Project: Developing an integrated competency framework.
Brief: A major manufacturer in the southeast had invested in a new plant. However, the existing skills base offered limited flexibility which meant many hours’ downtime when things went wrong. To make the most of the investment the HR director wanted to develop a multi-skilled workforce. The long-term aim was, for example, to allow a mechanical engineer to do simple electrical or electronic work, or for an electrical engineer to do mechanical modifications to a line.
The company also wanted a more flexible pay structure to reward employees who developed new skills. The first step was to make a list of competencies in the manufacturing processes.
Our approach: Recognising the potential problems, Calibre HR & Training director Elspeth Watt advised management on their discussions with shop stewards. As a result, the unions supported the initiative, seeing it as giving members the potential to increase their earnings.
However, some employees had spent many years learning their specialist trades and had reservations about taking on additional skills. They were also concerned that their positions would be downgraded if parts of the job could be done by other people. There was a real risk of demarcation disputes if the process was not handled sensitively.
With this in mind, Elspeth began constructive discussions with managers, specialists and operatives about new ways of working that would both safeguard employment and provide opportunities for enhanced remuneration. She interviewed area managers to understand the processes throughout the business.
She then began competency mapping – analysing the information and breaking it into individual competency sets. These were then turned into a competency dictionary of skills for specific jobs. Special care was taken to ensure the specialists understood the value they had in the business and their critical role in developing new apprentices – something that had never been formally recognised.
Outcome: The competency development process has helped the company develop a skilled and flexible workforce to ensure the operation can deal with peaks and troughs in production and distribution. The competency framework is now the foundation of new ways of performance reviewing and rewarding staff. In addition, the company can plan for more effective competency training and competency-based recruitment to support future growth.
Steve helped us to put in place a Management Capability programme for new managers. He identified the needs and worked well with business stakeholders. He paid a lot of attention to ensuring that the programme would be sustainable in the long term, and helped us identify how we could also use eLearning for elements of the programme. Steve is hard-working, committed and integrated well into the team.
