SkillDirector

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How to measure success with a competency model

To measure change, you need at least 2 values: a baseline and a subsequent measurement.


Create a baseline

Your baseline value comes when employees assess themselves against their role-based competency model the first time.

 

Use personalized learning to develop skills

Then, they need to do some development – optimally self-directed, personalized learning that they own. Be sure to provide people with cafeteria options from which they can create a development plan that is relevant and meets their learning preferences.

If you’re using the right competency assessment system, one that empowers people to pull the learning they need and treat “skills as currency”, they will create an individual development plan (IDP) and execute it monthly to create a development habit.

This should be supported by managers and leaders who talk about development in every conversation to emphasize the cultural importance of learning for the health of each individual and the organization.

 

Reassess

Once they participate in these development opportunities (which they buy into, because they personally selected the activities based on gaps they themselves identified), they will re-assess on ONLY the skills they’ve been developing. In a perfect world, this is quarterly, so that they are always thinking about their own development and you have a point in time measurement of organizational capability.

The reality is that the time it takes to develop a skill you’re targeting may vary. For example, if you work in healthcare and you’re working on skills to manage the enrollment process that takes place only two times a year, your opportunity to apply your new skills may be more limited. The time it takes to develop a skill where you are a level 1 trying to get to a level 3 (where these are levels of proficiency from 1 to 5) may take more or less time than getting someone from a level 3 to a level 4.

Reassessment is most effective when each person can determine when they should reassess based on when they believe they’ve moved the needle on a skill they are working on, and reassess at that time, only on that one skill. If you force them to reassess on everything, then it feels more like a “check the box” exercise.

 

Analyze the change in skill and business results

Now you have at least 2 data points. You can compare them individually and in aggregate.

When you look at the assessment data over time, and you correlate that with business metrics, you can show improvement in both skills and results over time. What’s more, you’ll know which skills are drivers of business results.

Download a one page blueprint with these steps.