Kendall Consulting Group - Case Studies

Case Study: Competency Modeling for Financial Group
Insurance Company

Situation

As part of a larger change initiative the financial management group of a major insurance company wanted to understand the skills that were needed within the group. Human resources had taken a traditional job description approach to the problem, however, this was not helping the group in its management and staff development activities and in recruiting.

Approach

Kendall Consulting Group was assisting the company with a larger business change initiative. We were also asked to help the financial group with the human resources issues. After a quick, initial study we recommended that a competency model be created that bridged across the range of specific positions that were now needed within the group.

Key Value

KCG interviewed managers and incumbents within the financial group, across the rest of the company, and in complementary groups in other companies. We assembled a strawman model of the competencies needed within the group and brought this to a workshop with some of the financial group's leadership. Together we honed a single model that emphasized some entirely new skill and competency areas for the group. These included: leadership, ethics, ability to persuade, empathy, interpersonal skills, packaging and presentations, and company development. Previously, only functional skills in the financial area had been emphasized.

Results

Financial group managers honed and ratified a new competency model based on KCG's leg work and recommended strawman. The managers now had a specific set of skills to develop within the group. Performance appraisal criteria were changed. Education and training plans were adopted to the new competency models. Lastly, employees had a much clearer picture of what the company valued and how they could improve their contribution to it. Overtime, the human resources group also adopted the competency model approach to their work.

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Navigation to Other Cases (below) and the Cases Main Page (click here)

1. Creating New External Consulting Group for an International Consumer Electronics Conglomerate
2. Internal Consulting Group Methodology and Skill Development for a Major White Goods Manufacturer
3. Business Process Reengineering for an International Manufacturer
4. Event-Driven Business Change for a Multinational Telecommunications Company
5. Discovery of New Product Ideas for a Publishing Company
6. Refocusing a Business Change Effort for an International Service Management Company
7. Renovating Key Business Processes for a Large Scale Precious Metals Company
8. Information Needs Assessment for a Major Paper Company
9. Organizational Assessment for a Major Telecommunications Company
10. Coaching a Business Change Team for a Regional Healthcare Provider
11. Creating Management Team Alignment for an International Petrochemicals Company
12. Competency Modeling for Financial Group of Insurance Company

Kendall Consulting Group is an international general management consulting firm specializing in strategy execution, change management, and executive education. We invite you to contact us for how we might help you and your company grow and prosper.

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