an assessment system as a whole, we start with a study of the activities of the customer company and employees in the positions of interest, the specifics of the organization of work, get acquainted with the goals, mission, values, etc. We identify the set of competencies required in this case. We determine the meaning of each, how it should manifest itself in the work. Often a group of specialists is involved in this, which ensures high reliability of the results obtained and reduces the time of projects.
What else can be done?
Constantly improve the level of qualification of HR specialists and pay attention to improving the processes of HR services.
Many Western companies create and develop a corporate culture that promotes personal development, where they know how to delegate responsibility, an atmosphere of openness and trust reigns, and the institution of coaching and mentoring is developed everywhere. Where, for example, it is customary for colleagues of different skill and training levels to gather to solve business cases or form a team to implement a new project within the company.
There is another way to capitalize on the abilities of people with developed competencies and compensate for the lack of some competencies in the rest. And this method is a systematic approach to management. Description, optimization or reengineering of business processes, development and improvement of management systems, innovations in business administration and personnel management. Yes, globally and not always easy. But it's safe.
Business analyst.
Training and Development Goals
- Factors that affect learning and development
- The contribution of competencies to learning and development
- Conclusions
In this chapter, we consider training as a method of personnel development. We present "training" as an "immersive" activity that focuses on learning and practice and is carried out using specific techniques. We define "development" broadly - as a process of learning, deepening knowledge and transferring learning outcomes to activity skills.
This can be illustrated with the following example:
"Training" and "Development"
Joe decides he needs to learn how to drive. He takes lessons from a driving instructor. In addition, he goes out with his mother, an experienced driver, to practice driving between lessons with an instructor. Joe passes his driving test on the first try. Driving lessons and driving practice is "training". Joe learns and practices driving techniques. The fact that Joe passed the test does not mean that he is already a skilled driver. In reality, this only means that he is able to demonstrate the knowledge and practical application of safe driving techniques.
In subsequent years, Joe "developed" his driving skills and abilities. He achieved this by applying the technique he had been taught to various conditions and situations. Joe learned by doing, so he became an experienced driver.
There are many reasons for the effectiveness of training and development, which seem to be important for two parties - for the organization and for the employee. These reasons include:
Therefore, training and development are fruitful both for the successful operation of the organization and for the career advancement of staff:
- ensuring that the equipment and skills of the employees' activities correspond to the current needs of production
- the preparedness of equipment and skills of employees for the future needs of production is ensured.
Educationand development provided by the organization itself
Factors that influence learning and development within the organization itself:
The challenges of learning are forcing many companies to adopt special programs to provide their staff with real opportunities to learn and develop. As we will see below, there are many factors that influence which training and development opportunities are appropriate for employees.
Training and development carried out by an individual.
The factors influencing what kind of training actually takes place depend both on the environment and on the individual himself. Environmental influences include:
- the availability of resources, i.e. how many employees can be "released" at a certain time to attend training events, as well as the sufficiency of funds to pay for training events
The quality of the course of study - how formal or informal, structured or unstructured the course is and whether it meets the objectives of the learners
- the quality of employee support after completing the training course, that is, the level of support and assistance to the employee in transferring the acquired knowledge and skills to the workplace
- a culture that promotes learning - how much the organization helps learning by noticing errors in work, inspires staff to avoid mistakes in the future through training, and does not eliminate miscalculations in work with repressive measures.
The influence of the worker himself on training includes:
These lists do not exhaust all the factors influencing learning, but they show that whatever learning and development is offered and carried out, the actual situation in the field of learning and development is determined by a variety of factors.
Education and training are usually carried out due to the lack of technical skills of employees. Therefore, training is always aimed at the competence necessary to perform tasks and achieve specified work results. In addition, training always refers to the technical competence required to advance towards a specific goal. For example: training in presentation skills, training in conducting interviews in the evaluation of work, as well as in the selection of candidates, training in keyboard skills. The use of the term "skills" can cause some confusion, because employees are usually trained not in skills, but in working methods. Training does not make an employee skillful - the skill is developed through the practical application of the methods mastered in the training process.
Competence is the result of skillful application different methods in combination with a specific situation, values, abilities and knowledge. For example, successful team leadership can be the result of effective training in the use of methods such as interviewing for performance evaluation, holding workshops, providing feedback, managing performance. But management, along with other factors, is based on the interest of employees in development, on respect for the interests of each employee, on the knowledge of team members and personal motivation to perform work.
The narrow concept of "technical training" does not refer to competencies in their entirety, but to individual elements of competencies. This type of training is carried out through:
- identifying elements of the competency that can be developed through training - for example, filling gaps in knowledge or work practices
- the focus of training on standards of behavior when the correction of behavior is achieved by training.
For example, in the Application there is a competence "Decision Making", which is a part, an element of the cluster "WORKING WITH INFORMATION". The basic elements of a Level 1 competency may include training in such skills as: decision making, procedures, boundaries of authority, transfer of individual decisions to other performers, etc. Training in individual elements of competence may include training in behavioral standards, for example, information retrieval and intelligible communication of a decision to performers.
Focusing on the basic elements and standards that fall within the purview of behavior is the main approach to learning and development. But there is another attitude to learning and development - focusing on competence in general. Competency training as a whole allows you to combine and use in practice all the elements - knowledge, skills, values, abilities, experience, etc. For example: development of the "Decision Making" competence to such a level that would allow making effective daily decisions - in a real situation and directly at the workplace.
Competences provide a fruitful model for learning and development that is applicable to all three approaches (methods, behaviour, competencies in general). This model can help you:
- an objective assessment of the need for training and development
-development of the structure of training and development activities
- selection of effective types of training and development
- evaluation of training - to ensure that it is in line with the assigned learning and development goals and the organization's strategy
- management of progress towards the goal of training and development.
objectiveassessing the need for trainingand development
There are several reasons for recognizing the need for learning and development. These grounds include:
Whatever system is used, the main principle remains the same. Determination of the need for training and development occurs through a comparison of a set of requirements for the successful performance of work with the personal quality of the employee's performance of this work, regardless of whether the person is working or only applying for a job. In other words: through a comparison of the level of work performance achieved by the employee with the reference performance of the same work.
It is important to know what is needed - training or development. This may seem like a small thing, but there is an important difference here. The question to be asked is: does the employee know everything that is required in order to do a particular job? If the answer is “no”, then training in working methods will be required. If the answer is “yes”, then you need to teach skills in order to develop the employee. For example: if an employee fails to complete the work by the required deadline, then this may not be because he did not attend the “time management” training, but because he is irresponsible about completing the work on time. Most of the methods for determining the need for training and development are given in the chapter on selection (assessment for selection: chapter 3) or in the chapter on performance assessment (performance assessment, 360° feedback assessment, self-assessment: chapter 4). The career development and management interview has a certain peculiarity: it is necessary to find high-level standards and compare the level of performance achieved by the employee with standards of precisely this quality.
Career Development Interview
Such an interview is a structured discussion (dialogue) between an employee and another person about the aspirations and plans of the employee. We use the term "career" in this sense: the promotion of an employee from job to job, which is accompanied by an increase in existing competencies and the development of competencies that are useful in the future. This path may be different from past career paths where the focus was on advancement in one's company or one's profession. But a career can be built on transitions to new companies, on changes in profession or industry. Career development interviews are conducted by different people:
Training and Development Specialists
- mentors
- line managers
- external consultants
- consultants from the employment office.
The key factor is that each of these people has extensive knowledge of different types work within or outside the organization. At the same time, they may or may not know the person who needs advice.
In the past, career interviews typically focused on interests, qualifications, and experience. But this, especially in interviews conducted by people inexperienced in career management issues, is not necessary if the employee is given a wide choice of career options.
Example. Susan has the following experience, qualifications and interests:
An inexperienced consultant may focus on Susan's accounting experience, and her career choice will be limited to finding a "good" job in the accounting field. This may be a job that requires regular working hours so that Susan can play sports and participate in competitions. Although these are significant things, focusing only on these factors is unnecessarily limiting Susan's career choices.
Competencies can add a lot to a career interview. This is also the case with Susan: she recently visited the Center for Development Assessment, which showed that Susan excels in the following competencies:
Introducing this data into a career interview opens up a wider range of job opportunities. The list will cover jobs that are not necessarily related to accounting, but that match Susan's ability to manage a team.
People conducting in-depth career interviews need information about the interviewee's competency profile. This information can be obtained through:
Any information obtained by these methods should be considered taking into account certain factors:
- How objective is the information received? That is, does it come from the employee himself or does it reflect the opinions of people observing the behavior of the employee?
Whatever the career interview, the outcome of that interview will be a determination of the need for training or development and a suggestion of how to implement the training or development. This is described a little further in this chapter.
Organization of training and development courses.
Learning training is any activity in which a person learns something new. Development activities cover any activity in which learning is translated into practice, that is, skills are developed.
Table 21 illustrates what these learning activities might be. Less structured and more informal are events that are not specially organized - most often developmental events.
Table 21
EXAMPLES OF STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
But many of the points we put below can be equally applicable to both structured (formal) and unstructured (informal) learning activities. For clarity, let's agree that the term "activity" is used to describe the element of teaching (which, from the participant's point of view, is reactive), and the term "activity" will be used to describe the element of learning (which, from the participant's point of view, is active). An event includes or is accompanied by an activity. The activity, however, should not be prompted by an event and should not be preceded by an event. Since it is possible various ways organizing and conducting training and development activities, the planner of this work should take into account:
Learning objectives for employees, teams, departments or organizations
- achieved levels of competence of the participants
- situations in which learning will be translated into practice
- recommendations from internal and external training specialists
- available resources (money, time, training materials and facilities).
With the exception of resources, a competency model can help develop all of these learning components.
Learning objectives
The very first reason for conducting learning and development activities is that there is a need for it - for an individual or for a group. Such activities should meet the needs of people, but they are not always successful, because even with the right goal chosen, the content of the activities themselves may not correspond to it.
Chasing time
A large financial institution was training staff on how to communicate on the phone with customers. The training activities focused specifically on the element of customer service. But the training goals were never fully achieved because the organizers did not take into account the technique and did not train the staff in the technique of communicating with clients in the conditions of daily stressful real situations. And workers simply didn't have time to ask customers if they understood what they were told. Employees did not have time to ask customers if they needed help with anything else. Employees were under constant pressure of running out of time: they had to answer as many calls per hour as it is difficult to even imagine.
Both at the level of the entire organization and at the level of the department, improvement of specific competencies may be required. The competency model will help to accurately set the goals of the activities necessary to eliminate the missing competency. The model is useful because the behavior of workers who are already successfully working at a certain level of competence is known. For example: you may need to improve your skills in managing a team, an entire organization or a department. Relying on a competency model will give an idea of what standards of behavior are required to display successful team management skills. IN application("WORKING WITH PEOPLE: Teamwork. Level 3") it might look like this:
Uses knowledge strengths, interests and qualities that need to be developed among team members in order to determine personal tasks in teamwork.-
Provides regular feedback to team members.
- Achieves understanding of team members of personal and collective responsibility.
- Provides constant "feedback" to all team members.
- Ensures that team members understand their individual and collective responsibilities.
But since the Model application is built on the basis of increasing competences (that is, competence at a certain level includes the competences of all previous levels), then the behavior for Levels 1 and 2 will also be included in the competence of Level 3.
The more specific a model is needed in a particular situation, the more appropriate training based on behavior indicators. But if a generic model is used, then some work will be required to adjust the behavior for the appropriate context. How to do this, read the chapter on compiling a competency model (Chapter 2). The learning objectives of individual workers are discussed later in this chapter in the section on evaluating learning and development activities.
Achieved level of competencies
Although a learning event is conducted to meet specific learning objectives, the level of competence of the trainees will help structure the learning material. Material that is too complex or too simple will quickly alienate participants, no matter how well it is presented.
Ways to determine the competence levels of training participants include:
- a preliminary questionnaire for participants and line managers
The competency model will help to establish the competency levels achieved through questionnaires and audits. The main purpose of the preliminary use of the questionnaire is to establish at what level the participant is trained or what level of development he has reached. The questionnaire includes questions about the participant's knowledge and experience. The questionnaire can be built on the basis of the competencies to which the event is dedicated. Table 22 is an example of a questionnaire used prior to the Influence Course, based on the Competency Model from the WORKING WITH PEOPLE: Influence Level 2 application.
The results of this survey can help the participant identify areas they need to focus on during their course of study. The problem may arise with one or two standards of behavior that will be different for different groups of participants in the training.
Table 22
EXAMPLE OF A QUESTIONNAIRE USED BEFORE TRAINING
Listed below are standards of conduct relating to influence. Review each standard of conduct and determine the rating: how often do you feel that your behavior meets the standard shown in the table. Rating determine the proposed scale. |
|||||
1 - always 2 - often 3 - sometimes 4 - rarely 5 - never |
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Presents clear oral and written information, taking into account its impact on the recipient |
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Behaves in a manner appropriate to the situation |
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Has a positive attitude towards the organization, its people and services |
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Presents persuasive and well-founded arguments |
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Persuasively expresses own point of view |
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Adapts and develops arguments to achieve desired results |
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Other information may also be required: previous training in a related field, development activities carried out in the past, etc. But it is very important to remember that long and complex questionnaires give less useful results than short and simple ones.
Another source of information about the employee may be the results of a formal assessment of the level of performance achieved. But the performance rating is only a commentary on the achieved levels of competencies (if competencies were assessed). For example: knowing that an employee has a low sales score will not help the instructor, because sales failure can be due to various reasons. But if an organization does use its competency model to measure performance (see Chapter 4), then a low sales score combined with a low influence score can give the instructor a better understanding of the participant.
Performance ratings may not be an accurate indicator of competency due to their confidential nature and their connection to fees. In addition, the results of the study on ratings depend on how the ratings are obtained and how they are used. And here there is a possibility of incorrect conclusions if there is no other information (other characteristics, except for ratings). For learning and development purposes, it is better to use other bases (for example, the result of the Assessment Center) or to expand the ratings with additional information (if there are no full-fledged performance analysis ratings).
A skills audit is a snapshot of the momentary competencies of a team or an entire organization in a specific area of the business. A review is usually carried out to establish the consistency of existing competencies with competencies that will be required in the future. A competency model can help collect this kind of information.
Depending on the number of people included in the audit, information gathering methods may include:
Examining the training documentation
- questionnaires
- seminars
- interview.
In order to collect the right amount of information, it is important to determine the purpose of the audit before the start of the audit. For example, if a quick check is required to highlight a company's major problem areas, then a skills audit in which every employee is interviewed may not be needed, unless very abbreviated. Questionnaires, seminars and interviews with leading experts in the operational study of the state of the company is preferable to a rigorous audit.
An analysis of materials from a wide variety of training areas can reveal a major skill gap among employees. At the same time, if the training documentation does not include all the activities carried out, then this information must be supplemented with other data. The training documentation, which includes only the most popular courses and core learning material, does not take into account on-the-job training. In addition, the analysis of training documentation and materials will not clarify whether the effect of training has been achieved and whether the need for developing the skills of employees is satisfied.
Questionnaires that provide additional information about the effectiveness of training are similar to the questionnaire in table 22. Such questionnaires can be offered:
To individual employees to describe their own skills and the skills of colleagues
- line managers to answer questions about the skills of their teams.
Since questionnaires focus on perceived "weaknesses", it is important to maintain anonymity. This is necessary even in cases where managers evaluate their team members. It is understandable that managers can be lenient in evaluating their team, especially if they feel that the team is lacking in key skills and if it is the managers who are responsible for training and developing their employees. The purpose of the questionnaire should be clear and maintained throughout the process. The promise that the review process will not be used to evaluate employees must not be broken, so that people do not feel that the finger of judgment is directed at them and that the results of the audit will serve to blame employees.
The results of the questionnaire can be further explored in interviews and workshops. Both methods are able to uncover the reasons behind high and low audit scores. Since the purpose of interviews and workshops is to explore the causes that explain results, the results themselves should not be based on assumptions, but on the real experience of the people interviewed or workshop. For example: if at a seminar a manager puts forward the opinion that the reason for a poor result in teamwork skills is a poor course of study, then this opinion should be supported by factual evidence, such as the results of staff skills assessment exercises. If an opinion is not supported by convincing arguments, then there is a danger that any plans based on the results of the seminar or interview may be misdirected.
The personal knowledge of the trainees helps the instructor prepare training event. Especially where the instructor (coach) is already part of the team (for example, a line manager). However, even in this case there is a danger: assumptions can replace the analysis of facts. The competency model can again become a guiding framework for research into areas of activity that require learning and development. The structure will help focus learning on key standards of behavior. This problem can be solved by the methods described above. For example: if the whole team will be trained, then the questionnaire method can be used before the start of the course; if one of the employees is being trained, then an informal discussion of the training program based on the competency model can be held.
Situations where learning can be put into practice
The best option for learning and development is a course that refers not only to specific skills, but also to real situations in which the participant has to demonstrate professional skills. How many times has it happened this way: employees have sat in courses, lectures, seminars and thought: “This is all interesting, but what does this have to do with my work?”! It is a very difficult task for the trainer to accurately reproduce the workplace environment, since it rarely happens that any two situations completely repeat. However, the closer the connection between learning and "reality", the better.
Now that's chemistry!
A job satisfaction survey of the employees of an international oil and chemicals company revealed their concern about how they were managed. There was only one way out: to teach managers how to manage according to some standardized training program. But it was very difficult to take into account the various circumstances in which leadership skills were applied. In addition, it was necessary to determine the different levels of ability of managers who were to attend classes under a single program.
We decided to organize a development workshop that would give supervisors the opportunity to observe managers, and managers - to receive "feedback" (opinion about themselves and how they manage people). Five competencies in people management were chosen as benchmarks for the seminar. The workshop activity consisted of simulating situations in which people management competencies are applied within the company itself. For example, briefings and meetings to inform the team of some changes. Actors were even invited to play the roles of team members of inspectors and managers.
The structure of the seminar was such that every problem of the individual manager was identified and discussed in the interests of further development. The program, although common to all managers, was addressed to each manager with his personal problems.
Although before the course some managers and supervisors thought that they would not get anything from "training in people management", everyone who attended the seminar (more than 200 supervisors and managers from around the world) praised this seminar for being useful and useful. The most cited reasons for the high score were the realism of the training and the quality of the feedback from the actors and observers.
The competency model helps learning and development with its realism. The more specialized the model, the closer it is to reality. The standards of employee behavior in situations specific to the organization, department, business group, etc., should reflect what is really happening in the organization. Those who organize the course and plan the training and development program using the competency model have a ready-made basis for compiling training exercises. To illustrate this point, we refer to our Appendix. The training workshop, organized to assist managers in setting the goal of training and development of subordinate employees, will be closely related to the competence "ACHIEVING RESULTS: goal setting". From the standards of behavior highlighted in this competency (for example: our goal is to achieve Level 2), it follows that any simulation exercises should ensure that managers receive training in:
Level 1 standards of behavior can be included in the exercises:
- definition of goals achievable within the agreed parameters of activity
- discussion of success criteria and evaluation
- Identification of potential barriers to achieving goals.
These requirements for the exercise must be correlated with reality, because these requirements themselves are dictated by reality.
But one cannot rely entirely on the competency model to obtain information about the context of activity. Each team needs to develop its own scenario, its own course of learning and development, which are reinforced by such details as the current situation in the team, upcoming changes in the procedures of activities or in the structure of the organization, etc.
Special mention should be made of the Development Centers. There is an important difference between centers that assess individual competencies against predetermined benchmarks and centers that give the worker the opportunity to practice a technique (example: "That's chemistry!"). The first type of centers is based on a process aimed at specific work in the future. The Evaluation and Development Centers are the same in effect as the Evaluation Centers for the day of selection of personnel, but in the Evaluation and Development Centers for existing employees, a different type of feedback (more meaningful) and a different result: participants are not selected for employment. Evaluation and Development Centers are described in the chapter on Performance Review (Chapter 4).
The second type of center is aimed exclusively at the development of already working personnel. He is engaged in the creation of "real" situations in which the behavior of the participants is observed. The performance by the Development Centers is not assessed.
The event guides employees to realize what they were doing and to compare their standards of behavior with what was expected of them. Action plans and recommendations on what to study, obtained through both types of Centers, were used in the development of personnel necessary for the current job or for the role for which the employee was originally selected.
Both types of Centers are similar in essence, but the goals, results and processes themselves in different Centers are different.
Conclusions of training specialists
Not all trainers are capable of conducting all types of training, not all managers are experienced enough to carry out development activities. Competences set the basis for a system that determines who can do what in the field of personnel training and development. For example: senior management training may require a higher level of “influence” than junior staff training events. And development activities that include a mentoring relationship require a higher level of managerial relationship than mere support.
The distribution of competencies into categories necessary for carrying out specific activities and for the implementation of specific activities can work well in a learning process that links competence with development, promotion. Teaching activities in general or complex activities is a much more difficult task than organizing training in specific competencies.
Selecting an appropriate event or activityfor learning and development
When a need for training or development is identified, a way of learning must be found to meet that need. With regard to training and education, this can be done by organizing formal events; and for the qualitative development of personnel, informal activities are required. There are many ways in which it is not difficult to select training activities for specific competencies (for example, directories of courses and trainings), but choosing the methods of personnel development activities is more difficult.
Competency models can be used to identify appropriate forms of development according to necessary level competencies and even standards of conduct. This information can be brought to each employee of the organization through a special directory. Table 23 is a sample page of a fictitious reference book based on the competency model.
A competency model can help develop such guides, as behavior indicators define exactly what activities are performed and how they are performed.
"Inclusion" in the system
A development plan was drawn up in a life insurance company. This plan became very popular with the sales people, for whom it was drawn up. Other departments also wanted something similar. This led to the creation of several plans - standards. Each plan needed to be reworked when adapted to a specific department or when some kind of modernization.
Many activities in the development plans of different departments were similar. And the core competencies were contained in all standards. Therefore, the company developed a single plan that covered all the work. The overall plan combined all the existing plans and "plugged" them right into a specially designed computer software package. The improvement and adaptation of specific development plans has become much easier. The software package provides more flexibility because it can "include" any new standards in its content. Moreover, the unified development plan is linked to performance evaluation, also based on computer technology.
This enables those who describe the technique of work execution to simplify and speed up the process of collecting a variety of information, evaluating performance and providing feedback. The company has created a basis for development activities and the organization of the activities themselves that meet the needs of development.
Table 23
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Theme and purpose: Learning to plan |
||
Level 1: Daily Work Priorities |
||
Suggested training activities |
||
How to use the diary |
0.5 days at work |
|
Time Management |
2 days away from work |
|
How to prioritize |
Distance learning course (video and seminar) |
Estimated 5 hours |
Priorities, Priorities |
||
Proposed events and activities for development |
||
Note: You may find it helpful to participate in this activity with the consent of your line manager. Make a timeline to follow the learning process. Discuss the results with your line manager and agree on the next course of improvement. |
||
In table 23 there is a reference to the video "What it means to be a team member". At first glance, the video does not appear to be the right material for a Development Planning theme. But one of the standards of conduct in the "Planning, Level 1" section says: "Avoid the negative impact of his actions on other employees." The second section of this video highlights the impact on team members of a lack of job planning for daily tasks.
Drawing up a training and development plan is a time-saving task. Such a plan-pointer must be comprehensive, it requires constant improvement in order not to lose its creative value. Many companies are now using sophisticated indexing technology, which includes not only training and development, but even communication between employees. All this makes life easier for all those employees who are concerned with training and development.
Which event or activity to choose for learning and development depends on environmental factors and the learner himself.
Evaluation of training events and activitiesand development
In a short time, participants learned the technique (methodology) that they were supposed to learn (i.e., the event achieved its goal)
- within the allotted time, while engaging in activities intended for development, the participants successfully introduced the new technique (methodology) into practice (i.e. the participants realized the learning goal).
After some time, it will become clear: the organization has achieved its development goals or training and development has brought it only a headache.
It is also not easy to assess whether the improvement in the skills of employees is a consequence of training or it was due to circumstances that developed independently of training; it is especially difficult to measure the improvement in the performance of large numbers of people. For example: it is difficult to assess the reason for the increase in profits in recent months - whether it is the result of training of personnel in customer service, or whether it is the effect of an article in a daily newspaper that called the company's products one of the best.
It's important for an organization to know that it's spending money on training and development well, but financial valuation is out of the scope of this book. However, an assessment of whether the learning objectives have been achieved and what is the value of the learning activities given time and effort can be made using a competency model.
Evaluating the success of an activity in meeting objectives is relatively easy if the training had clear objectives. Traditionally, such an assessment is determined by a questionnaire issued at the end of a course of study. These questionnaires examine various factors of the entire learning event. Questionnaires highlight the following factors:
This information may also be verbal, although confidentiality issues arise with oral interviews, especially if the information is collected by the instructor himself. Even the most self-confident person may have difficulty giving negative feedback about an event to the person who hosted the event.
While this type of assessment can provide useful information about the event itself, it is a mistake to attribute assessment to the success (or failure) of the training itself. In other words, getting good feedback about the course does not mean that all trainees have reached the level of experts. To revisit the driving test analogy, the picture is that a series of excellent driving lessons that the learner enjoys does not mean that the learner will become a skilled driver.
A more complete assessment, while taking into account time and effort, will be the success of the trainees in achieving significant goals. But here, when assessing the quality of training, it is necessary that the objectives of training be discussed in advance and accurately.
Learning objectives
The goals of employee training are basically the same as the goals of doing the job itself: what does the person want to achieve and how is he going to do it? After training, a skills development action plan is also needed, which includes supporting the person in transferring learning outcomes into practical activities. The learning objectives should be discussed between the employee and the line manager before the learning and development course begins. Ideally, no activity should take place until the learning objectives are defined.
A competency model can help define learning objectives. Behavioral indicators will help the employee and line manager identify what needs to change after the learning process is successfully completed. For example: if an employee needs to learn the methodology of creative thinking (competence "BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Generation and substantiation of ideas, Level 2" from Applications), then the learning objectives will include one or more of the standards of conduct from Level 2. Table 24 provides an example of learning objectives and an action plan for this case.
After a certain period of time after training, progress towards the goal should be assessed. Focusing exclusively on standards of behavior may not only focus training on a questionable technique (e.g., did Chris learn three approaches to creative thinking?), but also obscure the question of whether the techniques learned highlight the difference in standards of behavior before and after training (i.e. Has Chris's behavior really changed?).
An important question: who collects the evaluation information? At the line manager level and at the department level, “global” information is lost, and “local” information is lost at the central office. The best system one that makes managers responsible for collecting information (after all, it is managers who are in the best position to evaluate training success), and the central office (usually the training department) would be responsible for comparing the original (before training) and final (after training) results.
Table 24
EXAMPLE OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND ACTION PLAN
Learning Goals for Chris Smith
- technique for the development of creative thinking.
What
- Learn three different approaches to creative thinking.
- Learn the process of evaluating the feasibility of ideas.
- Learn the procedure adopted in the company for the nomination of fruitful ideas.
How
- Develop new methods and practices for implementing new ideas.
- Evaluate the feasibility of ideas in business.
- Promote the main ideas with energy and enthusiasm.
Action plan
- Attend a workshop on creative thinking techniques.
- Once a week attend a seminar "New Ideas" in the marketing department.
- Put forward at least three new ideas at the workshop at the end of the month.
- Ensure that at least one idea is accepted by the workshop.
- Meet once every two weeks with the line manager to get support and discuss further development.
In this way, not only can managers keep track of their team members' time usage and effort, but the company as a whole can be confident that learning and development activities are reaching the level required by the firm's strategy.
It must be understood that low learning and development results do not mean that the training event was weak - it can only mean that the staff needs to be trained in something else or that the training did not adhere to the action plan. With well-defined goals and well-defined standards of behavior to learn (such as, for example, in Table 24), it is not difficult to answer questions about the value of attempting a learning event (i.e. did Chris achieve her intended goals?) and about why something is not achieved.
Checking learning outcomes provides useful information about how well a particular business group is pursuing its strategic plans. For example: a company introduces a program for changes in culture, especially in the work of individual teams. The company looks forward to learning and development activities built around the "teamwork" competencies. The company expects to get the desired effect. Exploring the reasons for non-performance can highlight areas that require active support and further learning and development.
Setting standards for progress
There are three main forms of employee learning and development management:
- in the workplace (e.g. mentoring)
- within the structure of the organization (e.g. management training program)
- in the structure of the profession (for example, mastering different levels of accounting).
Development is traditionally tested by how an employee performs regular duties and how they pass various exams and tests. These are quite simple criteria that determine, first of all, the special knowledge of the employee, but this system of development assessment lacks the assessment of standards of conduct. This is where competencies can help.
Moving towards a goal in the workplace
This type of control evaluates the ability to move towards a specific goal, if the goal is to understand the achievement of the level of competence required for the successful performance of the work. This goal is usually expected to be achieved within a certain timeframe. Progress towards the goal is often encouraged (for example, by increasing salaries for achieving certain levels of competencies), but this kind of progress, as a rule, concerns a specific job.
Classes within classes
The collateral company introduced a competency-based training and development program for multifunctional office staff. Let's call this class of employees grade "C". It took about two years to go from a beginner (C1) to a fully competent office worker (C3). The training and development program included three key modules. The first module is an introductory course that had to be completed first. The next two modules could be taken in any order.
After successfully completing the introductory course and one of the two more advanced modules, the worker moved from C1 to C2 and received a pay increase. After the successful completion of the third module, the worker moved to the NW, again with a pay increase. This promotion and pay increase not only motivated employees, but also distinguished between different grades within a whole class of jobs and different levels of achievement.
The acquisition of new skills includes learning the necessary work techniques and conducting special events for the types of activities. This process is based on a combination of various methods and takes some time. This path of development is universal and does not depend on the initial qualifications of the employee: that is, the trainees go through the same program as an experienced employee mastering new competencies. Competences can help in designing a training program as they clearly indicate the objectives of the training (which has already been discussed in the section on learning and development activities). But, in addition, competencies build the structure of development that takes place in the workplace.
It is also important to use standards of conduct when creating a development program, but first you need to decide which competencies will be assessed in the process of developing and promoting an employee. And these are the competencies that are recognized as decisive in the successful completion of the work. If competencies are listed and disclosed in job descriptions and profiles, then it makes sense to use the competencies in development planning, since the work to define the required competencies has already been done.
If role profiles are not established, one way to identify critical competencies or competency levels may be to use a process similar to that used to identify critical competencies for recruitment. For example:
Another approach that can be very effective is called "pairwise comparison". This approach provides a more accurate assessment of the importance of competencies. In this approach, competencies are scored according to their need for each key task or activity. The “pair comparison” technique: each competency is compared in turn with each of all other competencies and it is determined which of the competencies compared in each pair is more important for performing a particular task or the entire activity as a whole. In this way, you can determine points for the importance of each competency for each task. This is not the place for a full description of this method (“pair comparison”), but a brief example is given in Appendix 2. In addition, many books on developmental problem solving techniques describe this technique in detail.
The method itself can be developed in detail with employees and their managers, because these people have the most realistic view of the work being done. In many cases, the competencies required for the job are determined during the process of compiling the competency model, or later if the selection of personnel for vacant jobs was carried out using competencies.
It is useful and easy to use indicators of behavior that correspond to the work for which the employee is being trained and developed. This makes it easier not only to understand the importance of training activities, but also to understand the goals of the program by the person who develops programs and evaluates the results of worker development activities. If a general model is used, then the behavior indicators should be related to the structure and content of this model. Guidance on how to do this is given in the chapter on compiling a competency model (Chapter 2).
When using behavior indicators to evaluate the process of improving personnel, additional useful information can be obtained. This information can be obtained in the process of customization (i.e., adapting the general model to individual requirements] or as an addition to the process of adapting the general model to individual competencies. This work includes the following components:
The context in which the standards of conduct should be exhibited (for example: define the term "organization" precisely in the standard of conduct "Forms own opinion about the organization, its models and its services")
- the limits that the standards of conduct are not expected to violate (for example: what decisions would not be included in the standard of conduct "Receives and uses the necessary information to make decisions"?)
- the necessary basic knowledge (for example: what does an employee need to know before he can develop the skills that are manifested in the “Gathers and replenishes information” competence?)
Once the competency profile is agreed upon, the learning and development program should provide trainees with the necessary techniques and the opportunity to demonstrate the required standards of behavior in the development process. This means that developmental activities should allow the practice of the studied methods in a variety of work situations. Therefore, developmental activities should include a range of methods such as on-the-job training and special training. Factors to consider when deciding how to evaluate an employee's development process include a series of specific questions:
What will be evaluated? Will it be an assessment of knowledge, behaviour, skills or a combination of some of them?
- How will skills, knowledge and behavior be assessed? For example: skills and standards of behavior can only be manifested when performing a task or in the course of an activity.
How will objectivity be ensured?
- When will the employee be “evaluated”? Will this happen at a fixed time or when it is clear that the worker has reached a certain level of skill?
Who will evaluate performance? Will it be a line manager or someone not from “their” team, or even someone not from “their” company?
How will the consistency of the assessment be ensured?
What result after the completion of each stage will be considered successful? Will academic success be followed by an increase in pay or class of work?
What result of the stage completion will be considered unsuccessful? Will there be additional, repeated training? How many times will it be possible to retake a particular stage of training? How long can the trainee master the full course of the training program and
development?
The competency model helps in many ways, especially in building those factors that influence the assessment process (they are described in the first three points of the above list of guiding questions).
Once the competencies that are included in the training and development program are established, the evaluation of learning outcomes should be consistent with the learning objectives of the employee. Setting learning objectives was described earlier in this chapter. However, it is necessary to clarify the scheme for assessing the achievement of the goal of training in improvement programs in order to ensure the consistency of this work.
This scheme may cover the following issues:
- what parameters are suitable for assessment (for example: copies of written works, random control of telephone conversations with clients)
- how many times an employee must demonstrate the specified standards of behavior to ensure that the employee has mastered a particular competency
- what evidence of successful learning should be recorded in cases where the manifestation of a specific standard of behavior by the work itself is infrequently required.
These instructions should be available to both trainees and observers. The employee needs to know for what and how he is evaluated. Even with the introduction of surprise control tactics, employees must be informed that surprise inspections will be carried out at some interval. Without such openness, there is a danger of treating training programs and trainings as "spy" activities, and it is almost inevitable that fantasies about the real purpose of the assessment will emerge.
The success of the learning and development program should be a key goal for everyone involved in the program, and everyone should know what will happen if they fail. For example: if the continuation of the trainee's work depends on the successful completion of the program, then this should be clearly explained to him at the very beginning of the training.
Evaluation of individual progress in studies (especially for programs that affect salary increases) must be objective and fair. This is necessary not only to confirm that the organization is properly directing its efforts, but also in order to avoid accusations of unfair treatment - from the team in which the people work, or from the managers for whom the assessed employees work. Using the reference model of competencies, which evaluates the progress of an employee in training, - effective method achieving objectivity.
NVQ/SVQ is based on competency assessment. Companies can use this type of model to monitor employee progress at work. If the competency model is developed within the organization, care must be taken to ensure that the competencies in-house do not diverge too much from the NVQ/SVQ reference competencies. key question: how to evaluate the behavior of an employee in terms of the “goal achievement” competency, measured by specific results?
Progress within the organization
This type of control usually focuses on the promotion of the employee to the next level in the structure of the organization, and not in a particular profession. This situation is worked out in management training, when in the final part of the exercise the employee is asked to perform work that is unknown to him at the beginning of the training program. As a result of such a professional development program, a difficult situation arises: the skills of employees develop, but the employees themselves do not always know how and in which department the new skills can be applied. In the improvement of an employee's skills, carried out according to the company's plan, the time frame for practical "success" is not clear enough, if at all, so the learning objectives take on a sense of shared value.
The assessment of progress in management training is often superimposed on progress in a particular job. For example: if the development program includes a short-term internship in various departments of the company, then the intern can "automatically" go through a management training program. It is important that the trainee has complete clarity: what specific goals he should achieve, who conducts and who evaluates the results of training. Without such clarity, there is likely to be a danger that a management student will become a wandering team player, that is, a person who does odd jobs that no one else wants to do. Such training will teach you little, except how to make coffee and how to use a photocopier! The assessment of development according to the employee's career planning program varies depending on how the awareness of the need for the employee to acquire new competencies arose and what type of training should be carried out in the development process. For example: if the need for development was identified through the Assessment and Development Centers, then the assessment should be linked to the training objectives of employees who have passed the relevant Center. If the need for development is due to information that the organization does not have enough specialists with the required qualifications (for example, as a result of internal recruitment), then the assessment can be based on the results of training and practical development, on the quality of work performance and on plans for future recruitment. However, the programs that most successfully solve the problems of increasing the competencies of employees are distinguished by the clarity of goals and a precise approach to solving personnel problems. Hoping that people will improve without a clear development goal is an overly optimistic approach to the problem.
The factors mentioned in the previous section, which considered the assessment of the development of an individual employee in his profession, are applicable to development in the structure of the entire company. This is where competencies can help in the same way. But there are some features in the process of corporate training. In the company, the learning objectives are more general, that is, they concentrate mainly on managerial competencies. Corporate training is characterized, first of all, by something common to the entire business (at a certain level), but not by the competencies necessary to perform a specific role. If the competency model is built for the entire organization (and not for just one part of it), then the behavior indicators will also be characterized by a common form. Therefore, general indicators of behavior can serve as standards to be achieved and which determine the success of corporate development. For example: a management trainee program may include such management competencies that are applicable to any position, in any position, to any fragment of the general standards program.
Special work needs to be done to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the assessment of the required standards of conduct.
The main requirements mentioned in the description of performance evaluation for set goals learning apply here as well. In this case, it should be determined whether there has been a change in levels within the competence. For example: during the training of trainees in the Management program, trainees in some competencies can advance from Level 1 to Level 2 (or beyond). If so, how to evaluate this progress?
Skills development planning and employee training in "management" have dual goals. There are goals for improving the quality of the work currently being done, and there are goals for the new level that the employee is striving for. When organizing development activities, care must be taken to ensure that the standards of conduct necessary for future competencies are being practiced. The competency model reveals only the goal of development, but other factors also play an important role in achieving optimal results of training programs for improving the profession and training in management - the desire of the employee, the support of the manager, etc.
Progress within the profession
Most often, the assessment of an employee's progress in their profession is carried out and monitored by external experts. Progress in the profession is measured against a model that is established by the professional structure and then applied throughout the country. This means that the improvement of an employee is usually measured by the results of professional examinations and tests. In this state of affairs, competency models may well play the role of criteria, following which promises success. But usually in professional development, the emphasis is on knowledge rather than patterns of behavior.
If an employee has a profession (this includes interaction with colleagues), then it is natural that he is expected to behave in a way that is characteristic of this profession. These expectations are often articulated in professional codes. In some professions, you can be struck off the list of recognized professionals if you do not follow the code of the profession. An organization may establish corporate success criteria that an employee must adhere to in order to advance professionally in the internal hierarchy. For example: obtaining a corporate membership of the Institute of Personnel and Development may be a requirement that must be met in order to advance to a certain level, but such membership alone is not enough for automatic promotion. If an organization, wishing to meet internal needs, is going to add its own special requirements for advancement in the profession, then it is necessary that corporate and general learning objectives be coordinated with each other. If learning objectives are not coordinated, this can lead to conflicts between what the organization requires and what the professional community requires. If an organization follows a general professional program, then it must resolve all conflicts before the trainee has problems. This is especially important in the set of competencies that are imposed on the development program. Often the culture of a particular company requires an employee to behave differently from that established by the professional community to which the employee belongs. For example: HR managers may be pressured by the organization to choose recruitment methods that are contrary to the practice proposed by the Institute for Personnel and Development.
Professionals have to deal with such situations, so it is necessary to provide for conflicts of this type. What would be a development program that contains learning objectives based on standards of conduct if those standards conflict with a professional code of conduct?
This controversial issue, setting learning goals and evaluating the progress of an employee in accordance with the set goals - all these problems are similar to those described in the first part, in the section on assessing a person's progress within their work.
The two key objectives of training and development are to ensure that the competencies of the staff are sufficient to meet the current and future needs of the company. Many factors affect both training and development programs and how successful real-world training is. The organization's strategic plans and policies will influence learning and development programs. Environmental factors (especially corporate culture] and personal qualities of an employee (learning style, motivation, abilities) will affect what and to what extent a person learns.
Training is learning techniques. Development is the purposeful introduction of the mastered methods into practice. As a result of training, new skills and special knowledge are acquired. The ways to achieve the desired learning outcomes are many and varied, but all parts of the personnel improvement equation must be correct to ensure success. If learning (training) activities are not followed by activities to develop (put into practice) skills, then the theoretically learned methodology will soon be forgotten. But also developmental activities (practical exercises), ignoring the methods that determine success, will inevitably lead to errors. Both of these damages will lead to employee frustration and the company to no progress on long-term plans.
Competency models help at all key stages of training and development - from determining the need and developing development programs to assessing the success of training and subsequent professional growth of an employee. But competencies alone will not lead to success at any of these steps. The use of competency models helps to clearly build each stage, but without experienced people to plan, implement and deliver development activities, competency-based learning and development is no better than any other poorly designed process.
