Appendix VI: Behavioral Competencies
Companies interested in stimulating learning and growth among employees will be interested in this list of behavioral competencies for employees and managers.
For Employees
Communicates Effectively
- Listens to others in a patient, empathetic, and nonjudgmental way; acknowledges their ideas in a respectful manner; questions appropriately.
- Is straightforward and direct; behavior is consistent with words.
- Discusses concerns and conflict directly and constructively.
- Communicates in a timely fashion.
Promotes Teamwork
- Networks with other employees within and outside of one’s area; makes internal referrals to connect people with each other.
- Readily volunteers to be on teams.
- Is a participating and equal partner on teams; has the same purpose as the team; encourages cohesion and trust.
- Is receptive to and solicits other team member’s advice and ideas.
- Keeps supervisor/team informed of status of work so that surprises are minimized.
- Verbally and nonverbally supports established decisions and actions; represents the collective stance.
Presents Effectively
- Understands the makeup of the audience and is sensitive to their values, backgrounds, and needs.
- Presents ideas clearly so that others can easily understand their meaning.
- Delivers presentations with the appropriate level of expression and confidence.
- Incorporates humor when appropriate and in good taste.
Makes Sound Decisions
- Knows when a decision is necessary and makes decisions in a timely manner.
- Connects decisions to strategic plans; separates essential from nonessential information considering all logical alternatives when generating conclusions.
- Seeks and considers input from others who are close to the situation before establishing a course of action.
- Considers the relevance and impact of decisions on others prior to making decisions.
Uses Resources Wisely
- Considers need and cost prior to making resource-related requests and decisions.
- Makes maximum use of available resources through the efficient and creative use of people, time, material, and equipment.
- Reduces waste, reuses materials, and recycles appropriate materials.
- Functions within the budget.
Takes Initiative and Accepts Accountability
- Is proactive; plans ahead; sees things that need to be done and accomplishes them on own initiative and on time.
- Accepts responsibility and consequences for one’s decisions and actions.
- Follows through on commitments; does what one says one will do—the first time.
- Acknowledges, accepts, and learns from mistakes.
Lives Company’s Values
- Demonstrates the organizational and professional code of ethics including honesty, respect, dignity, caring, and confidentiality.
- Demonstrates and consistently applies organizational principles, policies, and values to all employees and situations.
- Respects and operates within the boundaries established for one’s job and personal boundaries set by others.
- Promotes a positive work environment.
Demonstrates a Customer-First Approach (Internal Partners and External Customers)
- Anticipates customers’ needs; facilitates customers to express their needs; listens to customers and hears what they say.
- Promptly attends to customers’ needs (e.g., answers phone and returns phone calls within a reasonable amount of time).
- Treats customers with respect, politeness, and dignity while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
- When appropriate, provides customers with options for action in response to their needs.
Generates New Ideas
- Generates imaginative and original ideas that will bring about positive change.
- Seizes opportunities to expand on other people’s ideas to create something new and add value.
- Encourages others to create new ideas, products, and/or solutions that will add value to the organization.
Demonstrates Flexibility
- Adapts to and accepts changing work schedules, priorities, challenges, and unpredictable events in a positive manner.
- Is visible and accessible; is approachable even when interruptions are inconvenient.
- Is receptive to new ideas that are different from one’s own ideas.
- Offers to help others when circumstances necessitate sharing the workload.
Demonstrates a Professional Demeanor
- Demonstrates acceptable hygiene and grooming; dresses appropriately for one’s job.
- Uses proper verbal and nonverbal communications and tones with internal partners and external customers and patients.
- Places work responsibilities and priorities before personal needs while at work.
- Maximizes positive and professional communication with internal partners and external customers and patients; minimizes complaining and nonfactual communication.
Stimulates and Adapts to Change
- Stimulates positive attitudes about change; pushes the change process along.
- Takes personal responsibility for adapting to and coping with change.
- Commits quickly when change reshapes one’s area of work.
- Accepts ambiguity and uncertainty, is able to improvise and still add value.
Continually Improves Processes
- Anticipates and looks for opportunities to improve steps in the development and delivery of one’s products or services; takes logical risks that may lead to improvement and change.
- Examines one’s work for conformance to predetermined plans, specifications, and standards.
- Freely shares and promotes new ideas that may lead to improvement and positive change, even when the idea may be unpopular.
- Seeks input from others who are closest to the situation in making improvements.
For Managers
Organizational Acumen
- Demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the company model, organizational history, and values.
- Applies knowledge of services, products, and processes to understand key issues within own division and work unit.
- Demonstrates understanding of and ability to influence organizational culture, norms, and expectations.
- Contributes to, fosters, and supports changes resulting from organizational decisions and initiatives.
Strategic Direction
- Integrates own work and that of one’s work unit with the organization’s mission, values, and objectives.
- Analyzes and utilizes customer, industry, and stakeholder inputs in strategic and operating plan processes.
- Establishes work group priorities to support strategic objectives.
- Gathers input from internal and external resources to analyze business unit needs.
- Promotes and embraces innovation and creativity to achieve organizational and work unit goals.
- Develops work unit plans and measures that are aligned with division and organization strategic objectives.
- Defines operational goals for work unit.
- Integrates strategies and plans with other areas.
- Promotes and supports the use of corporate and cross-functional teams.
- Ensures customer and employee confidentiality through the monitoring of access to information to individuals who have need, reason, and permission for such access.
Systems Improvement
- Demonstrates understanding of the “big picture”—interrelationships of divisions, departments, and work units.
- Incorporates a broad range of internal and external factors in problem solving and decision-making.
- Solicits and incorporates customer and stakeholder needs and expectations into work unit planning.
- Applies and encourages the use of process improvement methods and tools.
- Encourages and supports innovative and creative problem solving by others.
- Integrates process thinking into the management of daily operations to enhance quality, efficiency, and ethical standards.
- Utilizes data in decision-making and managing work units.
Communication
- Communicates the mission, values, structure, and systems to individuals, groups, and larger audiences.
- Provides leadership in communicating “up,” “down,” and “across” the organization.
- Reinforces the organization’s key messages.
- Creates a work environment for and models open expression of ideas and diverse opinions.
- Routinely includes a communications plan in work and project planning.
- Applies, communicates, and educates others about organizational policies and procedures.
- Keeps employees informed of industry trends and implications.
- Understands, communicates, and administers compensation and benefits to employees.
Employee and Team Direction
- Anticipates and assesses staffing needs.
- Maintains and updates staff job descriptions, linking employee job descriptions and projects to unit, division, and corporate strategies.
- Recruits, selects, and retains high-performing individuals.
- Provides information, resources, and coaching to support individual/team professional and career development.
- Applies knowledge of team dynamics to enhance group communication, synergy, creativity, conflict resolution, and decision-making.
- Assures staff has training to fully utilize the technological tools necessary for job performance.
- Delegates responsibilities to, coaches, and mentors employees to develop their capabilities.
- Involves staff in planning and reporting to ensure integration with operational activities and priorities.
- Coaches employees by providing both positive and constructive feedback and an overall realistic picture of their performance.
- Ensures that core functions in areas of responsibility can be continued in the absence of staff members—either short term or long term.
- Recognizes and acknowledges successes and achievements of others.
Financial Literacy
- Partners with financial specialists in planning and problem solving.
- Develops and meets financial goals using standard budgeting and reporting processes.
- Continually finds ways to improve revenue, reduce costs, and leverage assets in keeping with the organization’s strategic direction and objectives.
- Uses financial and quantitative information in work unit management.
- Communicates unit budget expectations and status to employees.
- Coaches employees on financial implications of work processes.
Professional Development
- Keeps up to date with external environments through professional associations, conferences, journals, and so on.
- Nurtures and maintains working relationships with colleagues across the organization.
- Demonstrates commitment to professional development, aligning that development with current and future needs of the organization whenever possible.
- Models self-development and healthy work/life balance for employees.
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