The issue of competencies is one of the central themes in our
organizations transformation to a learning organization. All of us (for
sure including senior management) must constantly strive to build our
skills and demonstrate them to each other and our customers.
I wonder if the CEO of the French firm has the competencies he needs to
lead his company. Firing 10% of the workforce seems an outmoded response
to an organizational challenge.
We believe our job is to help people connect with the many learnings they
need to serve their customers. Sure some will not be comfortable with
these new opportunites and may decide to move on (or their teams may
decide to move them on). In large part though clearly defining the
requirements of the job and the fact that they change frequently is
essential. I don't think we have any big answers to how to measure the
competency level, but I sure know we are on the journey to find out.
How I would estimate competency levels now I don't know. Clearly some are
resisting new learning--a good example is those who resist learning the
new software applications and refuse to use windows programs because they
"don't like icons".
What I do know is that when an organization establishes a learning culture
competency building happens fast.
We just launched a radical and new performance and compensation system and
the time it took to adapt it and learn it was maybe 25% the time it took
in the past.
-- These are fun times Don Floyd COO National 4-H Council Chevy Chase MD