Glasgow Professional Competency Framework
Published: 15 August 2017
Glasgow Professional Competency Framework development is underway, with initial data collection and analysis phase nearing completion.
Our Strategy sets out our ambition to be a world-class, world-changing University, focussing on transforming the way we work and interact with each other, our students and our partners, writes Lesley Cummings, Head of Performance, Pay and Reward.
Our Glasgow Professional initiative complements our strategy and is a philosophy and ethos, defining what it means to be a Professional Services member of staff.
As announced in May, a fundamental element of the Glasgow Professional will be the Competency Framework, which is currently being developed for the Professional Services job families - Management, Professional and Administrative (MPA), Technical & Specialist (T&S) and the Operational job family.
The Framework aligns to our desire to provide opportunities and approaches to help support staff develop themselves and their careers here at the University, and will assist Professional Services staff to follow their desired career pathway, highlighting development options they may not have considered.
It will set out how we want people in the University of Glasgow to work, putting the University’s values of Passionate, Professional and Progressive at the heart of everything we do.
How is the development work progressing?
The initial stages of developing the Framework have been underway over the past two months, and we are now nearing completion of the first phase. This involved a substantial data collection and analysis exercise, comprising a series of confidential structured interviews, conducted by staff, trained in job evaluation and other similar methodologies, across the institution to ensure both the quality and consistency of the information gathered. Over 140 interviews have been held with staff of all grades, totalling approximately 280 hours’ worth of detailed conversations
Following the interviews, a team of four have spent around 36 hours analysing the content to date (with more hours to come), identifying the key themes and behaviours woven through the responses – an exercise which resulted in an array of over 2000 Post It notes being created as part of the review process. These emerging themes will determine the constructs that will form the basis of our overall competencies.
Working closely with an external consultant throughout the process, we are taking all recommended steps to ensure our approach to designing the Framework is in line with best practice, and will ultimately deliver us with a Framework that is meaningful and useful.
What are the next steps?
The next phase of the development process is to create a draft Framework, built around the key behaviours identified during the analysis phase, which will then be shared for extensive consultation and validation. Validation will be gained through questionnaires and focus groups, to confirm we have accurately captured what is involved in delivering a professional services role to a high standard, here at the University of Glasgow. This consultation will also help us further refine the Framework before piloting in selected areas.
If you would like to know more about the Framework and its development, please don’t hesitate contact me: Lesley.Cummings@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 15 August 2017
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