Super Conference 2010 - Senior Management - Competencies, Not Skills - Session # 429

The Halifax and Oakville Public Libraries both recognize the importance of building leadership competencies in their managers and in staff who are leaders or informal leaders or who are potential leaders. They both identified core competencies in leaders, which included: being innovative and dynamic communicators and team players who understand their organization, thinking globally, the ability to adapt to change, continuous learning and awareness of trends in their field. Competencies outline what is expected of staff in their positions not just the skills they need to do their job.

How are these libraries incorporating competencies into their work environment? Halifax and Oakville Public Libraries have amalgamated them into job descriptions, recruitment, staff development and performance management. Communicating competencies to employees creates open communication in an organization. Your human resources department can play a crucial role in developing and communicating competencies to management and staff. Oakville Public Library's HR department created a Handbook for staff outlining competencies, which is also used as an orientation tool. In order to build on competencies of their staff both libraries recognized the importance of coaching and staff development. Halifax Public Library offers a monthly Peer Leadership Competency Development Program to managers and potential managers on staff. Oakville Public Library provides external coaching for staff in management roles.

The Oakville Public Library (OPL) developed a leadership competency performance system for managers. This is their first year implementing the system with managers. In the next 18 months, they will be developing a new performance system for all other employees who are in a separate performance evaluation stream from management. The core competencies will probably be incorporated into evaluation for to this group as well.

To develop their competency evaluation model, Halifax Public Library identified core competencies on which all employees, including management, are to be evaluated. Within each job classification more specific competencies were then identified for each position. Moving their focus from skills to competencies lets staff develop more awareness about what is expected of them because they have guidelines to follow. Being aware of what competencies the library looks for in a manager can help staff build the necessary skills to move up in their organization.

Competencies can be built into the strategic plan of the library to further ensure their integration into the library culture. At OPL, employees are also evaluated on goals linked to their strategic plan.

Aligning the libraries strategies goals and competencies with those of the municipality ensures that the library further meets the needs of the public in community development and helps build the library's relationships with their municipal government. Halifax Public Library recognizes the need to align goals of the library, such as teen programming, with those of the municipality, to reduce crime among teens. Oakville Public Library has also been involved in aligning their competencies with those of their municipality. Library staff have received joint competency based training alongside all other municipal employees in Oakville.

To complement the success of the competency tool, employees who attended the municipality's leadership program at the Oakville Public Library underwent a 360 evaluation method. During a 360 performance review, evaluation of an employee is provided by their peers, those they manage as well as supervisors, and in some cases customers they serve. There was some interesting discussion about this tool by delegates in the session. OPL recommends that an organization considering a similar performance evaluation be stable and there shouldn't be much staff turnover. In addition, staff should have training on the assessment prior to the review.

In order to retain talent, management needs to communicate to staff that training is available and give staff the opportunity to practice these skills in their jobs. It is exciting news that some libraries are moving in this direction. Librarians looking to move into management should ask potential employers if there is management training available and if there is room for job growth in the library system.

Changing to a competency versus skill based evaluation method can take years. Other libraries can learn from the advice, successes and setbacks that Halifax and Oakville Public Libraries have and will continue to undergo in their implementation of their competency based tools. This was a valuable session to attend at OLA. The changes implemented at the Halifax and Oakville Public Libraries can motivate other libraries to try similar endeavours. Lori, Chantal, Judith and Jeff gave us lots to think about. I thank them for sharing their experiences with other libraries, we all benefit from their learning process.