Systematic performance and competence management

The challenge Skuld wished to establish processes for systematic competence development and enhance the performance culture in the company.    The solution A new management process that combines goal and competence management was established. The process is supported by CatalystOne ™ Appraisal Manager. The benefits Experience shows that the basis for a new business culture is founded where people are more conscious of their own competence and performance, adherence to company values  and what this means for Skuld’s ability to achieve its goals. "We see clear signs that people who get the opportunity to evaluate themselves and be evaluated are more conscious of their own knowledge, behavior and achievements", says HR Director Trude Husebø, Skuld.

HR Director Trude Husebø, Skuld

Customers require fast access to updated knowledge
“Being a good provider in our industry is equal to offering customers fast access to relevant expertise. If this is to be one of our competitive advantages in the future, we have concluded that the development of expertise must be systemized to a greater extent. This was also confirmed in an employee survey that was conducted in autumn 2008,” says Husebø. We think that a process with continuity will ensure that skilled employees remain in the company and, at the same time, it will be easier to attract new. Against this background, we started a project to establish a new, IT-supported competence development process.”

Business goals, values and personal development must be viewed in the same context
Concurrent with this initiative, we were already in the process of enhancing the performance culture within the company. Clear goals, monitoring and evaluating the individual are important elements in this work, and the need for IT support was obvious also in this area. Eventually we saw the importance of holistic thinking. We wanted to see competence development in the context of requirements for performance and adherence to values," says Husebø.

“And it was precisely these overall solutions we found support for in CatalystOne . We introduced a single, coordinated process for goals and competence management where everything is in one solution. It simplifies life for managers and employees,” continues the HR director.

User-friendliness
“Skuld has employees spread throughout the world. For us it was important to introduce goals and competency management with IT support. We emphasized that the solution should be web-based, have an intuitive interface and be self-explanatory. CatalystOne ™ Appraisal Manager satisfies these requirements," said Husebø.

“Development dialogues before the summer holidays in 2009 were supported by the new solution, and user experiences have mainly been positive. Here is a spontaneous reaction I received from our U.S. office,” says Husebø enthusiastically:

"Having worked in the past with a number of systems-based programs for improving personal as well as office-wide objectives for competence and work product quality development, I must say this is by far the best one I have seen ... I think all of us here found the dialog extremely useful and are looking forward to assessing our progress in the achieving the goals we identified.”
Charles Anderson, Head of Skuld North America

A cultural project
“It is without a doubt that this initiative will change the culture of the company. We see clear signs that people who get the opportunity to evaluate themselves and be evaluated by their manager will be more conscious of their own competence and their achievements and comply with our values. It creates greater sense of responsibility and motivation, which enhances our ability to achieve its goals ahead,” concludes HR Director Trude Husebø.