Transcript Competencies— Building Blocks or Buzzwords An Webcast Tuesday, January 8 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Presenter: Mary Ross [email protected] Infopeople webcasts are supported by the U.S.

Competencies—
Building Blocks or Buzzwords
An
Webcast
Tuesday, January 8
12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Mary Ross
[email protected]
Infopeople webcasts are supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library
Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act,
administered in California by the State Librarian.
How do you view competencies?
The latest buzzword?
How do you view competencies?
Building blocks for success?
Agenda
Definitions of competencies and
competency-based management
 How competencies can be
identified and categorized
 How they are used in the library
profession
 How they benefit your library
 Why they are important to you
individually

Defining
competencies
A cluster of knowledge, skills and
attitudes (KSAs)
KSAs—what does that mean?
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Knowledge—what is known and
understood that causes successful
performance on the job
Skills—behaviors that demonstrate
this knowledge
Attitudes—personality traits and
values that can be displayed in
behaviors
Competencies are KSAs that:
Correlate with successful
performance on the job
 Can be measured against
“well-accepted standards”
 Can be improved through
training and development

Competency-based
management…
… identifies the competencies needed for
individual and organizational success and
uses them for a wide variety of employee
management functions.
In this type of management,
competencies are reinforced in:
Recruitment and hiring
 Job design and work assignments
 “Onboarding” new employees
 Promotions and succession planning
 Performance appraisal
 Staff training and development

Toronto Public Library developed
competency-based management.
Elements of Toronto PL’s CBM:
A “Competency Dictionary”
 Within each competency, levels
of proficiency are clarified
 Higher levels of job
responsibility are reflected in
the competencies
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TPL Competency—
Customer Service Orientation
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Level One—Clarifies customer expectations
Level Two—Takes personal responsibility for
addressing problems
Level Three—Advocates for the customer
(branch manager)
Level Four—Addresses underlying customer
needs (district manager)
Level Five—Uses a long-term perspective
(director of public service)
Categorizing
competencies
Competencies may fall into one of three
categories: Core, Behavioral, or Technical.
Core competencies
Based on organizational values
and strategic directions
 Necessary for all jobs
 Expected of all employees

Technical competencies
Sometimes called “professional”
competencies
 Knowledge and skills critical to a
specific job or work role
 Not the same as “technology
competencies”

Behavioral competencies
Reflect personal characteristics that
drive successful job performance
 Apply to multiple jobs
 Demonstrate self-image, typical
behaviors, and motivations

Behavioral
competencies
are below the
water line!
Take a look at MIT’s CompQuick
web.mit.edu/personnel/irt/compquick
Identifying
competencies for
your library
Strategies, methods, and
perspectives
Strategies for competency studies
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Working backward—Focus on
high performers. How does their
behavior differ from their lessproficient colleagues?
Working forward—Begin with a
comprehensive list and ask
employees to rank according to
importance.
Using two or more methods
validates results…
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Surveys (interviews or questionnaires)
Focus groups
Direct observation
Self-assessments
Performance appraisals
Research (work logs, professional
standards, production data, etc.)
Get a 360-degree view from…
 Incumbents
 Direct
reports
 Supervisors
…using only the incumbent’s perception…limits the
role to what has existed in the past.”
(C. G. Atwood, “Implementing Your
Succession Plan,” T&D, November, 2007)
Be futurefocused!
“Educate yourself about future competency needs for the
workforce as a whole, not just your business or industry.”
(Kevin Oakes, Institute for
Corporate Productivity)
Look at workforce trends…
“… recent graduates
entering the workforce
unprepared for current
demands and the looming
retirement of large numbers
of baby boomers…
undermines the ability of
businesses to grow and
compete.”
(Bridging the Skills Gap, an ASTD
white paper, Fall 2006.)
Competencies in
the profession
Some resources available
to help you
In the profession,
competencies are used for:
 Standards
 Certification
programs
 Library education
The American Library Association
has developed:
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Technical competencies
for specific service areas
such as children’s, young
adult, and reference
services
Core competencies for
professional values such
as intellectual freedom
(These can be found on the ALA Website, www.ala.org.)
Western Council of
State Libraries has
a competencybased certification
program.
(Details at
certificate.westernco.org)
The CPLA program is based on
nine sets of competencies.
(www.ala-apa.org/certification/cplaapplication.html)
SJSU’s School of Library and
Information Science:
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Curriculum is based on 15 MLIS
core competencies
Syllabus for each class lists the
competencies addressed
Students demonstrate mastery of
the core competencies in a
culminating portfolio
(Details can be found at slisweb.sjsu.edu/coa2007.)
Competencies at
your library…
…and how they benefit
your organization
For your library, competencies…
Highlight your
organizational values
 Provide clear roadmaps
for employee success
 Give you practical tools
for performance
management

More benefits of competencies:
Help you target staff training and
development needs
 Enable a better fit between
employees and their jobs
 Help you forecast future skills and
plan for succession

Competencies for
you as an individual
Your roadmap to individual
development and career planning
For you as an individual,
competencies help you:
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Compete successfully for promotion
Gain recognition as a top performer
Work with your supervisor to create an
IDP
Build your portfolio of knowledge and
skills
Develop the skills to lead from any
position
Ohio Library Council provides a
roadmap to skill development.
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Names the competency
Defines it
Lists skills and behaviors
Identifies possible
training units
(Available at www.olc.org/CoreCompetencies.asp)
“…people are the most valuable
assets of any organization.”
“In order for the organization to
succeed, it has to ensure that all
staff have the necessary abilities to
maintain success.”
(Josephine Bryant and Kay Poustie,
“Competencies Needed by
Public Library Staff”)
Thank you!
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Randy Glasbergen cartoons, used with
permission of the artist, www.glasbergen.com
Photographs from iStockphoto.com, used with
permission