“This program exists to create a clear
language between employers, professionals
and service providers for the sake of
candidate selection, competency
assessment and professional
development.”
Competency
System
Program Overview
Terrace Safety 2014
1
Introduction
Terrace Safety strives to fit the right health
and safety professionals to the right position
with our clients. We endeavour to facilitate a
mutualistic relationship that benefits both
the professional and the client. For the
professional; we produce a position that fits
their abilities and yet offers professional
growth. For the clients; we offer a
professional that fits the job demands, fits the
organizational culture and aids the
organization in achieving their goals.
The typical model for hiring, in any job class, is to review the professionals’ resumes, check their
references and conduct an interview. The issue with this method is that the attempt to extract
information about the individual, to predict if they will be a good fit for the position, is too unfocused.
This method is based entirely on the professionals’ past with no account for where they are now and
where they are going in the future. The typical model is based almost completely on their educational
accomplishments and their experience. A decision to hire is made with the hope that they will fit the
diverse parameters of a very specific job. This method does not achieve an optimum fit. Too often this
method fails to look at the complete picture and does not take into account crucial elements. The end
result is strained relationships, unclear expectations, a drawn out attrition as well as wasted time and
resources. While experienced recruiters and HR personnel may bring more rigour, leading to a higher
rate of success, it is typically business leaders who deal with recruiting contract professionals.
Many companies have tried to take a more comprehensive approach by role matching to professional
ability. Using competencies to take an in-depth look at individual skillsets in relation to a job is not new.
Competencies give us the ability to weigh specific elements of professional ability, allowing us to achieve
an ideal fit in which the employer and the professional benefit from a long reciprocal relationship.
These competency systems usually fall short. The complexity of a system that will allow effective
measurement of the right competencies needs to be balanced with the simplicity of a system that is
easy to use and not administratively cumbersome.
Placing professionals that we know to have professional value, only to have them fail tells us that they
may have been placed wrongly based on the job demands. At Terrace, our success is a product of our
clients’ success and our professionals’ success. We have undertaken the challenge of creating a
complete competency system that measures professionals’ competencies and allows our clients to
clearly see who they are considering for a best fit and long term success.
Consistent with our cornerstone values, we set out to develop a system that gives transparency,
solutions and addresses competence in a new way. We strive to offer simplicity on the far side of
competency complexity.
1
2
Welcome to Terrace Safety’s competency system. This program exists to create a clear language
between employers, professionals and service providers for the sake of candidate selection, competency
assessment and professional development.
Architecture
The first step in an intelligent competency system is to define the competencies that have relevance for
the job class. Generally speaking, there are three criteria for selecting valid competencies. First, the
competencies must be aligned with the skills a professional needs to ensure an organization or a
profession can achieve its goals, both short term and long term. Second, the competencies must support
all intended applications including; candidate selection, professional development, performance
management, and multisource feedback. Finally, it must be easy to use by all stakeholders.
The realization that not all competencies exist on the same level has lead us to study the difference
between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ competencies. It is common when discussing skills to refer to hard and soft.
While most people have a latent understanding of the difference, we needed to be specific to
understand how these differing types of competencies affect a professional’s in-seat achievements.
Our research has led us to the following understanding: hard skills or competencies, are the very
specific, tangible, objective, quantitative and mostly technical. For example, doing a risk assessment is a
hard competency. These hard competencies or skills represent the “what”. The soft competencies are
less tangible, harder to measure, more subjective, qualitative in nature and more universal in
application.
The soft competencies or skills represent the “how”. If doing a risk assessment relies on a hard
competency, then facilitating a risk assessment in a group relies on several softer competencies.
Listening, speaking, presenting, conflict management, strategic planning and problem solving may all
affect the success of the risk assessment facilitation for a group. In this example, the risk assessment is
the “what”. It is very tangible, measurable and specific. The “how” relies on multiple soft competencies
that are inherently more universal, more subjective and not as easy to measure. While neither hard nor
soft competencies are more important than one another, a healthy blend and cognizance of each is
imperative for a successful employer/professional relationship.
With this understanding we set out to create a formal arrangement of the specific competencies
identified as important to a health and safety professional. This is known as the Health and Safety
Professional Competency Architecture. With the hard skills in mind, we created the parent sections for
health & safety technical and industry competencies. Moving toward the slightly less quantifiable we
created parent sections for leadership and communication. On the soft side we created sections for
interpersonal and self-discipline to give us a total of six competency parent sections. Please see the
Terrace Safety - Health and Safety Professional Competency Architecture model below.
2
3
To arrive at these health and safety technical steps we extracted the competencies from the highest
level of health and safety education and designation in Canada and identified additional competencies
through a study commissioned to determine day to day responsibilities for professionals in the health
and safety industry. The Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals and curriculums from two
year certifications, three year diplomas and four year degrees available to the industry today provided
our first competency outputs representing health and safety. We discovered an essential gap from the
high level education and designation to practice in the industry, as far as critical procedures are
concerned.
Industry technical was our next step in competency architecture creation. A safety professional must
technically know not only health and safety, but the industry that they are to apply their skills in. For
the sake of this program, we based a technical industry competency on each of the areas our
professionals are hired to work in. This includes: operating facilities, general construction, geophysical,
transportation, civil earthworks, pulp & paper, rig work, aviation, offshore and camps. These are
organized by the general overview of the type of work processes that are occurring within each industry,
as well as the similarities in their nature, equipment, and organizational structures.
3
4
The next strong theme that emerges for a health and safety professional are leadership competencies.
Even at an entry level, a health and safety professional needs to be leadership minded if they are to be
successful. Although it is often not from a formal supervisory position, a health and safety professional
is more successful if they are able to lead workers, supervisors, peers and other stakeholders in the
direction of safety excellence. The measure of these competencies will help the effectiveness of health
and safety professionals, as well as provide a progression for leading a team of health and safety
professionals if they should formally achieve a leadership role.
Self-discipline is important for any type of professional. The ability to direct oneself when it comes to
issues of quality, ethics, learning and problem solving is paramount, especially for health and safety
professional. Often the difference between a successful health and safety professional and one that is
dismissed from a role have to do with these fundamental concepts.
Since health and safety success happens at an interdependent level, shared between all stakeholders,
interpersonal competencies are significant for a health and safety professional. Without the ability to
influence, have strong professional relationships, be a part of a team and behave professionally, a health
and safety professional cannot be fully successful.
Communication is the final parent section in our competency architecture. Communication
competencies are vital for health and safety professionals. Communication covers: listening, writing,
speaking, information technology and presenting. All of these competencies rise high in the list of vital
skills for health and safety professionals.
In order to determine how an individual develops each of these skills, we turned to Howard Gardener’s
theory of multiple intelligences. The theory of multiple intelligences subdivides intelligence into specific,
primarily sensory "modalities", rather than seeing intelligence as dominated by a single general ability.
In his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner articulated seven criteria for a
behavior to be considered an intelligence. To qualify as an intelligence, an ability must have: potential
for neurological isolation, an evolutionary role, presence of core operations, susceptibility to encoding
through symbolic expression, a distinct developmental progression, evidence of savants (otherwise
average individuals who excel in the ability), and support from psychometric measurements.
Gardner identified eight abilities that he held up to these criteria: visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic,
logical–mathematical, bodily–kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and musical–
rhythmic. Although the distinction between intelligences has been set out in great detail, Gardner
opposes the idea of labeling learners to a specific intelligence. Each individual possesses a unique blend
of all of the types of intelligence. Gardner firmly maintains that his theory of multiple intelligences
should "empower learners", not restrict them to one modality of learning.
4
5
The theory of multiple intelligences
gives us a good benchmark to
ensure that our competency parent
sections are holistic and not
incomplete for our objectives. It
also serves to reinforce that leaners
and professionals should not focus
on a single aspect of knowledge, but
are better to focus on a blend of
distinct types of
intelligence/competence. This
model gives a perspective of the
eight types of intelligence relative
to the competency parent sections
we have arrived at. Additionally, we
have plotted a hard to soft scale to
demonstrate the objective nature of
the differing types.
Type of assessment
When it comes to competencies there is no one correct way for measuring. There are several tools
available that can contribute, but each by itself is limited. The best way to overcome the problems
associated with each type of assessment strategies is to use as many high quality techniques as is
possible. More data will increase our ability to accurately assess the extent to which professionals can
exhibit the required skills or competence. With more information we are better able to make an
appropriate decision about how to progress. When we add more assessment inputs from the
professional, we gain more competency outputs for a more reliable overall measurement.
Three main types of assessment strategies that are commonly used to make decisions about
achievement in competency are performance, knowledge and achievement.
We weighed many different assessment techniques and choose the following four for a well-rounded
approach to testing competencies; Educational Accomplishment, Experiential Background, Tested
Understanding and Multisource Feedback.
Educational Accomplishment
Consideration of formal educational accomplishment is a prevailing method for gaining insight into an
individual’s abilities. Formal education largely proves that the professional has been exposed to the
5
6
subject matter in a structured format, has been tested on knowledge and shows a general interest in the
subject matter. Using education as a sole method for competence assessment leaves gaps such as;
knowledge erosion over time, differing standards for learning outcomes at different educational
institutions and a potential lack of application where new practitioners are concerned. Each
professional will have his or her formal, completed educational achievements assessed for specific
learning outcomes as they relate to the recognized competencies in the Health and Safety Competency
Architecture. As there are many distinct learning programs, each program is independently assessed by
subject matter experts based on the curriculum, and achievement levels are awarded at the determined
milestones.
Experiential Background
There are few formal studies of the impact of experience on competence. In some organizations these
terms are used interchangeably. Most people would believe there is a strong correlation. Simply put;
the more one practices a skill the more competent they should become. In our industry there are a
plethora of professionals who have many years of experience, but lack education in health and safety.
Experience can be a double-edged sword; it is easy to practice something wrong, reinforcing the
erroneous method over time. Competency based measurement of experiential background can help
with this as it allows a deeper look at the application of each competency. In most cases, a good
description of a competency for measurement will separate out the professionals who are truly
competent by demonstrating the full-scope of the skill. As with all assessment methods, the technical,
quantitative competencies are easier to measure. Within the competency architecture professionals are
measured based on their direct experience in the application of each of the technical competencies.
For the less tangible, more qualitative, competencies we have added a version of experiential testing in
which the participant answers questions about how they would react or have reacted to certain
situations. In this environment, individuals will be rated using a Behavioral Anchored Rating Scale
(BARS). BARS is used to break down qualitative traits into a series of sub-traits that are more easily
quantifiable. As a result, we are able to assign a score to traits that are typically more subjective.
Individuals are asked to indicate where, on a continuum, they have historically landed between two
opposing situations. The experiential questionnaire uses what statisticians and programmers refer to as
an ‘onto’ or ‘many-to-many’ relationship. A single question may provide data outputs for many
competencies. Similarly, a single competency will be informed by many questions. The responses of
these individuals will be rated to determine how an individual’s past history has led them to focus on the
development of particular competencies.
Tested Understanding
Testing a professional’s understanding of competencies is a meaningful assessment technique. Meeting
with the professionals to test their understanding of each competency in the architecture provides
detailed information about the level to which they understand it. This is the most significant method we
utilize and it provides the advantages of real-time assessment, meaning that attrition of information is
identified. When it comes to the qualitative side, the testing environment is beneficial for extracting
more precise measurements. There is a strong parallel to the standard interview in this method, the
difference lies with the format of the testing and the structure of the process. Since each competency is
tested in a focussed and independent manner, there is no chance of missing important opportunities.
6
7
The behavioural anchored rating scale (BARS) is utilized in this methods as well, breaking down
qualitative traits into a series of sub-traits that are more easily quantifiable. The disadvantages in this
method are that more academic applicants, who many possess excellent knowledge but cannot yet
apply their skills will score higher than their level of practical competence.
We understand that the examination and competency architecture will be constantly evolving to best
meet industry need. In order to stay up to date on the statistical averages of industry understanding and
new information about competencies, records of each administered test may be reviewed by subject
matter experts in order to determine whether interviewee answers can contribute to a more complete
definition of each competency.
Multisource Feedback
Feedback is a significant competency assessment method and it provides benefits that extend beyond
just measuring ability. Feedback should be based on facts, on specific behaviors, and on direct
observations. By using objective or quantitative measures wherever possible, you give your
professionals useful information that can serve as a basis for behavior change. Several types of
performance feedback evaluations exist, including 360-degree feedback, management by objectives
and, ratings scale evaluations. Regardless of the type of performance evaluation system used,
supervisors and peers perform evaluations to benefit the professional and the employer. Implementing
performance evaluations offer advantages and disadvantages. Organizations who recognize the
disadvantages can make the necessary adjustments to receive the full benefits of implementing
performance evaluations.
Regular feedback sessions have three basic benefits. First, they tell professionals how they are doing on
the job and how their peers and supervisors perceive them. People often have false or distorted
perceptions of their own work behaviors. Clear, objective feedback can clear up any misunderstandings
about what you expect from the professional and gives the professional a chance to ask questions.
Second, the assessment process increases professionals’ productivity by reporting how well they are
performing to standards. Good performance is reinforced. By explicitly pointing out any performance
slippage, the professional will have an opportunity to take corrective action. Last, continual performance
assessment gives you an information base for competency-based management and helps management
decisions regarding; advancements, transfers, training, special assignments, or termination. In addition,
it could help you determine that a professional would be more valuable to the organization if he/she
received some specific training. One limitation of performance feedback is that there is potential for a
supervisor to subconsciously favor employees that possess similar characteristics as the manager. This
evaluator bias causes managers to focus more on the personality and style of the employee rather than
the actual achievements. Another disadvantage of performance evaluations is that the meeting can
result in a one-sided conversation. Knowing these limitations allows us to implement system changes to
try to limit them. Using multiple sources for feedback provides better reliability overall. Framing the
message around the importance of honest and unbiased feedback often helps to deal with the
disadvantages of the feedback method.
7
8
Feedback is more than
just an assessment
method, while it supports
our efforts in gaining
valuable insight into a
professional’s
competencies, it also
allows the professional to
self-manage by providing
information about their
value. It clarifies role
responsibility, identifies
training options and
points to development
opportunities. At the
same time, it gives
supervisors and peers the
ability to help the
professional understand
their behaviour, strengths
and opportunities.
Finally, multisource
feedback facilitates an
open culture of
communication. This
process can be very
motivating and enriching
for a team.
Levels of achievement
Competency systems typically include incremental competency proficiency scales as part of the overall
competency structure. These scales reflect the amount of proficiency required by the organization or
profession within a competency area. For example, communication skills may be a requirement for most
entry-level jobs as well as at the executive levels; however, the amount of communication proficiency
needed at these two levels may be quite different. Incremental proficiency scales with consistent
outputs serve two purposes. First, they facilitate planning and development for improvement within
current roles or jobs. Second, they allow for comparisons to occur across jobs, roles, levels and between
competing candidates. This is not only in terms of the competencies required, but also the proficiency
levels needed. Thus, having competency proficiency scales supports career development, succession
management and human resource planning activities within the organization.
8
9
General competencies levels are most often expressed as incremental competency proficiency scales –
in other words, proficiency at a level can only be achieved through proficiency at all levels below that
level.
To develop our system, we utilized Bloom’s taxonomy as it relates to the objectives and foundation. We
then adapted Bloom’s taxonomy to the Biggs & Collis: Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO)
for the sake of effective and consistent measurement of learning outcomes. These outcomes are relative
to what a professional will know at each of the corresponding five levels.
Bloom's taxonomy is a way of distinguishing questions within education. It is named for Benjamin
Bloom, who chaired the committee of educators that devised the taxonomy, and who also edited the
first volume of the standard text, Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational
Goals.
Bloom's taxonomy refers to a classification of the different learning objectives that educators set for
students. It divides educational objectives into three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.
These are sometimes described as knowing (head), feeling (heart) and doing (hands) respectively.
Within the domains, learning at the higher levels is dependent on having attained prerequisite
knowledge and skills at lower levels. A goal of Bloom's taxonomy is to motivate educators to focus on all
three domains, creating a more holistic form of education. Bloom's taxonomy is considered to be a
foundational and an essential element within the education community.
John B. Biggs, is an educational psychologist who, along with Kevin Collis, developed the SOLO
Taxonomy for assessing the quality of learning outcomes. They created the model of constructive
alignment for designing teaching and assessment. Biggs has held university faculty positions
in Australia, Canada, UK, and Hong Kong. His most influential work is his concept of constructive
alignment, which is an outcomes-based framework for teaching as described in Teaching for Quality
Learning at University, now in its fourth edition. Changing Universities (2013) is an academic memoir
covering nearly 60 years of involvement with universities in several countries, and in that time
universities themselves have changed drastically.
The Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy is a model that describes levels of
increasing complexity in student's understanding of subjects. The model consists of 5 levels of
understanding
•
•
•
•
•
Pre-structural - The task is not undertaken with the appropriate knowledge; the student has not
really understood the concept. The action an individual will take at this level is to learn.
Uni-structural - The student's response only focuses on one relevant aspect. The corresponding
action taken through Bloom’s Taxonomy is remembering information.
Multi-structural - The student's response focuses on several relevant aspects but they are treated
independently and additively. Assessment of this level is primarily quantitative. An individual begins
to understand and apply knowledge.
Relational - The different aspects have become integrated into a coherent whole. At this level an
individual begins to evaluate and analyze information and “systems” thinking is possible.
Extended abstract - The previous integrated whole may be conceptualised at a higher level of
abstraction and generalised to a new topic or area. This is the level corresponding to the ability to
create in Bloom’s model.
The model below plots Bloom’s taxonomy to Bigg’s SOLO taxonomy, showing how the levels correspond
to one another.
9
10
The following recommendations exist for selecting health and safety professionals for differing position
levels relative to competency levels. At a pre-structural level, hiring is not advised except in the
instances of students or internships. This is due to the limited value to the employer. At a uni-structural
level, the professional is best suited for an entry level position as a support to a larger team. This can
add efficiency to the team as less competent staff can complete simpler job tasks while saving the
employer money and allowing the professional to develop competence. At a multi-structural level
professionals are best suited to work as a part of a team, likely at an advisor level, but not as a lead. At a
relational level, a systems approach becomes possible and professionals may be suited to lead a small
team. At an extended abstract level, the professional may be able to lead a larger team or multiple
teams. For each of these suggestions, an account of the specific competencies at the specific levels is
required. Having a high level of competence in a particular area does not however, mean that the
individual has the other necessary competencies to be a formal leader. A more specific of each
competency would be required to develop a full picture.
It is theorized, by our project team, that a distribution across the competency proficiency levels will be
consistent and easily analyzed. Generally speaking, the expected industry average and mode of any
competency will be the third level of achievement, as described above. Each individual competency, and
by extension competency sets will follow a normal distribution.
10
11
Competency proficiency levels provide a scale that we can use to measure one’s ability to demonstrate a
competency on the job. For a competency system to work effectively, there must be a recognition of
levels of achievement.
Scoring
A competency score is a piece of numeric data that conveys the proficiency level of a professional,
making use of all of the competency assessment techniques, and relative to each distinct tested
competency. In greater detail, it is defined as; the cumulative summary of the evidence contained in a
professional's responses to the various assessment methods, related to the competencies as identified
in the architecture within this competency system. It is imperative that the scoring mechanism be
consistent and accurately reflect each of the domains that are being measured.
Assessment scores are considered using a criterion-referenced interpretation. This means that the score
conveys information about the examinee with regards to a specific competency subject matter,
regardless of other examinees' scores.
There are typically two types of test scores: raw scores and scaled scores. A raw score is a score without
any sort of adjustment or transformation, such as the simple number of questions answered correctly. A
scaled score is the results of some transformation applied to the raw score. The purpose of scaled scores
is to report scores for all examinees on a consistent scale. For our purposes, we use scaled scores to
provide a consistent benchmark that allows us to meet our objectives of comparison and development.
These scaled scores were selected to standardize the data between assessments to allow for an equal
weighting by each method of assessment. The expected distribution will have a mean and variance
deviation of 3 and .5 respectively. As a result, approximately 65% of professionals will fall into the level
three proficiency level. 15% of the population will fall into the level two, similarly for level four. Finally
levels one and five will account for 2.5% of the population each.
Note that scaling does not affect the psychometric properties of an assessment, it is something that
occurs after the assessment process and equating is completed. Therefore, it does not affect
psychometrics, per se, but simply offers a mechanism of interpretability, again, to support overarching
objectives.
Educational Scoring
Completed educational achievements are assessed for direct learning outcome as they relate to the
recognized competencies in the competency architecture. As there are many different and distinct
learning programs, each program is independently assessed by subject matter experts based on the
curriculum, depth, and length. Achievement levels are awarded at the determined levels. There are no
‘givens’ or ‘blankets’ when it comes to educational achievement for competency sections. Even a
strongly related educational program, such as an occupational health and safety two year certificate
assessed against the health and safety technical competency parent section does not necessarily
attribute the same level of competent understanding to all the HS technical competencies. Each
competency is addressed independently.
Although overly simplified, the following gives an idea as to what level of educational accomplishment
equals each level of competent understanding. A level one represents no formal education, level two
11
12
represents workshop level education, level three represents education programs up to 2 years, level
four represents educational programs up to 4 years and the final level, 5, represents educational
achievements beyond 4 years including top-level designations that have similar prerequisites.
For competing educational accomplishments that have an overlap in competency output; the higher of
the two values is utilized for final scoring.
Experiential Scoring
Health and safety professionals are measured based on their direct experience in the application of each
of the hard quantitative competencies in the competency architecture. For any such competencies a
score will be awarded based on the number of years or number of units in which past work experience
was directly related to the use of the competency (whichever suits the competency best). In order to
measure the experience of soft qualitative competencies, individuals are asked to indicate where, on a
continuum, they have historically landed between two opposing situations when given general
scenarios. In these general scenarios, a 40 point scale is utilized. The best answer has been set at the
specific point on the continuum that best represents the desired competency output as determined by
subject matter experts and previous statistical analysis. The score proportionately diminishes as the
professional moves away from the desired area and toward either pole. The range in which an individual
will receive a score is proportionate in size to the expected population distribution as described above.
The best answer, obviously, is hidden from the professional. For the sake of measuring experiential
background for competency output, the newest data available will form the basis of the final scoring.
This suggests that an individual will not lose experience over time and there is no use for noncurrent
experiential-competency data.
Understanding Scoring
The Tested Understanding Assessment will evaluate along the lines of each individual competency. The
understanding examination utilizes the BARS method described above to break down competencies into
their individual components, and then gives ratings based on the understanding as described in the
SOLO taxonomy. Interview questions are administered in the following format, where X is the individual
competency:
•
•
•
•
“Can you explain X?” (level 1 pre-structural or 2 uni-structural)
“What are the components or element of X?” (level 3 multi-structural)
“How do these elements of X relate to or affect each other?” (level 4 relational)
“What is the evolution, next trend, or how do you solve the potential issues with X?” (level 5
extended abstract)
In order to achieve a level three score in the understanding assessment, a quorum of the potential
elements must be identified by the professional. This is comprised of at least 51% of the potential
attributes possible. To qualify for a level four testing, at least 75% of the elements must be identified in
level three. To achieve a level four score in the understanding assessment at least 51% of the potential
relationships must be identified by the professional. Again, 75% of the relationship are necessary to
achieve testing at a level five. For level five testing and recognition, we utilize a behavioural descriptive
interview (BDI) technique where we look their ability to articulate the evolution, new ideas, issues with
or solutions for the topic or competency in question. Although there is no formal minimum or
12
13
maximum at this level, the system does contain a repository of evolution, trends, and issues/solutions
for help in scoring each topic at the fifth level.
In order to stay up to date on the statistical levels of industry understanding, and new information about
competencies, records of each interview may be reviewed by subject matter experts in order to
determine whether interviewee answers can contribute to a more complete definition of each
competency at any level. In such a way, the understanding examination will be constantly evolving to
best meet industry need.
In order to achieve consistency and provide the ability to interpret differing terminology, a subject
matter expert is required to deliver this assessment. Moreover, for Terrace, the assessor must be
cultivated and developed by the original assessment group. This includes; first being present for several
assessments, then leading assessments with supervision and finally facilitating the assessment
independently. This will help to ensure extreme consistency among assessed individuals in support of
our objectives.
Feedback Scoring
For multisource feedback, the professional is obligated to select at least three feedback participants per
cycle. These participants are chosen based on proximity to the professional for a real account of their
professional behaviour and expertise in action. Once the participants are chosen, they are asked to
complete a perception survey and provide feedback on a five point scale relative to each competency.
The scale offers ‘beginner’ on one extreme and ‘expert’ on the other for simple and easy information
gathering. The numeric outputs are collected and averaged together for a single feedback output per
competency for each professional. This average is forwarded for final scoring with the other assessment
techniques. Additionally, the perception feedback survey gives the opportunity to include general
comments. While these general comments provide important information for the professional, they are
not scored numerically for competency level awards. Because professional feedback is the most
subjective assessment method, multiple sources are required to increase the reliability and accurateness
of how the professional is perceived at work.
13
14
Final Soring
Final competency
scores are comprised
of data that has been
averaged from each
assessment
technique. A simple
average with equal
weighting suggests
each assessment
technique offers its
own strengths and no
one method is more
significant than
another. An overall
average for each
parent section is
given from the
average of each
competency within
the group. While we
will always suggest a
deeper review, the
parent section
averages are valuable
for statistical reasons
as well as quick
comparisons or cursory reviews. Please review the above model for an illustrated view of final
competency scoring.
14
15
Competency Report Cards
Report cards are provided for each assessed individual initially after two assessments are completed and
then updated as the individual completes
each other assessment. A competency
report card provides a simple view of the
blended averages between assessment
methods for each competency and parent
group. These report cards aid in candidate
selection, personal development and
career progression.
Professional Development
Professional development refers to the acquisition of skills and knowledge, both for personal
development and for career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of
facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees and formal coursework to conferences
and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It is intensive and collaborative, ideally
incorporating an evaluative stage. Professional development is a broad term encompassing a range of
professions, advantages and approaches. Those who engage in in professional development share a
common purpose of enhancing their ability to do work. At the heart of professional development is the
individual’s lifelong learning and desire to increase their own skills and knowledge.
Professional development is the process of improving and increasing capabilities through access to
education, training, mentors, and other tools. Professional development is aided by competency based
management through allowing clear objectives regarding where a professional has opportunities to
develop further.
15
16
To steer our professionals to
competency-grounded
development that is aligned
with their career ambitions
and informed by opportunities
realized through the
competency assessment
techniques, we employ a
three step process. First, a
directed visualization of
where the professional wants
to take their career in the
short and long term future.
Starting with the end in mind
allows planning the most
direct route. Second, we
utilize competency
assessment data to take stock
of the most significant
opportunities to address low
competencies relative to
where the professional wants
to be. Finally, we make a plan
based on specific development options aligned with specific competency targets and help the
professional make a SMART plan (specific, measurable, accountable, realistic, and time-bound).
Professional Development Advantages
Continuing professional development is important because it ensures professionals continue to be
competent in their profession. It is an ongoing process throughout a professional’s career. Well-crafted
and continuing professional development is important because it delivers benefits to the individual,
their profession and the employer. Professional development is the personal responsibility of
individuals. They should see the importance of keeping their knowledge and skills current so that they
can deliver the high quality of service that safeguards the public and meets the expectations of clients
and the requirements of their profession. According to HR Executive Magazine; 57% of organizations use
training and development to boost employee retention. Some of the significant benefits of professional
development include:
•
•
Retention: Professionals develop loyalty to their practice through professional development.
They benefit from personal and professional growth and do not feel their career has stalled
out. Employers who support professional development share in the loyalty.
Team Morale: An open culture that encourages learning and fosters education creates a
positive, motivated, and committed workforce.
16
17
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Practice Efficiency: Through professional development, health and safety professionals are
able to stay abreast of new trends and developments that enhance practice efficiency. The
stability and tenure that result from low staff turnover also contribute to efficiency.
Job Competency: Professionals who have received job-specific training or other development
are more productive and confident. Health and Safety professionals need ongoing education
to stay current regarding the constantly changing aspects of HS practice.
Client Satisfaction: Development affects the employer, who benefits from enhancement of
professional practice. Increased skills, positive attitude, and efficiency all increase the value
to the employer.
Succession: Professional development can aid in succession management by ensuring you
have the right talent available when changes occur in the organization.
Practice Evolution: Development helps to continue to make meaningful contributions to the
team and help to advance the body of knowledge and technology within the profession.
New Opportunities: Focused professional development opens professionals up to new
possibilities, new knowledge and new skill areas.
Improved Protection: In the case of health and safety professional development, improved
protection, quality of life and the environment all benefit.
Industry Confidence: Development leads to increased confidence in individual professionals and
their profession as a whole.
Professionalism: Professional development can deliver a deeper understanding of what it
means to be a professional, along with a greater appreciation of the implications and impacts
of your work.
Keep Pace: Professionals are more aware of changing trends and directions in their
profession. The pace of change is faster than it’s ever been. Professionals who don’t develop
will get left behind.
Approaches
Professional development may include formal types of vocational education (typically post-secondary or
poly-technical training) or informal types of development (such as self-study or book clubs). Professional
development may also come in the form of pre-service or in-service professional development
programs. Professional development may develop or enhance quantitative or qualitative skills relative
to any profession.
There are a variety of approaches to professional development and opportunities can range from a
single workshop to a semester long academic course. It can include services offered by a medley of
professional development providers and varies widely in philosophy, content and format of the learning
experiences. Some examples of approaches to professional development include:
•
Journal Clubs: A professional development option that incurs no cost is a journal club, which
can include both books and articles. Professionals are encouraged to include publications both
inside and outside of the health and safety industry, noting that publications like the OHS
Canada magazine and Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine can offer provocative
topics for discussion. Examples of influential books are 7 habits of highly effective people and
17
18
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Power of Habit both of which deal with qualitative skills related to health and safety. A
club can assign specific chapters or articles and meet for discussion.
Vendor-sponsored Education: Sometimes vendors offer workshops on relevant topics in
addition to their product-related training sessions. For example, fire retardant PPE suppliers,
gas monitor and fire safety equipment vendors often have informal training about their
products. This training can include their innovations or products.
In-house Education: Often employers will facilitate in-house training programs that they
deem important to staff. Programs like “Crucial Conversations” can offer great development
options for specific competency enhancement.
Coaching & Mentoring: Professionals may have the opportunity to engage formally or
informally with a mentor to enhance their competencies in a specific skill area. This process of
observation, reflection, and discussion can be invaluable. A novice safety professional may seek
a formal mentor that they can always access for a wide variety of situations.
Self- Study: Self-study refers to the process of independently seeking options for a deeper
understanding or skill related to the target competency area. This may include other options for
development but is characterized by the independent nature of the development.
Online Development: In recent years a large amount of online resources have surfaced that
may aid in professional development. This can include anything from formal programs for
education to simply researching a topic for better understanding.
Professional Associations: Professional associations can deliver a deeper understanding of
relevant topics by connecting you with other professionals, publications, workshops or
seminars and new ideas. Since these associations are primarily built by likeminded
professionals they provide excellent professional connectivity.
Formal Education:
Formal education
refers educational
programs that
are delivered by
trained teachers in a
systematic
intentional way
within schools,
academies, colleges,
institutes or
universities.
Workshops &
Seminars:
Workshops and
seminars are
generally a
gathering, either at
an academic
institution or
offered by a
commercial or
18
19
•
•
professional organization. They are put together with the goal of bringing together small
groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on a particular subject, in which everyone
present is requested to actively participate.
Professional Designations: In pursuing specific professional designations many prerequisites and specific learning activities are necessary to meet the designations
requirements. The organized nature of this pursuit leads to development as well as
connecting with other professionals.
Value-added Work Assignments: Through completing specific, value-added work
assignments, professionals are given the opportunity to practice new skills and abilities in
order to reinforce them. This option has the potential to create value for the employer and
the team as well.
Systemized Competencies
While this document primarily deals with the underlying concepts, theories and principals for a
sophisticated competency management system for health and safety professionals, the following
section will explain how Terrace Safety will use this program to support our professionals and our
clients. Additionally, it will suggest how stakeholders can become involved.
Systemized
Terrace Safety has developed this program and created a web-based application for effective,
systemized usage. The system automates many functions, keeps valuable data safe and organized and
provides a simple dashboard view for professionals. The principals, theories and concepts have been
programmed into the system so they do not need to be manually applied.
Evolving
The system framework is built to evolve. On the administrative side, competencies can be added or
deleted within the architecture to reflect the changes in the profession and related industries.
Competencies can be split or combined to give a more or less specific focus. Within the assessment
framework, new educational programs can be loaded with competency outputs and new experiential
elements can be added. Additionally, the tested understanding will evolve to meet industry needs. The
feedback survey can also be continually modified for a better capture of information. All of the
competency value outputs from any assessment methods can, and will, evolve over time to reflect
changing circumstances. Any changes to the program will be available for review by its stakeholders. In
such a way, the program can be held accountable and arrive at its’ best form through valuable
stakeholder collaboration.
Stakeholders
19
20
The three primary stakeholder groups for this system are Terrace Safety, our professionals and our
clients. Terrace’s objective is to create a system that aligns with our cornerstone values by giving
transparency, solutions and addressing competence in a new, simple way. While we hold the program
framework, our professionals are responsible to participate in the program, complete the assessments
and drive their professional development. We strive to ensure our clients are active participants and
able to steer the specific development that will bring value to their organization. Our clients are
welcome to participate on many levels both with respect to the program and the professionals they
hire. Our ability to communicate in terms of best fit, using competency report cards is unmatched. We
hope our clients will find value in the transparent, solutions oriented, approach we offer.
Usage
Professionals will create a profile with a user name and password. They have two 15 minute surveys to
complete regarding their educational accomplishments and experiential background. Once complete,
the first competency report card becomes available to them. At this point, the final two assessment
methods become available to the professional. Tested understanding is administered in person, by a
subject matter expert and takes approximately three hours to complete. The assessment administrator,
records the responses within the system and this immediately affects the professionals’ competency
score and report card. At any point, the professional can add feedback participants who are
automatically emailed a perception survey to provide valuable competency-based feedback. The
feedback information is fed directly back to the system and affects the competency score as soon as it is
completed. The scoring algorithms are automated and produce real-time results to the professional
through the report card.
Talent Management
Terrace provides talent management for our professionals. We seek to meet each of them to create
specific and tangible development plans that will help steer them toward their career ambitions. The
competency system helps to maintain focus in the areas required to realize these goals. Despite all the
concepts, principles and background calculations, this system provides an extremely clear and easy to
use interface.
Program Cycle
The suggested cycle of this program closely follows the business paradigm of planning, performing,
measuring and improving (PPMI). Using this model we can: plan development objectives, perform
development activities, measure competency output and improve competency. While our approach
starts at the measurement phase with the various competency assessments, it then shifts though each
aspect in of the PPMI cycle before returning to measurement.
It is recommended that new professional’s immediately complete their educational and experiential
surveys to obtain their first reports card. For Terrace professionals, the understanding test will be
completed within the first 60 days of employment. During this time the feedback assessment should be
performed giving the complete competency picture. A development plan is started by the professional
and then Terrace’s Talent manager will meet with the professional to ensure they have the direction,
resources and connections they require to achieve their professional development goals.
External Professionals
20
21
Professionals that do not work for Terrace safety are welcome to use our web-based competency
system to affect their development through accurate competency assessment and targeted
development objectives. While our ability to offer a hands-on approach to their assessment and
development is limited in this case, there is still significant value for external professionals.
Data Usage
Other options for the use of aggregate data relative to health and safety professional competencies are
apparent. For example in a team environment; a supervisor or manager may collect the competency
reports cards of all staff members for a macro view of the teams’ competency overlaps and gaps. This
will help the effectiveness of the team by allowing the manager to make strategic decisions about
development, new candidate selection, over-staffing, and other fundamentals of effective team
planning.
Future Data Usage
As this is a new system, all we can do is speculate about future data usages on large and small scales.
Given the current levels of participation in the system for competency scoring and competency data
gathering, it will not be long before this accumulated information will help inform how the profession of
health and safety is equipped to handle job demands now and in the future. Large scale, industry gaps
in health and safety competencies as well as overlaps may become apparent. There may be many
opportunities to dive deeper into individual competencies for the sake of understanding trends,
evolutions, issues and strengths across health and safety in differing industries. Another interesting
result may be an individual account of personal health and safety competency scores compared to
industry averages, percentiles and other statistically significant facets. We are excited to start learning
and sharing what we can.
Summary of program
Historically competency based approaches within organizations have been too hard to manage due to
the amount of information across all pertinent competencies at differing levels that are spread between
entire teams of individuals. Considering all the different assessment techniques, testing practices and
data outputs, it can become overwhelming very quickly. In recent years, the use of computers and
specialized software programs have paved the way for effective competency based management. This
technological advancement combined with our mission to achieve the ‘right fit’, put Terrace in the
position to create an efficient but comprehensive competency based system to achieve our objectives.
We aligned this system with our cornerstone values of being transparently organized, offering solutions
and leading competence.
21
22
This system seamlessly connects the competency
architecture to the four assessment techniques,
each adding value, while addressing levels of
proficiency. It provides scoring algorithms for
consistent measurement and leads professionals
to an honest self-account as well as further
development. It offers employers transparency
regarding the abilities of the professionals they
hire and gives them opportunity to ensure they
have the right fit now and in the future. This
competency system improves on the existing HR
practice of reviewing an individuals’ past only. It
delivers a view of their past via resume, present via competency reports and future via development
plans creating a more holistic and complete approach to candidate selection and development.
This program exists to create a clear language between employers, professionals and service providers
for the sake of candidate selection, competency assessment, and professional development. Terrace
seeks to establish itself as the top choice in contract health and safety professional placement.
22
23
References
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., & Bloom, B. S. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and
assessing: a revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives (Complete ed.). New York:
Longman.
BCIT. (n.d.). :: Occupational Health and Safety: Full-time, Diploma. Retrieved May 24, 2012, from
http://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/6850diplt
Biggs, J. B., & Collis, K. F. (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: the SOLO taxonomy (structure of the
observed learning outcome). New York: Academic Press.
Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives; the classification of educational goals. New
York: Longmans, Green.
Bryman, A. (2006). Integrating Quantitative And Qualitative Research: How Is It Done? Qualitative
Research, 6(1), 97-113.
Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) ® Examination Candidate Handbook. (2014).
Mississauga, ON: Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professional.
Competency Based HR Management. (2014). St. Augustine, Trinidad: Human Resources Safety Group.
Dubois, D. D. (2004). Competency-based human resource management. Palo Alto, Calif.: Davies-Black
Pub.
Faculty of Extension. (n.d.). Occupational Health & Safety. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from
http://www.extension.ualberta.ca/study/sciences/ohs/
Freedman, D. (2005). Statistical models: theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
23
24
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: the theory in practice. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Gesme, D. H., Towle, E. L., & Wiseman, M. (2010). Essentials of Staff Development and Why You Should
Care. Journal of Oncology Practice, 6(2), 104-106.
Haertel, E. (1985). Construct validity and criterion-referenced testing. Review of Educational Research,
55(1), 23–46.
Health, Safety and Environment Certificate. (n.d.). Health, Safety and Environment Certificate. Retrieved
May 22, 2012, from
http://conted.ucalgary.ca/public/category/courseCategoryCertificateProfile.do?method=load&
certificateId=1706235
Johnson, R. A., & Wichern, D. W. (1982). Applied multivariate statistical analysis. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:
Prentice-Hall.
Kochanski, J. T., & Ruse, D. H. (1996). Designing a competency-based human resources organization.
Human Resource Management, 35(1), 19-33.
Krueger, A., & Rouse, C. (1998). The Effect of Workplace Education on Earnings, Turnover, and Job
Performance. Journal of Labor Economics, 16(1), 61-94.
Macan, T. (2009). The Employment Interview: A Review of Current Studies and Directions for Future
Research. Human Resource Management Review, 19(3), 203-218.
Mcdaniel, M. A., Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1988). Job experience correlates of job performance.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 73(2), 327-330.
Mitrani, A., Dalziel, M. M., & Fitt, D. (1992). Competency based human resource management: valuedriven strategies for recruitment, development and reward. London: Kogan Page.
Motowidlo, S. J., Carter, G. W., Dunnette, M. D., Tippins, N., & al. (1992). Studies of the Structured
Behavioral Interview. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(5), 571-587.
24
25
Occupational Health and Safety. (n.d.). NAIT. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from
http://www.nait.ca/program_home_77328.htm
Occupational Health and Safety. (n.d.). Ryerson University: The Chang School (2013–2014):
Occupational Health and Safety. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://ceonline.ryerson.ca/ce/default.aspx?id=2121
Odiorne, G. S. (1965). Management by objectives; a system of managerial leadership. New York: Pitman
Pub. Corp.
Online Diploma in Safety, Health, and Environmental Management (SHEM). (n.d.). University of
Fredericton: SHEM. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from
http://www.ufred.ca/w_certificate_in_health_safety_and_environmental_processes.aspx
Parks, R. B. (1984). Linking Objective and Subjective Measures of Performance. Public Administration
Review, 44(2), 118.
Rausch, E., Sherman, H., & Washbush, J. B. (2002). Defining and assessing competencies for
competency-based, outcome-focused management development. Journal of Management
Development, 21(3), 184-200.
Schmidt, F. L., Hunter, J. E., & Outerbridge, A. N. (1986). Impact of job experience and ability on job
knowledge, work sample performance, and supervisory ratings of job performance. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 71(3), 432-439.
Schmidt, F. L., Hunter, J. E., Outerbridge, A. N., & Goff, S. (1988). Joint relation of experience and ability
with job performance: Test of three hypotheses. Journal of Applied Psychology, 73(1), 46-57.
Schwab, D. P., Heneman, H., & Decotiis, T. A. (1975). Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales: A Review of
the Literature. Academy of Management Proceedings, 8(1), 222-224.
25
26
Schwind, H. F. (1978). An Alternative to Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales: The Behavior Description
Index. Academy of Management Proceedings, 8(1), 38-42.
Shippmann, J. S., Prien, E. P., Pearlman, K., Kehoe, J., Hesketh, B., Eyde, L. D., et al. (2000). The Practice
of Competency Modeling. Personnel Psychology, 53(3), 703-740.
Smither, J. W., London, M., & Reilly, R. R. (2005). Does Performance Improve Following Multisource
Feedback? A Theoretical Model, Meta-Analysis, and Review of Empirical Findings. Personnel
Psychology, 58(1), 33-66.
University of New Brunswick Occupational Health and Safety Programs. (n.d.). UNB Online. Retrieved
May 27, 2012, from http://www.unb.ca/cel/online/courses-programs/healthsafety/index.html
26