Success Profiles & Competency Frameworks
What does success look like for your people?
These days, many organisations recognise the benefits of developing Success Profiles for key roles.
Success Profiling is the process by which an organisation identifies the key skills, knowledge, experience, behavioural competencies and personal attributes required for successful performance in a given role - or alternatively, a group of roles at a specific level (e.g. executives, senior leaders, front line leaders, etc.).
Ideally, Success Profiles are developed using objective and rigorous methodologies and involve consultation with a range of key stakeholders who understand the day-to-day requirements, challenges, and objectives of the targeted role/s.
It is also important to consider the organisation’s broader strategy, vision, purpose and commercial objectives, and to focus on both the current and future requirements of the targeted role/s or employee group.
What information is included in a Success Profile?
Typically, a Success Profile for a specific role includes information in each of the following areas…
TECHNICAL & PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Technical or professional knowledge required for the role, or what someone needs to know (e.g. knowledge of online marketing strategies, SAP, Microsoft Excel, industry knowledge, etc.)
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
Work and educational experiences required for successful performance in the role, or what someone needs to have done (e.g. managed a large team, developed and implemented an online marketing strategy, etc.).
BEHAVIOURAL CAPABILITIES
Clusters of behaviour that need to be demonstrated in order to succeed – what someone needs to do in the role, or how they need to behave (e.g. Planning and Organising, Strategic Decision Making, Problem Solving, etc.).
APTITUDES
Specific analytical and problem solving skills required for successful performance in the role, or the level of required intellectual capacity (e.g. Spatial Reasoning, Verbal Comprehension, Error Checking ability, etc.).
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Personal qualities, motivations, and preferences likely to enhance performance in the role, or what someone prefers to do and enjoys doing (e.g. thinking creatively, attending to details, interacting with others, influencing, etc.).
How are Success Profiles used?
Success Profiles essentially become a ‘blueprint’ for success for the targeted group of roles, and can be used to support a range of HR, talent management and organisational development practices within an organisation, including the following:
Recruitment & Selection
Success Profiles clearly identify those characteristics that describe the ‘ideal’ candidate and any critical skills, experience, capabilities and personal attributes required for the role.
By using a Success Profile the recruitment process becomes more rigorous and objective, thereby minimising potential biases and reducing the risk of making a poor selection decision.
Onboarding, Training & Development
Success Profiles help to identify critical ‘gaps’ in knowledge, experience or capability amongst new and existing employee groups.
In turn, this allows organisations to implement highly relevant and targeted training and development initiatives, resulting in stronger business results and on-the-job performance.
Leadership Development & Succession Planning
Success Profiles can also be used to identify ‘talent’ and create tailored development plans for employees who have been identified as having ‘high potential’ (i.e. the potential to move into more senior technical or leadership positions within the business).
They are particularly useful when identifying likely successors for senior leadership or executive positions, given the ‘high stakes’ nature of these kinds of roles.
Need help with Success Profiles or a Capability Framework?
We have significant experience in developing comprehensive Success Profiles for organisations using a range of robust job analysis approaches and methodologies (e.g. competency card sorts, focus groups, visionary interviews, etc.).
Our experience also includes developing comprehensive Competency Frameworks or Capability Frameworks for organisations who wish to develop more robust talent management and succession planning systems.
Our consultants are all Masters-qualified Business or Organisational psychologists with significant experience in designing, implementing and delivering talent management solutions for a range of public and private sector organisations.
We are always happy to answer any questions you might have and provide further information. If you would like to know more, please contact us today.
WHY WORK WITH US?
Given our formal qualifications and experience in Organisational Psychology, we bring a depth of understanding in human behaviour to our work with individuals, teams, and organisations. In working with you, we are also able to draw upon our broad experience and knowledge in the areas of leadership development, neuroscience, positive psychology, employee motivation and performance, and behavioural change.