Competencies and development tips: Organisation orientation

In this article we describe the competency organisation orientation and its developability, development goals, development actions and behavioural indicators. You can use these for a Personal Development Plan (PDP).

Also read about the other Competencies and Development tips: Influencing ability, Communication skills, Conceptual ability, Organising ability, Personal orientation & Relational ability.

Customer focus

Competency

Being able to empathise with and respond to a customer’s needs.

Developability

Customer focus is reasonably developable, mainly because to a large extent it is a skill. Of course a certain interest in others needs to be present, but the emphasis in this competency is especially on communication skills; in particular listening, asking follow-up questions, summarising and reflecting feelings.

Goal

Name the situations in which you want to be more oriented towards your customers, where and when you want to be better able to put yourself in your customer’s position, and better able to respond to your customer’s needs.

Development actions

Which concrete actions will you take, and when, broken down into the four ways of learning?

Learning through knowledge

There is a great deal of information available on the subject of customer focus in books, on the internet or through courses. There is therefore always something to find that appeals in tone and content. A few examples are:

Books

“Kruip in de huid van de klant” by Jonathan Kitching
“Professionals en Acquisitie” by Frank Kwakman
“Authentiek acquireren” by Peter Klijsen

Learning through imitation

Look in your environment for people who are successful in their customer contacts. Go with them when they visit customers. Observe how they deal with their customers, what they do, when they listen, when they ask follow-up questions and when they summarise, and how they do that. After the customer visit, discuss what happened with the other person, so that you gain even more insight into their approach.

Learning through experimentation

Have someone who has good contact with customers and achieves commercial success observe you when you conduct a customer conversation. The feedback you receive after your conversation can be very valuable.

Learning through insight

Consider for yourself what you can learn from others, what you can apply from the feedback you receive (possibly also from your own customers!) and determine for yourself how you can best put that into practice. Continue to stay open to learning moments in this area and keep asking for feedback. Also keep applying what you have learned, so that you can increasingly make it your own.

Statements

Meets agreements on time and accurately.
Handles complaints from (internal) customers quickly, alertly and in a good way.
Is open in evaluation meetings with customers.
Shows a service-oriented attitude; is helpful, accommodating and friendly towards customers.
Provides fast and thorough service.
Shows understanding for (internal) customers.
Seeks intensive contact with the customer and maintains that contact.
Develops a personal relationship with the customer in an informal way and senses how the customer responds.
Ensures follow-up towards the customer and evaluates the customer–supplier relationship.
Systematically investigates customers’ wishes and problems.
Actively responds to customers’ questions.
Lets the customer provide information and then responds to the customer’s needs.
Has sufficient knowledge of products and services to translate these into applications that are useful for customers.
Listens well to a customer and asks open questions.
Adapts their communication style to the customer.
Explains technical matters patiently and clearly to customers.
Represents the customer’s interests internally.
Tests own ideas against the customer’s ideas.
Is able to pick up on dissatisfaction in the customer.
Takes the customer’s wishes into account in product developments.
Translates ideas and services into concrete opportunities for customers.
Lets the interest of the customer play a role in all activities.
Creates clarity in a situation that is unclear for the customer.
Ensures a good external presentation (of products) (layout of quotations).

Quality orientation

Competency

Being focused on delivering high quality and perfecting matters.

Developability

Quality orientation is a reasonably easy competency to develop, because it is about focus and doing, rather than about being able or not able to do something. Naturally, one person is by nature more focused on delivering high-quality work than another. By being aware of your own pitfalls in this area, it is possible to take steps that increase the quality of the work.

Goal

Determine for yourself, preferably in consultation with your own manager and with people from your team, in which situations you need to deliver more quality. How will you measure your progress? The best way is to ask for feedback from third parties who are more focused on delivering quality. Since you yourself are by nature less focused on perfecting matters, it is difficult to assess the quality of your own work.

Development actions

Which concrete actions will you take, and when, broken down into the four ways of learning?

Learning through knowledge

There is a great deal of information available on the subject of quality orientation in books, on the internet or through courses. There is therefore always something to find that appeals in tone and content. A few examples are:

Books

“Kwaliteit, kwaliteit en nog eens kwaliteit” by John Guaspari
“Bezieling & kwaliteit in organisaties” by D. Ofman & Daniel D. Ofman

Learning through imitation

Look at people who are known for being focused on perfecting matters. What actions do they take to safeguard the quality of their work? Which tools, if any, do they use? What can you apply in your own work?

Learning through experimentation

Put into practice the ideas or insights you have gained regarding quality orientation. Focus on perfecting matters. For once, do not brush things off too easily. Work more carefully, pay attention to details, check your work. See what effect that has. What does it give you? What are the advantages?

Learning through insight

Ask colleagues what they understand by quality. Who do they consider quality-oriented and why? What is the difference between that person and yourself? Collaboration with someone who has little quality orientation can also give you insight into the effect of low quality orientation and what you need to change in yourself.

Also take the time to review and evaluate your delivered work together with others. What could you do better next time?

Statements

Comes up with ideas and proposals for improving working methods and systems.
Achieves improvements in business processes and working methods.
Recognises weak points of systems and improves them.
Investigates various action plans and experiments with new methods and approaches.
Evaluates solutions on short- and long-term benefits.
Actively seeks information to improve the quality of the work.
Creates clarity for new employees by documenting work processes.
Analyses mistakes, learns from mistakes, and is critical of own actions.
Works according to procedures and works in a standardised way.
Checks outgoing work for errors.
Delivers consistent quality.

Entrepreneurship

Competency

Being focused on achieving profit by identifying and seizing business opportunities and by daring to take calculated risks.

Developability

Entrepreneurship is not an easy competency to develop because it requires a number of personal qualities. Taking initiative and daring to take calculated risks when experimenting with new approaches are essential. The ability to identify market opportunities and anticipate future developments also plays a role. This requires courage, strategic insight, decisiveness and a market-oriented outlook.

Goal

Name the area in which you want to be more entrepreneurial and in which you wish to achieve (more) profit.

Development actions

Which concrete actions will you take, and when, broken down into the four ways of learning?

Learning through knowledge

There is a great deal of information available on the subject of entrepreneurship in books, on the internet or through courses. There is therefore always something to find that appeals in tone and content. A few examples are:

Books
There are many books on entrepreneurship, some from the perspective of the company, others from the perspective of the individual. The book below covers both sides.

“Het hart van de onderneming”, W. de Leeuwerk et al., Kluwer, 1986

Internet

http://www.ondernemerschap.nl/: this knowledge site contains articles on entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Learning through imitation

Look in your environment for people who are entrepreneurial and successful. Take the time to talk with them about the opportunities they see or have seen in the market. Discuss which concrete initiatives they have taken and which risks they were prepared to take. Evaluate which results and successes followed from this.

Learning through experimentation

Start by taking on a project or action with a clear profit and a short duration. For example, you can approach a potential or existing customer and first list their possible wishes. You can also choose to deepen an existing product or service of your organisation and add value to it. In this way you can seek out situations for yourself that increasingly involve taking risks and initiative. See what the result is when you try a different approach towards your customer.

Learning through insight

When it turns out that you managed to achieve more business profit, it is important to list for yourself exactly which initiatives you took, which risks you did or did not find acceptable, and whether you can also apply that way of thinking and acting in other situations or projects.

Statements

Responds immediately to signals from the market.
Takes initiative so that the organisation achieves better results.
Takes business initiatives and anticipates opportunities and possibilities.
Is decisive when making investment decisions.
Takes calculated risks and tries out new approaches.
Identifies opportunities arising from market developments.
Constantly looks for ways to add value to the organisation’s products and services.
Encourages the own organisation to improve results and achieves this.
Responds to changes in customer wishes.
Improves business results by monitoring costs.

Organisational sensitivity

Competency

Being able to recognise the influence and consequences of own decisions or activities on other parts of the organisation.

Developability

Own decisions or activities influence other departments and vice versa. What someone does or decides often has consequences for others in the organisation. Decisions are also taken in response to what others within the organisation undertake or decide. This can be at department level, at the level of a part of the organisation, or even more broadly.

Goal

Name your goal based on situations in which you want to see what the influence and consequences of your decisions are within the organisation.

Development actions

Which concrete actions will you take, and when, broken down into the four ways of learning?

Learning through knowledge

There is a great deal of information available on the subject of organisational sensitivity in books, on the internet or through courses. There is therefore always something to find that appeals in tone and content. A few examples are:

Books

“Thinking like an entrepreneur” by Peter Hupalo, HCM Publishing.

Courses
Personal effectiveness, Time Management, ORGA

Learning through imitation

Seek out situations in which others are asked to take a decision or start an activity. Look at the basis on which they decide and to what extent they recognise the consequences of their action for other departments. Are they aware of the effect of their decision?

Learning through experimentation

Start within your own department or immediate environment by naming the consequences of a decision you want to take for other people or the department as a whole. Extend this to a decision or action that in your view has consequences for multiple departments and formulate for yourself what these consequences (may) be.

Learning through insight

Ask yourself questions after experimenting. Look at the consequences of your actions by, for example, asking people from other departments about them. What is the impact of your decisions on other parts of the organisation? Which alternative actions are possible and what effect do they have on the rest of the organisation? What would you do differently next time?

Statements

Is open to direction from the manager and colleagues.
Meets management’s priorities and responds to organisational interests.
Informs managers in good time about relevant developments and problems.
Applies rules, (budgetary) guidelines and procedures correctly.
Takes the organisation’s objectives into account when making decisions.
Uses management information when making decisions and taking measures.
Actively aligns with other departments on decisions that concern them.
Takes political relationships into account.
Continues to stand behind the organisation even in a conflict situation.
Takes into account the consequences of own behaviour on other parts of the organisation.
Looks beyond own discipline and creates opportunities for other parts of the organisation.
When working independently, is able to work according to the organisation’s vision and strategy.
Is aware of the developments the organisation is going through.
Handles confidential information discreetly.
Behaves in accordance with the organisation’s norms and values.
Knows what the organisation stands for and communicates this internally and externally.
Accepts, supports and helps to implement organisational changes.