Strengthening Management Capacitiesfor International Cooperation

Competency Frameworkfor Action Learning and Exposure Programme (ALEP)

About this document

This paper introducesthe Competency Framework which has beenused in designing the “Action Learning and Exposure Programme” (ALEP) underthe project “Strengthening Management Capacities for International Cooperation” (CICM). It describes the rationale for adopting a competency based approach and alsopresents the competencies and clusters which have formed the basis for strengthening the abilities of professionals working in International Cooperation.

The new order – from directing development to co-creating international cooperation

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Co-creation is a multi-stakeholder process inspired by a shared vision focused on finding innovative solutions, therebyenabling a move towards a bettersociety.

Geo-political shifts, changing equations between donor and recipient countries in

development efforts and increased pressure on development agencies to deliver sustainable results is impacting the way developmentcooperation is evolving.

The old paradigm of development with predefined roles between ‘developed’and ‘developing’ nations isslowly transforming toward a new approachgrounded inpartnership, exchange and co-creation. The shift from development cooperation towards International Cooperation is escalated through following factors:

• The economic crisis and collapse of institutions in the western world and the ongoing struggle of Europe and USA to deal effectively with the financial crisis has drastically altered the leadership supremacy and the image of developed countries and their institutions as the loci of successful solutions and effective change.

• Emerging powerssuch as BRICS (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) or MIST (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey) have developed a new identity as powerful actors who want to negotiate – as equal partners – the terms, conditions and structure of International Cooperation. Some former developing countries are emerging as efficient service providers with their own approach of delivery in the field of development and International Cooperation.

African and some Asian countries are increasingly experiencing China, Thailand and India as donors, offering support and solutions for their development challenges and competing with traditional donor countries and implementing agencies.

The earlier model of countries and organisations seeking knowledge, skills and expertise from experts from developed countries is rapidly changing towards tri-lateral or south-south cooperation and joint-learning and co-creation.

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• Self-confident partnersdemand that their views and perspectives be considered in defining goals, strategies and allocation of budget. Co-designing projects and co-creating knowledge and solutions is becoming the new standard in International Cooperation.Development cooperation is increasingly becoming a contested terrain of tough negotiations, hidden and transparent intentions and politicalinfluences of all involved in bi-lateral and multi-lateral interactions.

• Respecting diversity and ownership is no more ‘a nice to have’ but a ‘must have’ for developing innovative and sustainable solutions to global challenges (climate change, financial crisis, depletion of natural resources, migration, regional conflicts etc.).

• Advisors from so-called developed countries are no longer automatically regarded as experts capable of delivering innovative ideas and successful approaches to organisations in the South. Professionals in the South with excellent knowledge and skill base acquired in world class educational institutions in their own countries expect higher quality of outcomes in interactions with external experts rather than just transferof standardised knowledge or skills. Theoretical knowledge and management tools are easily available and do not require an external expert or advisor. Professionals in International Cooperation are increasingly challenged to demonstrate their competencies and expertise in co-creating innovative and viable solutions to specific contexts, which are often far from perfect.

• Global challenges such as climate change, regional conflicts etc. demonstrate that the future of northern and southern nations is closely intertwined. Considering such challenges, International Cooperation is not just a new term for the old patterns of interaction between partner countries and the implementing agencies. Dialogue, bi-directional learning, collective transformation and social innovations for sustained changes are becoming the new ‘currencies’.

Thus, the emerging new order of International Cooperation is about working collaboratively across organisational and national boundaries to impact the quality of development for societal well-being on a sustainable basis.

It is also becoming increasingly evident that for sustainable development to happen, there is a need for transformation of individuals, organisations and societies as a whole. This demands a systemic and evolving approach driven by internal and external agents engaged as partners in the learning and transformational process.

The new order emphasises the need for involving all players in the process of understanding the current reality, acknowledging the underlying resistance and dissatisfaction factors, defining the desired future state and designing appropriate interventions for adaptive challenges.

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Nurturing capacities through Competency Development

“.... and without your transformation there can be no transformation of the world.” J. Krishnamurti

Competencies are deep rooted and interlinked abilities of individuals which help them in performing effectively in different situations and contexts.

Integrated Competency Framework

Meaning & Purpose

Competencies

Behaviour

Mindsets Attitude Values

Purpose

In the past capacity development interventions often focused on providing a set of knowledge and skills pertaining to the immediate function, in which the participants were engaged. Training with predefined curricula was the main form of intervention.

These interventions were modelled on the belief that strong knowledge base is formed in classroom sessions and furthermore, repeated practice of skills specific to the needs of the programme or project is the way to groom individuals for achieving the desired programme or project outcomes. Capacity development interventions have therefore typically been in areas such as subject matter expertise, know-how in planning and monitoring, evaluation concepts and methods etc.

However, such capacity development interventions were limited to specific requirements of the programme or project and failed to recognise that effective actions and initiating changes require much more than factual knowledge and mastering of well-designed tools. Professionals experience great challenges to put these concepts into practice as the

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conditions for deployment are often imperfect. The knowledge gained does not help if motivation and strong will for action and change are missing. Given the changing dynamics and shifts in International Cooperation, such curriculum based training interventions may not always be effective. Professionals in International Cooperation are forced to continuously strengthen their motivational and competency base to align with the changing context and respond to emerging demands. This presupposes strong ownership by professionals to strengthen their competencies and to nurture their source of motivation and inspiration.

Competency Development interventions therefore need to gravitate around inner motivational drivers of individual’s search for meaning and purpose. We believe that if people can connect their life goals with the overall vision of the society, they will be motivated to give their best and take responsible actions in whatever context they operate. They will also engage in creating and changing systems so that societal goals can be achieved. It is widely recognised that when people relate their job with a higher meaning and purpose, they are resilient, feel energised and act effectively.

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Paul Wong’s PURE model is useful to explain how individuals can connec t the i r p ro fes s iona l performance with deeper levels of meaning and purpose. This model defines four essential interrelated c o m p o n e n t s : P u r p o s e , Understanding, Responsible action, and Enjoyment/Satisfaction. They are interconnected and fuel intrinsic motivation for pursuing activities. The Purpose refers to desired future blending personal and societal goals. Understanding refers to making sense of life and work as a reality to be shaped in light of a desired future. Responsible

action refers to value and moral dimensions enabling accountability and commitment. Enjoyment is the effective dimension of positive emotions gained through reflection and assessment of resultingoutcomes of actions contributing to Purpose.

Competencies arebehavioural dispositions enabling individuals to succeed and find innovative solutions for complex problems in ambiguous and dynamic environments. These are seen as enduring characteristics of an individual which predict behaviour across differing situations, contexts and work environments. Competencies are deep rooted and interlinked abilities, driven by individual aspiration and motivation levels and anchored in one’s values. This facilitates the development of context specific solutions and resilience in a complex and dynamically changing environment. While blueprints, recipes and readymade tools may provide successful results in standardised situations, competencies enable effective achievement of outcomes in rapidly changing contexts, typical in International Cooperation space.

Human beings are born with traits; Competencies are developed systematically by an individual through continuous engagement in social and professional contexts, a result of a virtuous cycle of acquisition, application &practice, adaptation, reflection and internalisation.

It is important to note, however, that competencies are only abilities or potentials of a person. Deeply felt purpose and vision give direction for actions and for actualisation of competenices. ‘Core values’ of an individualdefine the way how the competencies are actualised. Therefore, Competency Development programmes have to create sufficient space for and pay attention to reflectionand arousing awareness on values important for self, organisation and society, thereby creating nurturing space to explore meaning and purpose of self and organisation in the wider societal context.

THE CYCLE OF MASTERY

ENVIRONMENT

Insternalisation Acquisition

Application & Practice Reflection

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People with similar competencies may use their competencies in different ways and achieve different outcomes, depending on their intentions, assumptions, values and spiritual grounding. Competencies are means for achieving desired goals. Therefore, it is essential to create safe psycho-social spaces to reflect on values and also to explore meaning and purpose (pertaining to self), which in turn are guided by the values.

For instance, unless an individual embodies ‘respect for others’ as part of his/her core value base, he/she will not be able to work effectively in team and use his/her competencies in a collaborative way.

In view of this intricate relation between value and competency, four core values form the heart of thisCompetency Framework for International Cooperation. These are:

• Empathy• Respect• Impartiality• Professionalism

While the above core values form the basis on which this Competency Framework has been developed, the detailing of this framework is founded on the following fundamental premises:

• Individuals are never unmotivated; they are simply more motivated towards certain goals and actions, where they believe they can be successful, where they feel supported and safe to make mistakes and where they see value in what they deliver or create. They are also more motivated when they feel involved in and have a chance to make a contribution towards shaping the vision or goals of their organisation. They then see the goals of their organisation as their own goals rather than imposed goals and direct their own behaviour accordingly. Ownership for behaviour and outcomes thus vests in individuals.

• Individuals are in an ever-learning mode. They may lack the right opportunities and connect but once they become aware of the areas along which competencies need to be strengthened and avenues available to strengthen the same, they readily and positively participate in such measures.

There are seven key aspects that define our understanding of competencies:

1. Competencies are interrelated

Competencies are often listed in groups covering knowledge, skills, mind-sets, emotional abilities and attitude. Such lists range from technical skills, cognitive and intellectual abilities, experiences, motivation, mind-sets, emotional configurations, values etc. These lists do not take into account that competencies are interrelated and actualised as a spectrum of combined competencies. It is the specific combination of the different competencies, which enables successful behaviour in a specific context.

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Unconscious

Incompetence

Conscious Incompetence Conscious Competence

Unconscious

Competence

3. Competencies are visible in action and emerge in social contexts

Competencies are potentials, which are actualised and developed in specific social contexts. What outsiders can observe is the demonstrated consistent behaviour of a person across contexts and over a period of time. Tracking Competency Development relies on triangulating information derived from observing performance, self-assessment and 360 degree feedback from others.

4. Competency Development is a self-driven process

Motivated engagement of the individual is the decisive factor in Competency Development. Therefore, it is important to create spaces for taking ownership of one’s own Competency Development. Competencies are strengthened through translating knowledge and skills into meaningful action and reflecting on the outcomes. Competencies are considered as developed if people experience self-efficacy in shaping their environment as well as in designing and implementing actions enabling the achievement of intended outcomes.

2. Competencies cover a spectrum

Competencies are not isolated capabilities, which individuals master individually. Competencies are better conceptualised as a spectrum, covering a range of possible human behaviour and actions in different contexts. Human beings with a wider spectrum of competencies are able to demonstrate greater aptitude and achieve outcomes more effectively than people with a narrow spectrum of competencies. This is especially crucial in organisations where the professional demand changes with changes in environment. Like a net which is only as strong as its weakest section, a person is only as strong as the least developed competency within the spectrum as a whole. Being a master in management methods will not be sufficient if one cannot build powerful relations with others and vice versa.

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5. Competency Development is forward looking and inward out

Traditional curriculum based approaches or qualification measures focus on providing specific pre-packaged knowledge and skills. Competency Development approaches focus on strengthening people for dealing with dynamic work environment. Since Competency Development takes time, the focus is more on emerging challenges of the future than on the past or present situations. Therefore, nurturing meta-competencies such as action-reflection, continuous self-development and being able to drive the development of one’s own competenciesare regarded as crucial aspects of Competency Development.

6. Competency frameworks are specific to roles, organisational context and socio-cultural environment

It is easy to list down generic competencies relevant for professionals across organisations or roles. However, designing tailor made solutions for strengthening competencies requires an intense analysis of the dynamics of the respective organisation as well as the wider environment in which the organisation is operating.This will depend largely on the role of the professional, organisation, working contexts and emerging demands from the environment. Mapping existing competencies, enabling professionals to assess their spectrum of competencies and identifying key areas for strengthening competencies are therefore crucial steps in systematic Competency Development.

7. Competencies evolve their potential only in combination with a purpose and positive attitude

Individuals mastering a wide spectrum of relevant competencies will translate these into systematic actions only if they are clear about themeaning and purpose of their life. Such an intrinsic motivation grounded in personal aspirations will direct the actualisation of competencies for specific outcomes. If personal aspirations overlap with the organisational vision and goals, the individual competencies will be used for increased organisational performance and contribute significantly to sector and national capacities. Therefore, programmes intended to strengthen capacities of a system have to pave a clear path linking Competency Development of the individual to a wider framework involving individual as well as organisational meaning and purpose.

The intrinsic nature of competencies as described above lends strength to our belief that capacity development interventions anchored around competencies are a powerful means for strengthening organisational capabilities and sectoral capacities in International Cooperation.

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Human centred Competency Framework

The human centred Competency Framework as well as the process of engaging with such frameworks pays attention to individual’s motivations and drivers which influence the actualisation of competencies as well as c o n t i nu o u s d e ve l o p m e n t o f r e l e va n t competencies in the area of International Cooperation.

The Competency Framework can serve as a guide for design and implementation of interventions and programmes for capacity development in International Cooperation. The framework has been designed looking at the specific context of professionals working in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India and partner agencies.

Professionals must not only master relevant knowledge and skills for dealing with emerging scenarios but shouldalso be able to translate know-how intoeffective application in specific work-relatedcontexts. It is therefore essential to develop competency frameworks from real challenges experienced by professionals by paying attention to their competency base, socio-cultural contexts, organisational challenges as well as job specific requirements in a specific domain or professional practice. In developing a competency framework for government agencies, it is necessary to consider the overall context of the country and demands of the present and future governance system and link competencies of staff to that wider context.

Principles adopted in design of the Competency Framework

Co-creation has been a core principle that has governed the process of developing the human centred Competency Framework. Key agencies in the International Cooperation space have been

The following steps were adopted to develop this framework:1. Discussions with staff working

in the area of International Cooperation (DEA and other relevant agencies) to explore and understand job related challenges, important issues as well as existing and required competencies for achieving intended outcomes.

2. Workshops with Director, DEA and with selected alumni to identify challenges faced at the organisational and individual level in the professional context.

3. Review of research and published experience in the area of capacity development in public administration and International Cooperation.

4. Discussions with selected training and research centres engaged in the area of International Cooperation and training of government officials (Lal BahadurShastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie; Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore; and GIZ Academy for International Cooperation (AIZ), Bad Honnef, Germany).

5. R e v i e w o f t h e d r a f t Competency Framework by key persons from participating organisations, subject matter consultants, implementation partners, alumni and others.

6. Reference to the Competency Framework developed by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Indian Government officials.

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involved throughout the concept and design process. The Competency Framework is the outcome of intensive collaborative effort with multiple stakeholders including the client organisations, former participants of such programmes, expert groups and leading centres of excellence in the field.

Literature and studies on capacity development, human resource development and transformational learning have also been reviewed. Teams from leading agencies have been involved through formats like workshops and individual interviews in envisioning and defining the ‘future state’ of International Cooperation as well as the emerging and evolving context.

Throughout the process there has been consciousness and recognition of the need and space for continuous adaptation and evolution of the concept.

The following sections describe the Competency Framework and how it was developed.

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Developing the Competency Framework - the process

Step 1: Understanding organisational perspective and dynamics –the context within which organisations workThe first step was to understand the environment, the internal & external dynamicsand the present & emerging challengeswithin which key agencies operate.

Through literature research and a series of interviews and workshops, key challenges of the wider system of Indian bureaucracy and partner agencies in International Cooperationwere identified. The dilemmas and challenges faced by the client system in achieving the goal of effective and responsible policy, responsive service delivery and good governance in an environment struggling for continuity and change were deliberated. This led to recognition of the need to instil the client system with the ability to deal with challenges and conflicts in the environment and to continuously strengthen capacities to manage the same.

Through the discussions, the following points emerged as the desired culture for International Cooperation:

GOAL : POLICY SERVICE, GOVERNANCE

Continuity Change

CHANGE

FAILURE

LACK OF SKILLS

LACK OF SUPPORT

TIME

INTERFERENCE

RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS

LACK OF CAPABILITIES

PRESSURES

DATAOVERLOAD

LACK OF INFORMATION

UNCERTAINITY

AMBIGUITY

Effective

Responsive Proactive Reliable

1. Understanding organisational perspective and dynamics –the context within which organisations work

2. Understanding InternationalCooperation Space– defining dimensions

3. Individual’s perspective – mapping challenges as experienced by the professionals

4. Crafting a competency framework

5. Defining competencies

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Step 2: Understanding International Cooperation space – defining dimensionsThe next step was to understand the key features of the International Cooperation space and to recognise the challenges of operations wherein opposing forces such as stability and change, process and outcome, individual and team performance, hierarchy and collaboration are typically at play. This was done with the intention of identifying competencies required to deal with tensions around polarities, thereby enhancing the comprehensiveness of the Competency Framework design.

Step 3: Individual’s perspective– mapping challenges as experienced by the professionals In order to understand the individual perspective, it is important to appreciate that the systems under consideration are in a vicious cycle. We understand from our interactions that people enter the system with high morale, ambitions and idealism. Over a period of time external pressures temper and sometimes whittle away ambitions, slowly leading to a culture which lacks inspiration and weakensthe will and motivation for change and responsible action. A key challenge is to convert this vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle with a conscious and dynamic move towards an individual-driven organisational culture that nurtures professionals to become proactive in taking responsible decisions and actions.

The discussions and analysis underline the importance of having a mixed group of participants representing different perspectives and experiences in order to have the opportunity for appreciative comparison.

Step 4: Crafting a competency framework

After defining the desired ‘future state’ and understanding the interplay of individual and organisational challenges and the dimensions and dichotomies within which International Cooperation operates, the focus was on defining competencies and capabilities required for effectively understanding and working with these interplays.

What emerged was a foundation of outcome orientation aligned with meaning and purpose.

Stability

Outcom

e

Te

am

W

ork

Cooperation

Change

Process

Hie

rachy

Ind

ivid

ua

l P

erf

orm

an

ce

• Contribution to a common purpose• ‘Making meaning’ for self • A bias towards outcomes• Responsible action-continuous reflection• Constructive collaboration• Appreciative comparison• Transformational learning • Co-evolution of individuals, organisation

and society

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Four key dimensions of a competency spectrum are based on this foundation:• Self-management• Abilities required for awareness of multiple dimensions of self and making use of

this to be effective in a specific role• Relationship management

Abilities enabling an effective engagement, collaboration and shaping of relations with people and environment

• Knowledgeand methodsKnow-how required for understanding and working within the changing dimensions of the cooperation landscape for achieving desired outcomes

• Learning to transform Understanding individual learning styles, preferences and motivation to continuously upgrade one’s own competencies for greater work effectiveness.

Hence, the resulting Competency Framework aims at enabling individuals to translate intent into action, to connect process with purpose and to chart their development path through actions, deliberations, reflection and internalisation in their working context.

Step 5: Defining competencies

After mapping the cornerstones of the competency spectrum, the competencies required to contribute towards effectiveness in International Cooperationwere defined more specifically.

Ministry officials and other participants in the International Cooperation space were consulted to define relevant competency clusters for the four key dimensions of the competency spectrum. Central to the process was the belief that the identified competencies should empower individuals to initiate transformation both within themselves and within the context in which they work.

The following nine competency clusters were identified as relevant to the specific context of managing opposing forces and dualities in International Cooperation.

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Competency clusters and related competencies

The nine competency clusters and related competencies within each cluster are given below:

1. Managing Self - Aware of physical, emotional and cognitive processes; displays a high level of self- awareness, control and drive (motivation and initiative) towards achieving personal & professional goals

a. Self-awareness:Recognises, interprets, and responds constructively to physical, emotional and cognitive needs; gains a level of mastery in addressing physical, emotional and cognitive potentials for achieving desired goals.

b. Holistic thinking: Aware of different modes of thinking (analytical, systemic etc.) and displays the ability to use these different modes according to the demands in working context. This also involves the ability to deal with the diversity of people from different cultural contexts and their preference for specific thinking modes and ability to leverage them for collaborative action.

2. Shaping Relations: Aware of key aspects enabling powerful relations and displays ability to shape positive, professional and trustworthy working relationships with a wide range of professionals within and outside the department

a. Leveraging diversity: Acknowledges and demonstrates respect for the beliefs, value constructs, socio-cultural practices of others and how they deal with problems and challenges; initiates processes leading to productive use of diversity.

b. Working collaboratively:Works collaboratively, shares information and builds supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.

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3. Acting for Outcomes: Aware of the link between individual actions and developmental outcomes (outputs, outcomes and impacts) and displays ability to contribute to decision-making in coordination with others to achieve intended outcomes

a. Solutions within constraints: Seeks, designs and implements solutions tailor-made for the specific context within system constraints.

b. Coordinating for action: Manages processes, resources and priorities in an organised and effective way towards achieving desired outcomes.

4. Mastering ‘Managing for Development Results’ (MfDR): Aware of own knowledge base; displays ability to acquire new knowledge and translate this into meaningful actions

a. Deepening knowledge:Deepening knowledge in the area of International Cooperation and MfDR useful for improving performance at the workplace.

b. Applying methods: Strengthens expertise in adaptation and contextualised application of MfDR tools and methods in organisational practice.

5. Changing for Impact: Aware of organisational limits and changes required; displays ability to initiate and sustain changes for desired future impact

a. Future oriented outcomes: Aware of national and international goals, contributes to a clear organisational vision and motivates self and others to move towards that desired future.

b. Initiating change: Sensitive to transitions in the national and international environment and drives for change within the sphere of influence.

6. Communicating Effectively: Aware of challenges and key success factors for result-oriented communication and displays ability to communicate constructively in contexts of diversity

a. Presenting influentially: Presents facts, evidence and views, both to internal and external audiences, in a clear and succinct manner with conviction and authenticity.

b. Managing conflicts: Recognises conflicts, understands the nature of conflict, and confronts issues and challenges assumptions in an assertive and constructive way to bring productive resolution to conflicts.

7. Thriving Excellence: Aware of needs and potentials of improvement and displays ability to drive changes for increased workplace efficiency and excellence

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a. Improving work practices: Initiates and convinces others to take collaborative actions for incremental changes at workplace.

b. Engaging for innovations: Seeks out opportunities for innovation and takes risks to make changes in how things are done.

8. Evidenced Actions: Aware of local and global development issues and displays ability to translate know-how and insights into evidence based decisions and actions

a. Informed actions: Ensures that projects are aligned with national priorities and promotes actions enhancing synchronisation between national priorities and International Cooperation agenda.

b. Evidence based decision:Combines evidence, validated facts and data with own judgement, evaluates among various options, makes and facilitates evidence based decisions.

9. Nurturing Capabilities: Aware of importance of continuous learning and displays high level of self-drive and nurtures the learning of others contributing to organisational capabilities

a. Learning agility: Constantly seeks to expand knowledge through various forms such as reading, internet, observation, dialogue, reflection, action etc. and seeks to continuously improve know-how; demonstrates responsible behaviour and ability to learn from experiences.

b. Learning in community: Demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn from and with peers; co-creates new knowledge for action and facilitates processes contributing to powerful learning communities beyond traditional organisational or cultural boundaries.

These above descriptions provide an indicative view of the competencies and are not exhaustive or comprehensive. The face to face workshops offer a possibility to go deeper into the content of each competency cluster.

Competency spectrum and competency levels

Every human being, at any given moment, embodies a specific set of competencies developed through learning and experiences in personal as well as professional life. Such a set of competencies mastered by a person is defined as the competency spectrum.

Not everybody will be able to master each component of the spectrum up to maximum level and depending on the professional working context this may also not be necessary.

For easy understanding of each stage of the components within the spectrum, the following representations are used to throw light on its main features:

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1. Curious Novice The curious novice represents somebody who is new in a professional domain and is curious to expand her/his learning to deal with relevant professional challenges. She/he may have been extremely competent and successful in other professional domains and has the ability to reflect on how previous experiences and knowledge can be applied in this new domain or how new and relevant competencies can be developed. This stage also refers to a person, who may have a tacit/implicit understanding of the new domain and deals with the challenges in an intuitive way. In specific contexts, for example in a team with an experienced mentor, this competency stage may be fully sufficient to perform successfully.

2. Passionate LearnerThe passionate learner is the one who has the ability to learn quickly and systematically acquire relevant knowledge and skills. This could be somebody joining a new profession with a sound academic knowledge and extensive know-how on methods and instruments without much practical experience in the new domain. In specific contexts, for example in a team with experienced practitioners, such a passionate learner may perform successfully.

3. Skilful Master The skilful master is the one who is capable of blending her/his vast experiences with knowledge and skills for achieving high quality results. Her/his ability to deliver sustained results is appreciated by superiors and recognised by peers. If there is a change in the position or new demands arise, she/he is capable of quickly moving through the stages of a curious novice or passionate learner to become a skilful master. In a specific context, a skilful master, utilising the strengths of a curious novice and a passionate learner can achieve bigger results.

4. Compassionate GuruThe compassionate guru is a skilful master, who has the additional ability to mentor and coach other colleagues to leverage potential of teams to the maximum. This stage is characterised by the ability to reflect on one’s own competencies and nurture others to develop their competencies by finding appropriate interventions. Such persons play a key role in connecting and nurturing competencies of individuals thereby achieving desired organisational goals.

5. Engaged Co-creatorThe person at this stage is characterised by a holistic understanding of issues and the ability to develop trustful relations for translating a greater purpose into organisational practice. People at this stage are capable of reflecting deeply on their own values, attitude, knowledge and skills. They engage with others to develop innovative ideas and interventions enabling relevant changes. This stage is crucial in contexts where individuals, organisations and

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societies are challenged to change and transform. In a new domain, a person at this stage may have to start as a curious novice or passionate learner.

interventions enabling relevant changes. This stage is crucial in contexts where individuals, organisations and societies are challenged to change and transform. In a new domain, a person at this stage may have to start as a curious novice or passionate learner.

Engaged Co-creator

Compassionate GuruSkilful

Master

Passionate Learner

Curious Novice

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Competency spectrum – linked to professional domain

Traditionally, competency levels were often linked to a hierarchical level, presuming that greater expertise in all areas is associated with higher hierarchical positions. In this Competency Framework however, it is the professional working context and not hierarchy that determines which spectrum and mastery levels are necessary in order to deliver excellent results. Therefore, even at the same hierarchical level the competencies required by one person may differ from what is required by another person. In another case, a subject matter specialist may require even a higher level of a specific competency such as MfDR know-how than his boss. Therefore, knowing which competency spectrum and mastery levels are crucial for a specific working context is important for systematically developing required competencies. Therefore, this Competency Framework invites participants to start their Competency Development process with the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), which will help them in identifying their starting point, their destination and in navigating theirCompetency Development Yatra. They can use it to gain an overview of the competency spectrum relevant in International Cooperation, to map their competency levels and get a profile of their present state. They can also use it to define which level they wouldlike to achieve and monitor the progress during this programme.

Key to a successful learning process is how individuals internalise and apply what they learn.

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Example of Competency Assessment from Self-Assessment Tool (SAT)

COMPETENCY CLUSTERS AND COMPETENCY DESCRIPTORS

Where I am Where I want to be

1. Managing Self - Aware of physical, emotional and cognitive processes; displays a high level of self- awareness, control and drive (motivation and initiative) towards achieving personal & professional goals

i. Self-Awareness: Recognises, interprets, and responds constructively to physical, emotional and cognitive needs; gains a level of mastery in addressing physical, emotional and cognitive potentials for achieving desired goals

a I am aware that my actions and behaviour are conditioned by my background and experiences

b I reflect on how my own values and principles influence my behaviour

c I recognise what triggers my physical and emotional wellbeing or dissonance and am able to take appropriate actions to gain balance and stability

d I am conscious of what drives my physical and emotional state as well as that of others and use this awareness to support my team to use physical and emotional energies effectively

e I engage with others in exploring new ways of supporting each other for transforming self and organisations to achieve societal goals

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Competency profile

A competency profile is a profile of an individual, describing the spectrum as well as the levels of mastery of the different components of such a spectrum. Such a competency profile helps the individualparticipants to become aware of their competencies and decide which ones they would like to develop further. Like in all self-assessments, feedback from other people and repetitive self-reflection will improve the accuracy of a competency profile.

Managing Self

Shaping Relations

Acting for Outcomes

Mastering MfDR

Changing forImpact

Communication Effectively

Thriving Excellence

Evidenced Actions

Nurturing Capabilities

ROLE A

ROLE B

ROLE C

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Draft September 2014

Contact for further information:Anita Sharmaanita.sharma@giz.de

Document prepared by

We thank Dr Bernd Krewer, Dr Sonja Zahed, Ms AdelheidUhlmann and Dr Christine Bigdon for their valuable inputs, suggestions and feedback.

Dhamotharan, M.George, C.Sharma, A.

Compiled and Edited byVarupi Gupta and Ziaul Hoda