Performance Management Mindset

Great article from Talent Management http://talentmgt.com/articles/6633-changing-the-performance-management-mindset#.U_igMdL7Swo.twitter

Be capable not just competent

I am grappling with a hard choice. Should I make it to the Singapore Conference organized by the Institute of Adult Education. As I was browsing through their 2012 Conference blog, I found an interesting post. Vocational education and training focuses too much on meeting required roles and tasks and too little on developing the individual. And that is a big problem, says Professor Leesa Wheelahan. It is a big problem because many students don't end up in jobs that they train for. It is a big problem because in liberal economies like Australia and Singapore, vocational education and training is often treated like a lesser cousin to higher education. It is a big problem because by focusing on rote learning and following formulae, students are not empowered to go beyond what they are "qualified" to do. In other words, a plumber will be a plumber will be a plumber forevermore. If someone wants to be a plumber, then it's all fine and good, but what if he wants something else? How has he been equipped to do so? All these questions are extremely relevant to Singapore. Just think about our ITE system. Can you imagine an ITE graduate managing an NUS grad? Now ask yourself, why not? Prof Wheelahan's passionate argument is to move away from competency-based training and into capability training. Focus on using skills as a lens to view the world, not just on applying said skills. Teach math, she says, not just formulae. This, she argues, would help not just graduating students, but adult learners, in their transitions from one job to another, from an occupation to the next. Strong words, bold vision. Now, how do we do it?

Skills Gaps

The following article from Talent Management.com and sponsored by SABA outlines the soft skills gap issue. Survey: Soft Skills make up the Biggest Competency Gap Ninety two percent of senior executives in the U.S. acknowledge there is a serious gap in workforce skills, according to the “State of the Economy and Employment” survey from Adecco Staffing US. Yet for all the traditional talk about a skills gap in technical and computer skills, 44 percent of respondents cited soft skills — such as communication, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration — as the area with the biggest gap. In fact, only 22 percent cited a lack of technical skills as the culprit for the U.S. skills gap — with leadership (14 percent) and computer skills (12 percent) following behind. When it does come to the gap in computer skills, Gen X executives — more than any other generation surveyed — are most likely to believe this is the skill that most seriously affects the U.S. workforce. As for business implications related to the U.S. gap in skills, the survey found that the majority (64 percent) of senior executives who believe there is a skills gap feel the greatest threat to U.S. businesses is investment going to companies abroad instead of staying in U.S. — 34 percent believe the U.S. gap in skills poses a threat to businesses research and development capabilities. Other findings include: U.S education system needs to better prepare future generation of workers. According to the survey, more than half (59 percent) of respondents do not believe colleges and universities in the U.S. offer curriculums that adequately prepare students for today's workforce. Apprentice/training programs could be a solution. Among those respondents who said there is a skills gap in the U.S. workforce, 89 percent believe corporate apprenticeships or training programs could help alleviate the problem. Yet 42 percent said the greatest barrier to creating in-house training programs is the cost of development. Manufacturing suffering most from skills gap. Of those who believe there is a skills gap in the U.S, 30 percent said it most affects the manufacturing industry. Other industries cited included technology (21 percent) and professional and business services (19 percent). Interestingly, as dire as the need is for skilled workers in the U.S., senior executives did not feel the skills gap poses a direct threat to the U.S. economy; only 13 percent cited it as a major concern. Instead, federal spending (24 percent), global competition (22 percent) and high unemployment (20 percent) were called out as what they feel are the greatest threats to the U.S. economy.

Don Kirkpatrick passes away

Don Kirkpartick This morning I heard news from Jim Kirkpatrick and Wendy Kirkpatrick, the son and daughter in law of legendary Don Kirkpatrick that Don has passed away at the age of 90. Truly a legend in the HRD Evaluation field. More importantly a fine man, a great human being. I had known Don for a long time if I remember it right in 1983. As a young kid I had chanced to see a brochure of his programme in my mentor and Malaysian HR Guru, the late Sam Abishegam's office. I wrote to him an air mail letter inviting him to Malaysia. Next thing I knew, he and his wife Fern were here in Malaysia. We worked with some great companies: Mobil, Genting and so on. He was very much an American and I remember he espoused Republican values and he was so fond of the late Ronald Reagan. Even though I disagreed with many of his views, he grew fond of me. It was a joy talking to him and Fern. As a young graduate, he allowed me the trust to bring him here. I had no car; yet, he did not mind the hot Datsun taxi rides even though he was a legend used to very high class standards. We did not do much work but kept in touch. We brought him for Asia HRD Congress on a couple of occasions and did a little bit of work with Brunei Shell and other organisations but given his age, I was nervous to fly him all over the world. Again, while I did not attend very many of his workshops I continued to exchange ideas and he was a 'giver'- he believed knowledge belonged to the world. He was a religious person committed to moral principles. He made me feel good. Years later I had a wonderful opportunity to meet him more often. Based on his recommendation, we had his son Jim Kirkpatrick work for us in SMR USA. During the lst few years we exchanged the occasional Christmas and New Year greeting. A wonderful man who valued friendship more than money; one who made everyone comfortable and good. And a professional who contributed his four level Evaluation framework freely to the world. May his soul rest in peace.

Developing a Competency Framework

Developing a Competency Framework Linking Company Objectives and Personal Performance What gets measured gets done. Visit http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_91.htm for full article You're probably familiar with the phrase ‘what gets measured gets done.' Defining and measuring effectiveness – especially the performance of workers – is a critical part of your job as a manager. The question is: How do you define the skills, behaviors, and attitudes that workers need to perform their roles effectively? How do you know they're qualified for the job? In other words, how do you know what to measure? Some people think formal education is a reliable measure. Others believe more in on-the-job training, and years of experience. Still others might argue that personal characteristics hold the key to effective work behavior. All of these are important, but none seems sufficient to describe an ideal set of behaviors and traits needed for any particular role. Nor do they guarantee that individuals will perform to the standards and levels required by the organization. A more complete way of approaching this is to link individual performance to the goals of the business. To do this, many companies use ‘competencies.' These are the integrated knowledge, skills, judgment, and attributes that people need to perform a job effectively. By having a defined set of competencies for each role in your business, it shows workers the kind of behaviors the organization values, and which it requires to help achieve its objectives. Not only can your team members work more effectively and achieve their potential, but there are many business benefits to be had from linking personal performance with corporate goals and values. Defining which competencies are necessary for success in your organization can help you do the following: •Ensure that your people demonstrate sufficient expertise. •Recruit and select new staff more effectively. •Evaluate performance more effectively. •Identify skill and competency gaps more efficiently. •Provide more customized training and professional development. •Plan sufficiently for succession. •Make change management processes work more efficiently. How can you define the set of practices needed for effective performance? You can do this by adding a competency framework to your talent management program. By collecting and combining competency information, you can create a standardized approach to performance that's clear and accessible to everyone in the company. The framework outlines specifically what people need to do to be effective in their roles, and it clearly establishes how their roles relate to organizational goals and success. This article outlines the steps you need to take to develop a competency framework in your organization.

Talent Management

Jac Fitz-enz , founder of the Human Capital Source says the data explosion is teaching us a new vocabulary. Gigabytes, Terabytes and now to Zettabyes. At this rate, the world’s database will double by around January 2015. In any transformative event, there are many pitfalls as well as opportunities. What opportunities do you see in talent management and development? True innovation is not about bigger, faster versions of the old vehicle. When there was a perceived need to speed transportation, people didn’t try to breed faster horses. Think about the effects of the great inventions. Every one of them changed the way people thought, lived and worked, and each required new methodologies that in turn spawned new supporting businesses. So what does the data deluge and e-management mean to talent development? It means an opportunity and a demand for new learning and personal growth methods. Human development in the 21st century must spring from an understanding of how our cultural bases are changing. Social networking is more than electronic gadgets. It is a sign that the younger generations think, act, believe, perceive, desire, appreciate and communicate differently than the retiring baby boomers and even Gen X. He says he believes the answer lies in expanding the view of life. Clearly, marketing and advertising are looking for new messaging models. They need to not only reach prospective buyers through new media, but also need new messages that resonate with the new generation. The Theory X management model that says people are only motivated by money and must be closely supervised was proven wrong by Fred Herzberg in the 1960s. It has taken 50 years for management to understand it. The good news is that more companies are recognizing that treating people as functional human beings pays off. Clearly, people can work effectively at home without line-of-sight supervision. How do you develop managers and professionals to operate in that world? It will take more than a new training program. To read the full article visit: http://talentmgt.com/articles/view/is-big-data-really-about-data/?interstitial=ch022714 For more details on Talent Management solutions email arasu@smrhrgroup.com