Competencies Activity Pack, The

Show how competencies work in practice and how they can be applied in specific work contexts. The Competencies Activity Pack provides a complete programme of activities which can be rolled out through your organisation with the minimum of hassle - saving time and money.

You'll be able to create a competency framework, ensure that it's understood and enthusiastically embraced, and go on to make sure it's correctly and consistently applied. And you'll be able to use competencies in your training by getting participants to see themselves as role models for good management. They'll understand how they 'perform' against a range of behaviours, often in difficult circumstances. And they'll understand that the way they perform is just as important as the task they get done. You can use competencies in debriefs after an activity, in feedback, role-plays and mock interviews and in the activities themselves.

Promote the understanding and effective use of competencies in a wide range of management contexts:

• Competencies for Recruitment and Selection - show your managers how to use competencies to compile a vacancy advertisement and score application forms, then use this information to determine the applicant's suitability and prepare questions for the interview.
• Competencies for assessment centres - give your managers practice in using competency frameworks in assessment and development centres.
• Competencies for Performance Management - how to use competencies in assessing performance, training needs analysis, feedback, self-assessment (using the Johari Window model) and coaching.
• Competencies for Other Applications - extend the use of competency frameworks beyond performance management, exploring discipline and succession planning.
• Successfully introduce competencies to your organisation with the unique collection of practical activities in this resource

Contents:

SECTION ONE: INTRODUCING COMPETENCIES
1: Constructing a competency framework
Participants select a real job, then brainstorm a series of simple generic behaviours (competencies) that relate to that job.They score and rank these competencies using a paired comparison technique. After some fine-tuning a new competency framework is produced.

2: Evaluating a competency framework
Participants compare their own organisations' existing framework with the competency framework in this pack and determine the differences and common points. The process continues by evaluating any differences in terms of the benefits and disadvantages.

3: Getting support and commitment
A workshop activity to help anyone considering introducing competencies, it explores the possibilities of how a competency-based framework can be used to support and develop a business or organisation. The participants examine why such a framework should be introduced, what the benefits are, and the steps and actions that need to be taken to achieve an effective competency-based organisation.

4: Understanding levels of competency
This card-sort activity leads the participants to an understanding of how varying levels of competency can be ranked from negative to positive, using the generic competency framework in this pack.

5: Competencies in context
Participants interpret generic competency statements in the context of actual jobs within their own organisations.They can then use these in appraisal, recruitment or any area of performance management.

SECTION TWO: RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
1: Preparing to recruit using competencies
Starting with an overview of the recruitment cycle, the participants look at collecting information about the job, considering words and criteria that could be used in a vacancy advertisement.They then compile a mock advertisement for a vacancy based on competencies.

2: Selecting for interview
Participants examine extracts from mock application forms that describe and give evidence of applicants' competencies in specific areas.They assess each candidate and score each application.The guidance criteria for this are fully explained, and the participants examine the objectivity of their marking.

3: Preparing to interview
Participants work through mock application forms to determine applicants' competency levels. This information is then used to prepare questions and areas to probe in readiness for the interview.

4: Using assessment centres to recruit
Through trainer-led group discussion this activity raises awareness of the assessment centre approach to recruitment. They discuss and analyse the various elements of an assessment day and consider how they would support and benefit from a competency-based approach to recruitment and selection. The material in this activity may also be adapted for use in a development centre.

5: An assessment-centre exercise
A practical role-play activity for an assessment centre, where some participants become candidates undertaking an 'in-tray exercise', whilst others give feedback on performance based ability to prioritise and organise under pressure. The activity concludes with a final session involving all participants in discussing the merits of this activity in an assessmentcentre approach to recruitment.

SECTION THREE: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
1: Introducing a competency-based appraisal process:
This group activity focuses on introducing a competency-based appraisal process and examines the reasons for and benefits of doing so.The participants consider how they would plan and implement such a process, and how they would monitor and review the results.

2: Assessing performance using a competency framework:
Using performance-based case-study material in a group exercise, participants assess and summarise the issues raised and suggest possible solutions. Each group presents their findings, and in a final plenary session the participants look at the advantages and benefits of this form of assessment.

3: A training needs analysis using a competency framework:
This activity uses a matrix approach to help participants determine both a given team's weak areas and strong points. From this, an assessment of training and development needs can be carried out.

4: 360° feedback using competencies:
Participants work in groups to sort and prioritise statements that describe 360°- feedback issues.The groups present their findings to each other, and the activity closes with a plenary discussion about how a company can introduce 360° feedback using competencies.

5: Self-assessment and disclosure:
This activity helps participants to understand the value of, and to gain confidence in, self assessment and disclosure. The Johari Window model is used to support the ideas behind disclosure, and the activity also demonstrates how competencies can be used in self assessment.

6: Giving and receiving feedback:
Participants make an assessment of themselves using the competency framework provided, and prepare and give feedback to others. This allows them to experience comparing how they see themselves and how others see them. The activity concludes with the participants' planning how to use their existing competency framework as a means of giving feedback.

7: Coaching for improved performance:
This activity develops coaching skills aimed at helping individuals become better aware of their own levels of competence, then to agree and commit to the actions that will advance and improve their performance.

SECTION FOUR:OTHER APPLICATIONS FOR COMPETENCIES
1: Handling discipline using competencies:
In this activity participants gain an understanding of discipline and grievance, and then use scenarios to determine any action to be taken in the context of the competency framework.

2: Succession planning:
What is succession planning and why is it needed? - the participants explore these questions. They use a simple succession planning process to examine a range of potential successors, and the necessary competency levels, and rank them in terms of their readiness for succession.

3: The future and how to get there:
This activity provides a technique to help participants produce their own detailed action plan when introducing a competency project into their organisation. Its main focus is communicating to everyone inside or around a team just where they should be directing their energy or attention. The participants determine what a future state will look and feel like and how to get to the final destination - through the discrete and sometimes detailed tasks called actions, and along the various paths dealing with people, technology and communications.