Competencies vs. Proficiencies

I’m working on a video script. Take a look.

Let’s take a minute to look at the difference between a competency model and a proficiency definition.
A competency model is the traditional way to identify what needs to be included in a typical training program.
A competency model breaks things down into three parts…Skills.. Knowledge.. and Attitudes. For example, an employee demonstrates good listening skills or an employee knows the features and benefits of our products are examples of competencies.
When you build a competency model you end up with a long list of items to include in training. The downside of this approach is that it often misses how competencies work together in different combination to produce a desired result.
For example, knowing the features and benefits of our products is part of how a salesperson makes a presentation, answers questions and even fills out an order.
A proficiency model, on the other hand, looks at the world from a completely different point of view. Proficiency is both a measure of performance and a set of observable behaviors that describe what a proficient employee produces and how the employee must work to achieve those results. Think of proficiency as a picture or snap shot of what success looks like on the job.
So with these two definitions in mind, here is the important difference. With a competency model, you can master all the competencies and not produce the desired results on the job. In other words, all the pieces don’t add up to the whole.
With a proficiency definition, the end result is completely spelled out and training doesn’t end until the employee becomes proficient. The result is important rather than all the pieces and parts.

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Sequel to Learning Paths

Here is a very rough draft of the first part of the introduction.

In 2002, I worked with Jim Williams to compile almost 10 years of experience into the first Learning Paths book. Since that time, I’ve worked on dozens of new Learning Path initiatives across a wide range of industries and job functions. What I’m always surprised about when I finish a new Learning is how much I’ve learned and all of the new, innovative ideas that have surfaced.
So now in the spring of 2011, I’m sitting down to compile what I’ve learned into this book which is really a sequel or next chapter in the Learning Path saga. In the introduction, I’m going to quickly recap the Learning Path Methodology for those who have not read or remember the first book. For those of you, who have Learning Path experience; feel free to skip to the first chapter.
In this book, I’m going to present a number of themes that I’ve uncovered about speed up the learning process as well as applying business and quality tools to learning, training and education. In each chapter, I will be using stories and examples from different industries and job functions to illustrate each of these themes. I will be drawing on experience in manufacturing, health care, sales, technical support and customer service. I will even so how these concepts apply to more elusive targets such as supervision, leadership and public education.

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Old Models Die Hard

A lot of the education models originated in a school setting. As a result, their application to a business setting is difficult at best. Education models assume classrooms with a teacher and focus a lot on the individual. In a business setting, there are often no classrooms and often no teachers. The focus is on training large numbers quickly and getting results just as fast. That’s why new models are needed that don’t come from the school education community.

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Making Sense?

Being able to clearly present an idea is difficult.  Here is an interesting video that can be used to set up an interesting discussion on how to be clear, crystal clear.

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What Is Informal Learning and Why Is There So Much of It?

I’ve been going back to find out where the statistics came from about the percentage breakdown between formal and informal learning.  It seems the origins go back to a 1995 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  But as I looked at that study and some of the more recent ones, I discovered that there really isn’t a uniform agreed upon definition of informal learning.  The line between formal and informal learning is blurred even more as new forms of delivery are developed.

I think it might be more useful to exchange the terms formal and informal for structured and unstructured.  You also might considered learning by design and learning by trial and error.  Take something like on-the-job training.  It can be done in a highly structured way or as informally as go work with Joe for the day.  When you go work with Joe for the day, it’s often highly unstructured and different every time.  It become informal learning.

Interestingly, when you start to add structure to informal learning such as identifying and guiding practice and experience, it’s really more like formal learning.  We think this is one of the fastest ways to accelerate learning.  We like to put all practice and experience on a learning path and then write directions on how it should happen.  This helps eliminate the waste of trail and error learning, and takes time out of the process by eliminating a number of wrong turns.

So what’s the point?  I say dump the terms formal and informal because they are too vague to be helpful and substitute structured and unstructured.  Then try to eliminate all the unstructured learning.

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How Much Practice Is Enough

If you do one or two role plays in a class, is that enough practice to master a skill?  Probably not.  That’s often why students do well in the classroom but can’t transfer the same level of performance to the job.  But I haven’t seen any companies that try to quantify the amount of practice.  They might set aside a certain amount of time, but not the number of repetitions.

I recently read Vince Flynn’s new book the American Assassin where the main character becomes highly proficient with a pistol after 20,000 rounds.  That’s a very specific amount of practice and might be a good guideline for other that follow.  I know that if you’d like to break 70 on a golf course hitting 25,000 golf balls is about right.

By the way, here’s what it means to hit 25,000 golf balls.  The average bucket has 85 balls.  So it’s around 300 buckets which is roughly 300 hours.  But not over your lifetime but in a relatively short period of time like a single summer.

I’ve heard to master a presentation that professional speakers charge money for, takes about 200 times to work out all the bugs and get the timing right.

So how many cold calls does it take to learn how to cold call?  How many customer complaints does it take to master customer service?  How many orders do you need to enter to reach a high speed without error?

Once you know this number, you can then build it into your training and coaching plan.  You can always shorten the number of repetition with good instruction, coaching and feedback.

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What I Learned from Undercover Boss About Training

Undercover Boss is a show about CEOs that go undercover to learn about their organizations. Here’s a link to see episodes . On every episode I’ve seen, new employees are turned over to an experienced worker to learn the ropes. This is true for factory workers, call center agents, salespeople and customer service to name a few.

This approach has some giant flaws that lead to many of the problems these companies have. Here are just some of the flaws:

1. High Variability

The training is different depending on who the new employee is paired with.  These companies have multiple locations so it’s different everywhere.  These experienced workers have also developed their own way of doing things to overcome problems or things they haven’t learned to do right.  They are passing along the good with the bad.

2. Too Much Sink or Swim

These new employees are often thrown into the job often interacting with customers on the first day.  When they make mistakes, which all new employees do, they are in front of customers.  Those who don’t pick up things quickly are turned over quickly.  It would be much faster if new employees were trained to do the tasks from simple to hard, easy to complex to build on success.  The overall problem with sink or swim is that too many people sink, an that’s expensive.

3. Lack of Training Skills

The people doing the training are doing a lot of telling and a little showing which is what most people do when they haven’t been trained in how to do on the job training.  They often do things they way they were taught which can often be the slowest and least effective way.  They also don’t have the tools and structure to do this training right because the company doesn’t have any.

What you see is that the bigger these companies get, the more the problem gets magnified.  They edit it to show the best of the best so most likely across the board it’s worse then you see.  The boss often puts these people on a council or work team to share their ideas.  It’s like a revelation that this might be a good idea.  It something that should have been built into their company decades ago.

Anyway, have some fun watching these shows.  Try not to cringe so much when you see how training is done.

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Rapid Onboarding 3 Keys for Success – Free Webinar

How soon would you be confident assigning a new employee to work with your most valued customer? When do you know a new employee is likely to stay and be a productive member of your team? When do you know a new employee can be trusted to work without constant supervision? New employees are still a gamble. Even with the best hiring process, there’s no guarantee of success. There are plenty of downsides to employees who are slow to fit in or who never really fit in.  Therefore, the goal of any successful onboarding process or program should be to get new employees up-to-speed and working with their team as fast as possible.

This webinar shows you how to apply the proven methods and techniques of the Learning Path process to speed up the onboarding process.  This webinar focuses on the following three keys to success:

1. Helping Employees Fit in their New Work Team
2. Ensuring that New Employees Are Fully Capable of Doing the Job at a High Level
3. Boosting the Morale and Confidence of New Employees While They Are Learning

Date:  October 27th

Time: 12:00 to 12:45 Central

To Register Click Here

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Bringing Learning Paths to Your Organization

If getting employees up-to-speed faster is a big deal for your organization, I suggest you consider bringing Learning Paths into your organization.  This is a methodology that is easily applied to any job including managers and leaders. There are several different ways to begin working on Learning Paths:

1. Learning Path Consultant

We can lead one or more Learning Path projects and assist with the development of activity descriptions and any additional training required.   Typically a Learning Path project for a single function can be complete in 60 to 90 days.  The Learning Path consultant will work with an internal Learning Path team in order to gather the required expertise and build support and consensus.

2. Certification

We are know offering Learning Path Certification in a 2-day workshop.  These are done both internally and as public workshops.  The workshops prepare participants to lead a Learning Path project in their organizations.  Additional follow-up and coaching is offered to help ensure successful Learning Path projects.

For those who need more information to make a decision on how to bring Learning Paths to their organization, we are always available to do a 1 hour Learning Paths webinar that presents the basic concepts and the path forward.  There are also a number of whitepapers on the Learning Paths website.  Here is the contact information you will need.  Steve Rosenbaum, 952-368-9329 or steve.learningpathsinternational.com.  Our website is www.learningpathsinternational.com

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Learning Paths Certification Goes Canadian

We are launching a new certification program in Canada in November.  It’s going to be great.  We’re doing both Hamilton and Toronto.  You can go to our website at Learning Paths International or call Arupa Tesolin at 905- 271-7272.

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