Workplace Competencies
Competencies included in this domain represent those skills and abilities that allow individuals to function in an organizational setting. Workplace Competencies include:
Teamwork - Developed capacities used to work with others.
- Accepts membership in the team
- Identifies with the goals, norms, values and customers of the team
- Uses a group approach to identify problems and develop solutions based on group consensus
- Effectively communicates with all members of the team to achieve goals
- Develops constructive and cooperative working relationships with others
- Shows sensitivity to the thoughts and opinions of others
- Responds appropriately to positive and negative feedback
- Encourages others to express their ideas and opinions
- Learns from other team members
Adaptability/Flexibility
- Integrates seemingly unrelated information to develop creative solutions
- Develops innovative methods of obtaining or using resources when insufficient resources are available.
- Entertaining new ideas
- Is open to considering new ways of doing things; actively seeks out and carefully considers the merits of new approaches to work; willingly embraces new approaches when appropriate and discards approaches that are no longer working.
- Takes effective action when necessary without having to have all the necessary facts in hand; easily changes gears in response to unpredictable or unexpected events, pressures, situations and job demands; effectively changes plans, goals, actions or priorities to deal with changing situations.
Customer Focus – Understanding customer needs
- Demonstrates a desire to understand customer needs; listens to what customers are saying and asks questions as appropriate; demonstrates awareness of client goals.
- Provides prompt, efficient and personalized assistance to meet the requirements, requests, and concerns of customers;
- Provides thorough, accurate information to answer customers questions and inform them of commitment times or performance guarantees; actively looks for ways to help customers by identifying and proposing appropriate solutions and/or services; establishes boundaries as appropriate for unreasonable customer demands.
- Is pleasant, courteous and professional when dealing with internal or external customers; develops constructive and cooperative working relationships with customers, and displays a good-natured, cooperative attitude; is calm and empathetic when dealing with hostile customers.
- Follows up with customers during projects and following project completion; keeps clients up to date about decisions that affect them; adjusts services based on customer feedback.
Planning & Organizing - Demonstrating the ability to work within a schedule using prescribed procedures.
- Prioritizes various competing tasks and performs them quickly and efficiently according to their urgency
- Finds new ways of organizing work area or planning work to accomplish work more efficiently
- Estimates resources needed for project completion; allocates time and resources effectively
- Anticipates obstacles to project completion and develops contingency plans to address them; takes necessary corrective action when projects go off-track
- Plans and schedules tasks so that work is completed on time
- Makes arrangements that fulfill all requirements as efficiently and economically as possible
- Keeps track of details to ensure work is performed accurately and completely
- Takes steps to verify all arrangements; recognizes problems, generates effective alternatives and takes corrective action
Creative Thinking – Generating innovative solutions
- Uses information, knowledge, and beliefs to generate original, innovative solutions to problems; reframes problems in a different light to find fresh approaches
- Entertains wide-ranging possibilities others may miss; takes advantage of difficult or unusual situations to develop unique approaches and useful solutions.
Problem Solving & Decision Making - Applying problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to help grow the business and/or to resolve workplace conflict.
- Anticipates or recognizes the existence of a problem
- Identifies the true nature of the problem by analyzing its component parts
- Effectively uses both internal and external resources to locate and gather information
- Examines information obtained for relevance and completeness
- Recalls previously learned information that is relevant to the problem; organizes information as appropriate to gain a better understanding of the problem
- Integrates previously learned and externally obtained information to generate a variety of high quality alternative approaches to the problem
- Skillfully uses logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses, the costs and benefits and the short and long-term consequences of different approaches
- Decisively chooses the best solution after contemplating available approaches to the problem; makes difficult decisions even in highly ambiguous or ill-defined situations; quickly chooses an effective solution without assistance when appropriate
- Commits to a solution in a timely manner and develops a realistic approach for implementing the chosen solution; observes and evaluates the outcomes of implementing the solution to assess the need for alternative approaches and to identify lessons learned
Working with Tools & Technology- Having capability to operate and troubleshoot electric and electronic equipment, mechanical and electrical products.
- Selects and applies appropriate tools or technological solutions to frequently encountered problems
- Carefully considers which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job and consistently chooses the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand
- Demonstrates an interest in learning about new and emerging tools and technologies; seeks out opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
- Knows how to maintain and troubleshoot tools and technologies
- Uses basic computer technology to receive work orders, report progress and maintain records
Using Computers
- Skillfully uses word-processing software; streamlines document processing by employing a variety of common software functions
- Effectively uses the internet and web-based tools to manage basic workplace tasks (e.g., timekeeping, maintaining employee records, conducting information searches); understands and performs internet functions requiring the use of log-in and password information
- Composes professional e-mails to communicate business-related information to coworkers, colleagues, and customers; understands the company e-mail system and its basic functions (e.g., replying to/forwarding messages, using electronic address books, attaching files); ensures that key stakeholders are kept informed of communications by copying (i.e., "CCing") them on important e-mails when appropriate.
- Uses spreadsheet software to enter, manipulate, edit and format text and numerical data; effectively creates and saves worksheets, charts, and graphs that are well organized, attractive, and useful.
Scheduling & Coordinating
- Makes arrangements (e.g. for traveling, meetings) that fulfill all requirements as efficiently and economically as possible; handles all aspects of arrangements thoroughly and completely with little or no supervision.
- Responds to the schedules of others affected by arrangements; informs others of arrangements, giving them complete, accurate and timely information; insures that others receive needed materials in time.
- Takes steps to verify all arrangements; recognizes problems, generates effective alternatives, and takes corrective action.
- Coordinates schedules of colleagues, co-workers, and clients in regional locations (i.e., across time zones) to ensure that inconvenience is minimized and productivity is enhanced; leverages technology (e.g., internet, teleconference) to facilitate information sharing in distributed work environments; takes advantage of team member availability throughout business hours in multiple time zones to enhance productivity.
- Effectively coordinates the transition of employees at the beginning and end of each work shift; disseminates crucial information in an organized manner to rapidly bring employees up to speed at the start of their shifts; ensures that employees are updated on work completed on past shifts and work that still needs to be completed.
Checking, Examining & Recording
- Detects and corrects errors, even under time pressure; notices errors or inconsistencies; forwards or processes forms in a timely and accurate manner.
- Selects and completes appropriate forms quickly and completely; attends to and follows through on important information in paperwork; expedites forms, orders or advances that require immediate attention.
