Chapter 3
Developing New Skills for the Future
It's an exciting time for experienced professionals hungry for new challenges and opportunities. Workplace trends and issues are raising the bar for what it takes to be successful in the field today, requiring new skills and new approaches to work. This is especially true if you are a midcareer professional or someone entering training, HRD, or workplace learning and performance after years of work in another field. Not only do you need to master the core skills within your area of interest; you also need to be alert for new technologies, ideas, and practices and you must know which of those are most appropriate and useful for the clients and organizations you serve.
Before you choose a direction to move your career, review the roles, responsibilities, and competencies for your movement options. Assess your own readiness to move into another area or take on a more senior role within your own locus of expertise, and consider any additional skills or experiences that will better position you professionally.
Let's begin this exploration of options by defining two terms.
- A competency is “an area of knowledge or skill that is critical for producing key outputs. Competencies are internal capabilities that people bring to their jobs; capabilities which may be expressed in a broad, even infinite array of on-the-job behaviors” (McLagan, 1989, p. 77).
- A role is “a common grouping of competencies. A role should not be confused with a job title” (McLagan, 1989, p. 77).
Now let's examine the roles and competencies of practitioners in training, career development, organization development, workplace learning and performance, and several correlative fields.
The role of training professionals and performance consultants is clear: We must be ready to help our companies implement change, redesign processes, accelerate learning, and introduce new technologies. More than anything, however, we must be there to help manage the soft side of change—the human factors and behaviors that ultimately determine whether a company's change efforts or quest for a healthier bottom line are successful.
— Richard Koonce, speaker, writer, and career coach
Roles and Competencies for Training
Research done by Dixon, Conway, Ashley, and Stewart for the Ontario Society for Training and Development (1995) identified the following five “competency clusters” or roles that are important for trainers:
- analyzing performance needs
- designing training
- instructing-facilitating
- evaluating training
- coaching the application of training.
To perform these roles successfully, trainers need technical, business, interpersonal, and intellectual competencies. McLagan's Models for HRD Practice (1989), which outlined the basic competencies for trainers, is the basis for this discussion. As you look over the training competencies listed, you'll find skills that long have been the core essentials for trainers. But don't assume that these lists present “static” skills that, once acquired, are acquired for life. If anything, the cutting-edge know-how needed for each competency—and for just about every skill within each competency—is an illustration of the raised bar mentioned earlier. For example, facilities skill, included as one of the technical competencies, is described by McLagan as “planning and coordinating logistics in an efficient and cost-effective manner” (p. 4). If you think of all the changes in technology that have happened in the last five years, you'll see why facilities skill is not for the fainthearted. Responsibilities such as course management, coordination of virtual trainers, the start-up of distance learning programs, and maintaining connections with workers in remote locations around the globe all call for expertise and experience that was not needed a decade ago.
According to McLagan, what follow are competencies for trainers.
Technical competencies:
- adult learning understanding
- competency identification skill
- computer competence
- electronic systems skill
- facilities skill
- objectives preparation skill
- performance observation skill
- subject matter understanding
- training theories and techniques
Business competencies:
- business understanding
- cost-benefit analysis skill
- organization understanding
- organization behavior understanding
- project management skill
Interpersonal competencies:
- coaching skill
- feedback skill
- group process skill
- presentation skill
- questioning skill
- relationship-building skill
- writing skill
Intellectual competencies:
- data reduction skill
- information search skill
- intellectual versatility
- model-building skill
- observing skill
- self-knowledge
To succeed today, a trainer needs all of those core competencies, a 21 st-century mindset, and a few extras, as described in Training & Development (Development Dimensions International, 2000). That issue highlighted nine professionals described as training's “New Guard,” and identified the following activities as integral to their success:
- finding common ground where there seems to be none
- championing projects that violate the status quo
- breaking the boundaries
- keeping abreast of the trends
- pioneering new approaches or technology
- maintaining a positive spirit.
If you're serious about advancing in your training career, you'll need the skills each effort requires.
Roles and Competencies for Career Development
The increasing importance of career advisers and other related positions offer many new opportunities to experienced professionals with an interest in career development, but those opportunities call for updated skills to meet employees’ changing needs and concerns. Here's a list of what career development practitioners are doing in the contemporary workplace (Simonsen, 1995):
Training in Transitional Times
Throughout this book we note that training itself is in a state of transition as more focus is put on performance. So the roles of the trainer and the competencies needed to succeed are also in flux.
William Rothwell (1996) captured some of this sense of transition when he wrote, “The aim should be to create a more expansive view of the HRD professional as one who has roles in holistic human performance improvement that transcend but include training interventions….” (p. 66).
When it comes to competencies that trainers need to take on as they make this shift to an increased emphasis on performance, Madelyn Callahan, writing in Info-line: From Training to Performance Consulting (1999, p. 5), laid out the challenge this way:
- Training and HRD directors need to take the lead in moving toward a performance improvement focus.
- Training analysts and designers need to “zero in on training requests and identify the precise performance issue that needs to be addressed.”
- Training developers need to “design reality-based exercises,” reflective of the actual work environment and the performance system that's currently in place.
- Training instructors need to “understand the actual human performance system that the employees experience.”
- assisting workers in planning a career within the organization
- conducting and interpreting individual assessments
- identifying relevant resources and making information available
- identifying and coordinating organization resources
- making referrals to external resources
- supporting managers in career discussions with their employees
- gathering demographic data on organizational, departmental, and individual worker needs
- consulting with management on decisions related to employee retention and development.
To accomplish all of that, you need a variety of general and specific skills.
General skills:
- coaching—helping employees make career development decisions
- diagnosing—determining the issues or problems employees bring with them
- reality testing—giving employees feedback related to present performance and future possibilities
- mentoring—showing employees the ropes and communicating the organization's culture
- goal setting—helping employees formalize career goals
- motivating to action—encouraging and supporting employees through ongoing contact
Content knowledge skills:
- an understanding of the career development process
- a model to help employees begin engaging in longer-range proactive planning
- definitions of ways workers can develop and advance in their careers other than the traditional “up-the-organizational-chart” way
- the ability to translate concepts into useful and meaningful information that employees can use in their everyday lives
For experienced training, HRD, and workplace learning and performance professionals interested in pursuing opportunities in career development, three other roles and responsibilities are becoming more important:
- broker and facilitator of developmental opportunities—acts as a go-between to help individuals align their skills and goals with the organization
- facilitator of services to individuals for continuous career assessment—helps workers become more self-reliant in initiating and making use of career-related assessments
- transition specialists—helps workers deal with career transitions, such as relocation, phased or full retirement, and outplacement.
Roles and Competencies for Organization Development
In Info-Line: Organization Development: What Trainers Need to Know, Stephanie Gordon-Cady and Kathleen Ryan (1988), noted that “the consultant's role changes with each project and within the phases of a project” (p. 10). Certainly, the diverse projects and issues that OD practitioners work with today drive this point home more than at any time in the past. Here are the critical roles for OD professionals, as listed by Gordon-Cady and Ryan (p. 10):
- technical or process expert
- information specialist
- trainer/educator
- joint problem solver
- identifier of alternatives
- linker of resources
- fact finder
- process counselor
- objective observer/reflector.
Because the complex challenges of a global, constantly changing, and technology-driven workplace demand advanced skill and experience, new opportunities will arise for experienced OD practitioners. Scan the OD Network Website (www.odnetwork.org) for articles detailing the innovative efforts of OD professionals working today in prisons, with religious groups, and in law firms.
According to A Career Resource Guide to Organization Development (Kincaid-Yoshikawa, 1998), the following core and advanced abilities and understandings are important for OD practitioners (pp. 24-25):
- general consultation skills
- intrapersonal skills
- interpersonal skills
- presentation skills
- research and evaluation skills
- data collection skills
- data analysis skills
- knowledge of organization development/organization behavior
- management knowledge
- intervention skills
- business and industry skills
- collateral knowledge.
OD professionals also must have an up-to-date understanding of what change management entails today. Mary Gelinas and Roger James (1998), OD practitioners in the San Francisco Bay area, suggest that contemporary change management includes the following aspects (p. 53):
- meaningfully involving organizational members in the changes their organization needs to make to respond to current and future conditions inside the organization and outside in the marketplace
- collaboratively building understanding of and commitment to those changes with all stakeholders
- building leaders’ and members’ abilities to change individually and collectively and to implement the changes to which they are committed.
Roles and Competencies for Workplace Learning and Performance
Because workplace learning and performance is one of the emerging areas in our field, we describe it here in greater detail than we did the more long-established areas of endeavor. The most critical thing for you to keep in mind as you consider options in this area is that the roles you've held in the more traditional areas of HRD can serve as your bridge to the roles of a practitioner focused on WLP. You are armed with vital expertise!
Rothwell, Sanders, and Soper (1999) have described the following WLP roles:
- manager
- analyst
- intervention selector
- intervention designer and developer
- intervention implementor
- change leader
- evaluator.
According to research done by Robinson (2000), the primary activities of WLP professionals currently include
- forming and building partnerships with clients
- completing performance analyses
- managing performance change projects
- measuring the impact of change initiatives.
To accomplish those tasks, practitioners provide these services:
- consulting, including coaching clients on performance issues
- assessment services
- learning interventions
- HR services
- change management.
A comprehensive array of competencies are needed for a successful career in WLP. These include analytical, business, interpersonal, leadership, technical, and technological competencies. Table 1 presents and describes these competencies.
Future Opportunities in Closely Related Positions
Knowledge and Learning Opportunities
As you read in chapter 2, positions like chief knowledge officer and chief learning officer, and other jobs related to knowledge management and organizational learning, are on the increase. The roles and competencies needed to succeed in these areas are also evolving. Dede Bonner (2000a) has researched this topic extensively and has reported that because these positions are so new to the scene, they are “works in progress.” Their open-ended nature seems to be what many who are drawn to them find so challenging and exciting. Because Bonner also pointed out that some pioneers in the field are “predicting a blending of knowledge management with organizational learning as the two areas mature” (p. 36), the following roles, responsibilities, and activities are combined for practitioners in the areas of knowledge management and organizational learning.
Roles for chief knowledge officer and chief learning officer positions:
Table 1: Competencies for Workplace Learning and Performance
| Analytical Competencies | Description |
| Analytical thinking | Clarifying complex issues by breaking them down into meaningful components and synthesizing related items |
| Analyzing performance data | Interpreting performance data and determining the effect of interventions on customers, suppliers, and employees |
| Career development theory and application | Understanding the theories, techniques, and appropriate applications of career development interventions used for performance improvement |
| Competency identification | Identifying the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to perform work |
| Intervention selection | Selecting performance improvement strategies that address the root cause(s) of performance gaps rather than treat symptoms or side effects |
| Knowledge management | Developing and implementing systems for creating, managing, and distributing knowledge |
| Model building | Conceptualizing and developing theoretical and practical frameworks that describe complex ideas |
| Organization development theory and application | Understanding the theories, techniques, and appropriate applications of organization development interventions as they are used for performance improvement |
| Performance cap analysis | Performing “front-end analysis” by comparing actual and ideal performance levels in the workplace; identifying opportunities and strategies for performance improvement |
| Performance theory | Recognizing the implications, outcomes, and consequences of performance interventions to distinguish between activities and results |
| Process consultation | Using a monitoring and feedback method to continually improve the productivity of work groups |
| Reward system theory and application | Understanding the theories, techniques, and appropriate applications of reward system interventions used for performance improvement |
| Social awareness | Seeing organizations as dynamic political, economic, and social systems |
| Staff selection theory and application | Understanding the theories, techniques, and appropriate applications of staff selection interventions used for performance improvement |
| Standards identification | Determining what constitutes success for individuals, organizations, and processes |
| Systems thinking | Recognizing the interrelationships among events by determining the driving forces that connect seemingly isolated incidents within the organization; taking a holistic view of performance problems in order to find root causes |
| Training theory and application | Understanding the theories, techniques, and appropriate applications of training interventions used for performance improvement |
| Work environment analysis | Examining the work environment for issues or characteristics that affect human performance; understanding characteristics of a high-performance workplace |
| Workplace performance, learning strategies, and intervention evaluation | Continually evaluating and improving interventions before and during implementation |
| Business Competencies | Description |
| Ability to see the “big picture” | Identifying trends and patterns that are outside the normal paradigm of the organization |
| Business knowledge | Demonstrating awareness of business functions and how business decisions affect financial and nonfinancial work results |
| Cost-benefit analysis | Accurately assessing the relative value of performance improvement interventions |
| Evaluation of results against organizational goals | Assessing how well workplace performance, learning strategies, and results match organizational goals and strategic intent |
| Identification of critical business issues | Determining key business issues and forces for change and applying that knowledge to performance improvement strategies |
| Business Competencies | Description |
| Industry awareness | Understanding the current and future climate of the organization's industry and formulating strategies that respond to that climate |
| Knowledge capital | Measuring knowledge capital and determining its value to the organization |
| Negotiating/contracting | Organizing, preparing, monitoring, and evaluating work performed by vendors and consultants |
| Outsourcing management | Ability to identify and select specialized resources outside of the organization; identifying, selecting, and managing technical specifications for these specialized resources |
| Project management | Planning, organizing, and monitoring work |
| Quality implications | Identifying the relationships and implications among quality programs and performance |
| Interpersonal Competencies | Description |
| Communication | Applying effective verbal, nonverbal, and written communication methods to achieve desired results |
| Communication networks | Understanding the various methods through which communication is achieved |
| Consulting | Understanding the results that stakeholders desire from a process and providing insight into how they can best use their resources to achieve goals |
| Coping skills | Dealing with ambiguity and stress resulting from conflicting information and goals; helping others deal with ambiguity and stress |
| Interpersonal relationship building | Effectively interacting with others in order to produce meaningful outcomes |
| Leadership Competencies | Description |
| Buy-in/advocacy | Building ownership and support for workplace initiatives |
| Diversity awareness | Assessing the impact and appropriateness of interventions on individuals, groups, and organizations |
| Ethics modeling | Modeling exemplary ethical behavior and understanding the implications of this responsibility |
| Goal implementation | Ensuring that goals are converted into efficient actions; getting results despite conflicting priorities, lack of resources, or ambiguity |
| Group dynamics | Assessing how groups of people function and evolve as they seek to meet the needs of their members and of the organization |
| Leadership | Leading, influencing, and coaching others to help them achieve desired results |
| Visioning | Seeing the possibilities of “what can be” and inspiring a shared sense of purpose within the organization |
| Technical Competencies | Description |
| Adult learning | Understanding how adults learn and how they use knowledge, skills, and attitudes |
| Facilitation | Helping others to discover new insights |
| Feedback | Providing performance information to the appropriate people |
| Intervention monitoring | Tracking and coordinating interventions to assure consistency in implementation and alignment with organizational strategies |
| Questioning | Collecting data via pertinent questions asked during surveys, interviews, and focus groups for the purpose of performance analysis |
| Survey design and development | Creating survey approaches that use open-ended (essay) and closed-style questions (multiple choice and Likert items) for collecting data; preparing instruments in written, verbal, or electronic formats |
| Technological Competencies | Description |
| Computer-mediated communication | Understanding the implication of current and evolving computer-based electronic communication |
| Distance education | Understanding the evolving trends in technology-supported delivery methods and the implications of separating instructors and learners in time and location |
| Technological Competencies | Description |
| Electronic performance support systems | Understanding current and evolving performance support systems and their appropriate applications |
| Technological literacy | Understanding and appropriately applying existing, new, or emerging technology |
| Source: William J. Rothwell, Ethan S. Sanders, and Jeffery G. Soper. ASTD Models for Workplace Learning and Performance: Roles, Competencies, and Outputs. Alexandria, VA: ASTD, 1999. | |
- consultant
- entrepreneur
- technologist
- environmentalist
- champion for knowledge and learning
Sample responsibilities:
- strategic planning
- ability to integrate diverse groups and work across all functions; develop the culture, build knowledge management/organizational learning
- design and implement a knowledge and/or learning infrastructure to tie together corporate databases, employees’ tacit knowledge, and paper files
- consulting activities, organizational effectiveness
- work closely with CEO
Core competencies:
- ability to align and integrate diverse groups or functions
- utilize and develop best practices and benchmarking studies
- strategic mindset
- can use technology to support learning initiatives and/or knowledge capture, sharing, and retention
- know thy stuff (broadly experienced in learning, training, and/or knowledge work)
- ability to partner with senior managers to plan and execute complex implementations
- strong interpersonal skills and ability to influence others
Activities:
- aligning and integrating diverse functions or groups
- using previous best practices or designing benchmarking studies
- developing a culture of acceptance of organizational learning, continuous learning, and knowledge management
- having a customer service orientation
- identifying critical areas for improvement, through needs or gap analysis creating knowledge-content activities to contribute to or manage the capture, sharing, and retention activities
- leveraging corporate-wide learning
- establishing partnerships with senior managers
- conducting strategic planning and implementation
- being a visionary and champion for organizational learning and knowledge management
Employee Assistance Opportunities
If you're interested in the counseling field and feel drawn to make that sort of difference in workers’ lives, you'll find the number of available positions is growing. There are jobs for EAP professionals, work/life program directors, and work-place chaplains—jobs that share a commitment to encouraging the well-being of workers through an array of services.
The Employee Assistance Professionals Association lists the following activities as some of the most important professional EAP efforts (Employee Assistance Backgrounder, 1999):
- consultation with, training of, and assistance to work organization leader-ship that is seeking to manage the troubled employee, enhance the work environment, and improve employee job performance
- outreach to and education of employees and their family members about available EAP services
- confidential and timely problem identification/assessment services for clients with personal concerns that may affect job performance
- use of constructive confrontation, motivation, and short-term intervention with employee clients to address problems that affect job performance
- referral of employee clients for diagnosis, treatment, and assistance, plus case monitoring and follow-up services
- assistance to work organizations in managing provider contracts and in establishing and maintaining relations with service providers, managed care organizations, insurers, and other third-party payors
- assistance to work organizations in providing support for employee health benefits covering medical and behavioral problems, including but not limited to alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental and emotional behaviors
- identification of the effects of EAP services on the work organization and individual job performance.
Consulting and Contract Opportunities
Success as a consultant requires a combination of skills, knowledge, and experience, plus entrepreneurial abilities. Before making the decision to pursue consulting, do your homework. Research the personal attitudes and skills you'll need to be a successful consultant as well as the knowledge germane to your chosen area of practice. Network with colleagues who are successfully consulting at the present time, attend association functions for independent consultants, and objectively assess your qualifications to offer quality consulting services to clients in your area of interest.
Here are some of the skills you'll need for starters, according to Lin GrensingPophal (2000, p. 37), a business journalist with HR consulting experience:
- ability to deal with uncertainty, both in the kinds of projects you may be working on and in the irregular compensation (at least in the beginning)
- sales skills—the ability to market yourself and drum up business
- solid skills and experience in your area of endeavor, backed up by a list of pertinent projects you've handled successfully in the past
- up-to-date knowledge in your area of expertise and in trends affecting the training, HRD, and workplace learning and performance field—that is, continuous professional development
- self-motivation.
If you're considering work on a project or free-agent basis, assess your strengths and competencies and determine if you would be comfortable working that way. Here are some of the skills and attitudes you'll need (Williams, 1997):
- project-oriented approach that lets you do your job quickly and effectively
- specialized skills in your area of expertise
- a proven track record of several years’ experience and a progression of increasingly responsible positions
- flexibility and ease in adapting to different companies, cultures, and work assignments
- initiative and a hit-the-ground-running mindset
- computer savvy and knowledge of the functional software in your profession
- realistic expectations about future opportunities as your interim assignment winds down.
Look through the Further Readings and Web-Based Resources sections at the back of this book for materials you can investigate that detail the roles and competencies of successful consultants today, and for information on contract and free-agent opportunities.
Your Next Steps
Now that you've had the chance to scan the positions listed in the last chapter and to review the skills, competencies, and roles for different areas within the field in this chapter, it's time to reflect on your career situation. If you want to advance in your current area of expertise, answering the following questions will help you identify the perfect career move for you:
- Am I making full use of all my competencies in my current position? Are there assignments I could take on to broaden or deepen my competencies?
- Am I fully capitalizing on the experience I've gained so far in my career?
- Am I challenging myself to take on even larger or more visible projects in my organization?
- How could I expand my learning and opportunities in my area of expertise?
If you're considering a career move into training, HRD, or workplace learning and performance from another profession, ask yourself these questions:
- What particular areas within the field am I interested in? How can I learn more about those areas?
- How do my current skills and competencies stack up to those needed for work in training, HRD, or workplace learning and performance?
- How can I rebundle my current skills and experience to move into this new field?
- What further education, training, or skills will I need to position myself for a successful transition?
By now, you should be feeling excited about the choices you have for advancing your career or moving it in a new direction. As this chapter has shown, every single position in training, HRD, and workplace learning and performance is under-going some change. Traditional positions like trainer and instructional designer are being reenergized by technology and the demands of keeping workers on the cutting edge. And new positions like chief learning officer and workplace learning and performance practitioner—both described here—are creating new possibilities for doing exciting work in our field.
If you're wondering what to do next to prepare yourself to make a career move, chapter 4 and the second half of this book will guide you. Chapter 4 brings together all you've learned here so far. It gives you a road map for making informed career choices and successful career moves by illustrating the whole range of opportunities in our field that are open to you today. And the second half of the book gives you dozens of practical suggestions and exercises for making your move a reality.