Strategy for the work with competency development

It is the department’s strategy to focus more on competency development in order to ensure that we at all times have the necessary composition of employees and qualifications. This is important in order that we have a strong position in competitive contexts, but also because competency development is an important element in ensuring continuous development and job satisfaction among the employees.  

In the spring all sections/the secretariat are going to discuss at group development dialogues (Danish: GRUS) which competency development is expected to be needed in the coming year(s). This will take place in specialised groups (VIP, TAP, Junior or whatever makes sense within the section), taking its starting point in AGRO’s strategy, which is to be broken down into objectives relevant to the sections. Below you will find more information as well as the framework concerning GDD.

Subsequently, there will be an extended section meeting in which GDD will be discussed across professional groupings, for example via presentations from the individual professional GDD and subsequent group work.

At SDD (Danish: MUS) each employee’s need for competency development will be discussed and a development plan made for the coming 1-3 years. At SDD, competences will also be discussed seen in relation to the main theme chosen for the MUS of the year. You will find more about this below.

When all SDDs have been held, there will be a section meeting in which a follow-up on SDD is made and in which a review is made of whether there are any recurring general issues that need to be focused on in the coming year.

Applications to the Competence Fund will be discussed at a Local Liaison Committee (Danish: LSU) meeting to ensure transparency on which competency development the department’s funds are used for and whether they support the departmental strategy. LSU will treat the information related to the applications with confidentiality.

What is GDD?

In many ways, a group development dialogue follows the same principles as a MUS. The group holds a meeting with the head of the department and the head of the section so that they together have the opportunity of an annual dialogue about the group’s current and future work situation.  

The aim is to develop both the actual tasks, the wellbeing of the group and the individual employee in their work and collaboration and the superior objective of the group’s work. This means that here there is a clear connection to strategic competency development, both in relation to an evaluation of the past year and in relation to the coming year.

GDD ends in an agreement based on a common assessment of the needs that the group as a whole and the individual employee have for change, development and education/training and on the possibilities of the group and the workplace of fulfilling these needs. A GDD does not replace the everyday ordinary and informal talks among employees and between employee and head of department/section.

Why having GDD?

An annual GDD is to the advantage of all who are involved.

For you, as employees, GDD is an opportunity to

•  exert more influence on the group’s work situation
• develop the total competences both individually and of the group
• get clear objectives and a realistic framework for your work
• know your head of section’s expectations of the group and its performance
• get feedback on your efforts

For you, as head of the section, GDD is an opportunity to

• (get to) know the competences of the your employees; especially in relation to the group’s total objectives and performance
• get a picture of that which motivates the group
• optimise your group’s resources and competences and at the same time have the employees’ needs and wishes complied with to the greatest extent possible
• get a feedback on your style of leadership
• strengthen the connection between the department’s objectives and strategies and the competences of the employees.

The framework for GDD:

The working group has set out the following framework for GDD; that is to say, the issues below should be discussed at GDD:

• The past year – tasks that have been solved, results that have been achieved
• The work situation in general – working climate in the department, including collaboration with colleagues and the head of the section
• The coming year –tasks that must be solved the coming year and competences and development needed to do so
• In addition the following issues should be considered (may be discussed under the past year or the coming year)
  • How do our activities link up with AGRO’s strategy plan
  • How do research, teaching and  research communication fit into AGRO’s flagships
  • Challenges/successes specific to the section

Specification of competences for the competence web

As a supplement to SDD AGRO will use a competence web.  Every year AGRO specifies a theme for the competence work and the qualifications in the web. The theme may be a current subject or it may be focus points from the psychological workplace assessment (Danish: arbejdspladsvurdering (APV)).

In 2018, the theme of the competence web is collaboration

This includes the following competences:

• Innovation
  • developing your subject area and finding new and clever ways of solving your tasks
• Deadlines
  • prioritising your own time
  • meeting deadlines
• Responsibility
  • respecting other people’s dissimilarities (culture/hierarchy)
  • setting the bar high and produce quality
  • communicating well with other people
  • honouring agreements
• The good colleague
  • contributes to common well-being/job satisfaction and collaborates with his/her colleagues
  • respects other people’s decisions
• Acceptance/Support
  • Backing large and small organisational changes in a positive way
• Acknowledgement
  • Acknowledging superiors and colleagues

Read more about the SDD conversations here.