Expanding the Value of Diagnostic Instruments

Expanding The Value Of Diagnostic Instruments

The Foundation For A Competency-Based Curriculum

As you well know, today’s business environment demands that we define the core competencies required of our employees to carry out the organization’s mission and achieve its business objectives. With a knowledge of these core competencies in hand, companies are better prepared to recruit, select and then develop people with the kinds of talents and relevant experiences needed to carry out their job responsibilities and contribute to the achievement of important organizational goals. While defining these core competencies is a critical first step, it is equally urgent to prepare a competency-based training curriculum so that employees have the means to develop their capabilities. With improved competencies, employees are able to make substantive improvements in their performance on the job.

What is often left out of this equation is the need to 1) assess employees against these core competencies; 2) provide employees with the opportunity to review their survey results and identify for themselves the opportunities they have to improve their performance; 3) support employees’ self-development efforts with timely and relevant training; 4) provide the guidance and coaching employees need to successfully implement their work plans; and 5) measure the extent to which employees make meaningful improvements in performance over time. Well designed survey tools serve as the framework for the development of a learning organization. A review of survey feedback will enable you to make sure the talents of your managers and employees are directly aligned with the future needs of your organization. The information gathered from this focused feedback will help target development resources where they will do the most good.

We have found that the key to continuous performance improvement is to use diagnostic survey data to help employees see the need to change and then to measure the extent to which their efforts have lead to meaningful performance improvement on the job. Diagnostic survey instruments can help you evaluate the effectiveness of and make systematic improvements in your competency-based curriculum. Further, and perhaps more importantly, survey data, more than any other single factor, is the key to helping front-line employees to senior executives see the need to change. Aggregate survey results from one’s peers, direct reports or project team members serve as a potent stimulus to individual and organizational self-assessment and change. Focused survey feedback will give your employees the kind of data they need to develop their core competencies and bring about positive change on the job.