HR Pulse - Winter 2007 - (Page 33) The job charter development process alone is a powerful mechanism for driving strategy execution because it builds a clear consensus among those in critical leadership roles about how they must support the execution. Job charters also serve as a foundation for succession planning, competency mapping, performance appraisal, hiring and selection. Building the Necessary Competencies Multiple competencies may be defined as necessary for leaders to meet each of the accountabilities identified in their job charters. These competencies can then be used in a visible, structured and objective process to assess and identify development needs. The key to this assessment process is to provide a common language that leads to meaningful communication between an employee and manager, resulting in a clear plan of action focused on development needs with the highest priorities. After their first experience with this competencies assessment process, many managers report that it led to the most substantive dialogues they had ever had about how they can develop and grow. Mapping to Training Curriculum A training curriculum architecture should be defined to address the various leadership competencies the organization has identified as critical to its success. Every competency can then be “mapped” to specific training programs. This step enables an organization to maximize training resources so that it delivers the right kind of training to the right people at the right time. Individual Development Plan Prioritized training needs that are identified as part of a competency assessment should be documented in an individual development plan (IDP) that captures: • Recent performance, as evaluated using the accountabilities defined in the job charter • Succession planning outputs, based on assessing individuals’ readiness for the accountability and competency demands of the next level job charter. A standardized IDP provides concrete feedback about career paths, as well as organization-wide visibility of emerging and developing leaders. Aligning Performance Management Too often, performance evaluation systems are not linked to specific job expectations. The result is conflicting messages and inconsistent or arbitrary performance reviews with vague linkage to the strategic objectives of the organization. Just as defined competencies are used to assess development needs, the accountabilities from the job charter are the foundation for evaluating performance. This approach provides the basis for a consistent, structured dialogue about the connection between specific accountabilities and how effectively the strategic mission is being achieved. Strategic Vision Leadership Infrastructure Macro Map Performance Management Systems Individual Development Plan • Performance Mgmt. • Development Plan • Succession Planning Management Job Charters Individual Competency Review Curriculum Mapping Reports Hiring & Selection Succession Planning Process Succession Planning Visible and systematic succession planning benefits both the organization and its employees. A process that develops leaders internally is costeffective, ensures that competencies are aligned with strategic objectives and produces leaders who are already culturally “in tune” with the organization. Development and promotion from within is also one of the most meaningful elements of an employer-of-choice culture that attracts and keeps the best employees. With a job charter definitional base established and performance management and competency development aligned with the strategic mission, the components are in place to create a sustainable and strategically relevant succession planning process. Not a Program-of-the-Month All high-performance organizations must have a solid leadership infrastructure, regardless of the nature of their strategic initiatives. Gaps in the infrastructure become obvious whenever strategy implementation hits the wall or when well-intentioned initiatives are not sustained over time. Creating an effective leadership infrastructure is not a one-time endeavor; it is an ongoing effort that requires careful attention and occasional fine tuning. What’s at stake is the very future of the organization. It is the HR function’s responsibility to develop, align and implement all of the processes necessary to create and ensure the continuity of leadership excellence and to support management—from the CEO down to first-line managers—in consistently using these processes. HR professionals are in the ideal position to champion the development of the leadership infrastructure necessary for an organization to prosper in trying times. n Michael Abrams, M.A., is managing partner and Bill Ott, M.B.A., is a senior consultant at Numerof & Associates, Inc. (NAI), a strategic management consulting firm located in St. Louis, Mo. For more information, visit www.nai-consulting.com. 33 HR Pulse Winter 2007 http://www.nai-consulting.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.