New roles and new competencies for the profession: are you ready for the next generation?

T+D, April, 2004 by Patty Davis, Jennifer Naughton, William Rothwell

This is part 2 of a three-article series.

ASTD's competency model was designed to convey what will be required for the next generation of practitioners. The new model includes the following three layers, among others:

Foundational competencies. Divided into three competency clusters--interpersonal, business/management, and personal--each cluster contains its own set of skills required for success.

Areas of expertise. AOEs, for example career planning and talent management, are the specific technical and professional skills and knowledge areas required for success and build upon the focused application of the foundational competencies.

Roles. Requiring a select group of competencies and AOEs to perform effectively, roles rely upon a vast body of underlying skills and knowledge to support their execution.

One could argue that ASTD's new competency model provides a picture of what it takes for workplace learning and performance professionals to excel and make a difference in the field.

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This is part 2 of the three-article series on the ASTD 2004 competency study, "Mapping the Future: Shaping New Workplace Learning and Performance Competencies." It contains excerpts from the final report by Bernthal, Colteryan, Davis, Naughton, Rothwell, and Wellins that will be published by ASTD Press in May 2004. Part 1, "Eight Trends You Need to Know Now," was in the January issue. Part 3, on putting the new competencies to work for you, will appear in the May issue.

SumTotal Systems (formerly Click2learn) president Kevin Oakes in his February T D column E-Learning, "A Seat at the Table," writes about how our roles as business professionals have never been more critical and that we must take action to claim that elusive seat at the leadership table. As members of the learning and performance profession, a field that proves itself through promoting learning and developing others, collectively we have the power to change and reposition ourselves. But the question is, What will it take for each of us to excel and make a difference in our field? A tough question--and one that practitioners came to ASTD for answers. The ASTD competency study, "Mapping the Future: Shaping New Workplace Learning and Performance Competencies," was conducted in part to tackle this question.

Tony Bingham, ASTD CEO and president, states that "a defined set of competencies is a hallmark of a true profession, and the practice of creating and supporting a competency model is a key role of a professional association."

The new model for this dynamic and complex profession was designed with the future in mind--to convey what will be required for the next generation of practitioners, to enable them to provide their organizations with an even higher level of value and service. It encompasses the sometimes conflicting perspectives of the pragmatic performance champions with those who have their eyes on the long-term benefits for humankind. It defines the profession in the context of its strategic contribution to performance, and tries to balance the financial and business goals of institutions with the welfare of the people who are doing the work.

The study also included a look at the context and drivers that have influenced the profession. These trends were summarized in the first article of this series, "Eight Trends You Need to Know Now" by Karen Colteryahn and Patty Davis (January T"D). A brief recap appears bottom left.

A model of value

Here are some highlights of the 2004 ASTD Competency Model.

Something in it for everyone. Just as the profession spans a range of specialties, jobs, roles, and functions, the model is intentionally broad. Professionals will find the model comprehensive enough to guide career development at different positions and levels within their organizations and across a wide spectrum of areas of expertise (specializations) and roles.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The particular blend of competencies, areas of expertise, and roles embedded into the architecture adds power and utility to the model.

It's all about us. No other profession can claim this particular model other than the workplace learning and performance profession. The model is specifically tailored to this profession.

A solid foundation. The model has been built on a solid research foundation using a data-driven approach. The model's context was validated by thousands of workplace learning and performance professionals. (See page 31.)

The value of detail. The model contains carefully worded definitions and has specific key actions and knowledge areas associated with its components. The model has depth and detail beyond what's provided in this article (full details will be in the ASTD final report to be released in May 2004).

Building blocks

Competencies encompass clusters of skills, knowledge, abilities, and behaviors required for people to succeed. In this case, it refers to success across the jobs in the workplace learning and performance field. The new workplace learning and performance competency model includes three layers: 1) foundational competencies, 2) areas of professional expertise, and 3) roles as depicted in the figures on pages 30, 32, and 34. Each layer will be addressed in turn. Foundational competencies. Foundational competencies are those competencies that are linked to successful performance in the workplace learning and performance field. Those competencies are desirable regardless of an individual's area of expertise (specialization) or role though not all workplace learning and performance practitioners will need each of them to the same extent. The model divides the foundational competencies into these clusters: Interpersonal, Business/Management, and Personal, as seen in the lower tier of the model below and on page 30.