This work succinctly documents the process of designing and installing a system that progressively allows COMARCA (Comercializadora Arichuna Caracas CA) to align the management of its Human Capital with organizational objectives and install an organizational learning culture that values and stimulate the development of knowledge as its essential productive factor.
Introduction
The possible company: Survival, immediate productivity and viability.
Contemporary businesses require special capabilities to survive and thrive in increasingly demanding and uncertain economic, political and social environments. They are capabilities that transcend what is referred to as the mere faculty of producing goods and services and being profitable immediately.
In fact, access to resources and markets are no longer features that differentiate companies or factors that alone determine the possibilities of sustainability over time. Instead the ability to transform those resources into competitive advantages, yes.
They are capacities that are not developed only through programmed and systematic events. They essentially depend on a "corporate attitude" that encourages the participation of employees in processes of maintenance and development of the organizational system. They are also a product of the synergy of the competencies of individuals (human capital), who find in the culture of their organization the encouragement and recognition for the contributions of knowledge.
Flexibility in management as a result of being in tune with the environment, ability to learn from experience, innovation and reinvention of processes and products, and human capital management focused on capitalizing knowledge and business strategy, are surely the most significant in this regard.
Achieving these essential strengths to survive and carry out important development projects depends critically on management's awareness of the purposes and processes that determine their construction.
1. Human capital management, the center of COMARCA's business strategy
COMARCA pursues two main objectives in its business strategy:
A. Increase your profitability and B. Ensure customer satisfaction. The achievement of both requires a highly professional, motivated and committed human capital both in its core sales process and in administration support.
The awareness that the General Management has about this relationship has motivated it to make both financial and human efforts to design and develop a structure and processes that allow the management of its human capital in line with the business objectives. This must necessarily meet the criteria established in this project in order to meet the expectations of development, profitability and sustainability of COMARCA defined and shared by the shareholders, management and the collaborators themselves:
- Human capital is the main productivity factor of COMARCA and as such it must be considered in the strategic and operational management of the company. In human capital management, general management, leaders and other collaborators participate in a co-responsible manner. Related to this management should be taken as close as possible to the processes, which is why a particular structure or unit will not be created to deal with the human resources affairs of the entire company in a centralized way. The administrative or transactional aspects are assumed by the administration department. The company will promote and recognize the capitalization of knowledge and the value contributions based on the development of the skills of its collaborators.These competencies are clearly described in the profiles of each position and organized in the Competency Model designed particularly for COMARCA. The possibilities for professional growth of all collaborators are expressly established in the Training Plans for both Sales and Administration. The management of these plans is in charge of the general management, the process leaders, collaborators and external experts invited according to the case.The company assumes the task of creating the conditions and giving decided support for the development of knowledge, learning organizational and the permanent reinvention of both the organization and its collaborators to respond to the changing conditions of the environment.This is what will make a company viable in time and capable of meeting everyone's expectations.
2. The COMARCA project
COMARCA is a company close to six years of operation and its mission is to distribute food products of the highest quality, to meet the needs of the market and ensure the comprehensive development of its associates. Being a service company, it bases its value offer on the capacity of its human capital.
Project start: June 2005
Objective: Design, implement and maintain a process for aligned self-management of human capital and knowledge, which contributes to achieving COMARCA's objectives.
Consulting objective: To transfer knowledge and technology in order to enable the self-management of Human Capital, with the participation and shared responsibility of all COMARCA collaborators.
Progress at the moment:
- Design of the strategic elements of the business: Mission, vision, values, value chain, critical success factors and the business macroprocess. Design and implementation of processes, procedures and instruments for the management of human capital in COMARCA:
- Systematic process of organizational climate management, Competencies Model, Performance Evaluation based on competencies, Internal Training Subsystem, Training Plans and Development of Sales and Administration Competencies and Evaluation Committees of the Sales and Administration processes.
- Training of collaborators for their participation in the co-management of COMARCA's human capital:
- Communication and integration workshops, Workshops on systemic process management Training of facilitators - internal multipliers of teaching - learning Training of members of internal committees for the evaluation of competencies and performance
(These products have been made with the participation and validation of all the collaborators who were in the company for the moments of design and implementation of each one of them).
- Intangibles:
- Awareness in the company of the value of knowledge and its capitalization as a productive factor. Sense of co-responsibility of the collaborators, in the management of knowledge and the human capital of the company.
2.1 Measurement of organizational climate as an approximation
Comarca has been measuring the organizational climate on a regular basis since 2005 (June 2005, August 2006, October 2007 and November 2008). The dimensions measured to identify the motivations and values of the collaborators have been maintained during all the measurements, which has allowed comparative analyzes to be carried out for years and to establish a consistent and coherent management of human capital to align it with the achievement of organizational objectives.
On the other hand, this sustained effort translates today into a regular process of organizational climate management that allows establishing the correlation between employee satisfaction levels and productivity.
The results of these studies have nourished the design and permanently guide the administration of the COMARCA Model for the management of Human Capital.
2.2 The Competency Model
Unlike the traditional approach to human resource management that has become clearly inefficient, competency-based Human Capital management directly relates staff behaviors to the organization's real needs. This makes it easier for leaders to conduct and permanently adjust the behavior of their collaborators, so that they directly contribute to the success of the business.
Seen this way, this daily effort for alignment becomes a strategic need and a responsibility that must be shared by leaders, collaborators and managers.
COMARCA's competency model describes the expected performance standard for both the organizational system and the collaborators who perform tasks in different positions in the social work structure. It is highly operational and focused on the strategic results of the business.
The basic characteristics of this model are:
- Focused on the strategic elements of the business Conceived as a system of interrelated competencies that must be managed as such to ensure the benefits of synergy and alignment to the company's strategy.The basic structure of the model is based on: Organizational Competences (Comprehensive Service to the client, Knowledge management, Adaptability, Continuous improvement, Partnership with suppliers and Monitoring of the environment); Generic Competencies (Orientation to customer satisfaction, Flexibility, Professional credibility, Orientation to results, Quality of work, Ability to learn, Communication and teamwork) and Profiles Profiles by Positions (generic related to each position and specific techniques).
2.3 Development plans
The competency development plans at COMARCA have been designed with the aim of guiding both the actions necessary to locate the competency assets in those processes where the greatest value is added, as well as the teaching-learning activities required to close the gaps of the collaborators identified in the evaluations.
Regarding the teaching-learning process, the use of internal resources and the experience gained in daily work are privileged. With this, the company is consistent with the value it places on knowledge and its management, as a strategic and critical factor for success.
These plans designed for both Sales and Administration are powerful tools for motivating employees, who participate directly in actions for their personal and professional growth in the company.
These plans were designed based on the systemic analysis of:
- Both corporate and individual results of competency evaluations. Key opportunities for improvement, obtained in agreements signed by leaders and collaborators in the results analysis interviews of the individual evaluations. Organizational climate. The criteria used for its formulation were: The contribution of the development of the skills identified as opportunities for improvement, to COMARCA's strategic objectives: Increase in profitability and customer satisfaction. Support of these skills in the development of Organizational Competencies: Comprehensive Customer Service, Adaptability, Continuous Process Improvement, Knowledge Management, Partnership with Suppliers and Environment Monitoring.The purpose of the General Management to incorporate the management of Human Capital to the rest of the business management variables, as well as to stimulate the development of a culture that values the management of knowledge and skills., key emotional competencies and skills, associated with the Sales and Administration process and The privilege of using internal resources, for the development of teaching-learning activities.associated with the Sales and Administration process and The privilege of the use of internal resources, for the development of teaching-learning activities.associated with the Sales and Administration process and The privilege of the use of internal resources, for the development of teaching-learning activities.
2.4 Competency and performance evaluations
At COMARCA, competency and performance evaluations are carried out with the participation of collaborators throughout the process: from the review and validation of the Profiles of Profiles, the application of the instruments and the shared management of the teaching-learning process that will allow overcome the gaps identified in conjunction with the leader of the process in which the collaborator who is evaluated works.
The results are not used by themselves for decision-making regarding salary increases, award of productivity bonuses or promotions.
The objective of this evaluation process is to guide the collaborator in the development of new skills that allow them to increase their ability to add value and therefore increase their employability.
2.5 Evaluation committees for professional development
The Evaluation Committees (CE) are conceived in COMARCA as a team of observers, technicians and advisers duly trained to express an opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of the collaborators, in relation to a job (competencies and performance objectives).
The design of these CEs based on the particular conditions of the company and the training of its members, configure important steps in the effort to self-manage its Human Capital and to make the decisions that condition the professional development of its employees more just, objective and transparent. collaborators. Currently a committee operates in each of the company's departments.
The objectives of the CE in COMARCA are:
- Analyze job descriptions. Analyze the Profiles Profiles. Select new talents. Identify improvement opportunities for training. Evaluate performance. Certify competencies and Assess sufficiency for applicants for new positions.
2.6 The training subsystem
In the framework of COMARCA's efforts to implement a culture of Knowledge Management and administer its Human Capital based on competencies, the role of formal and natural leaders is now incorporated in the management of the facilitation of teaching-learning processes in the company. This has the key objective of establishing a virtuous circle of learning and teaching based on experience, by which the capitalization of knowledge is ensured.
In addition, direct and concrete benefits are expected in relation to: A. Rationalization of investment in training, B. Direct attention to training needs in the workplace, C. The effect of improved performance, and D. The no less important of the encouragement to the leaders and collaborators so that they become co-responsible in the development of their own competences and skills.
The current challenge
The current challenge for COMARCA is to ensure that its new Human Capital management model is incorporated into daily practice. This requires, without a doubt, not only the commitment and understanding that management has shown to achieve this purpose, but also the active and committed participation of all employees in the understanding that this is a vital issue for survival and development. creative of all.
Team responsible for COMARCA
Leopoldo Machado (General Manager): Leader, focal point and co-author on some products.
Josyal Lara (Head of Administration): Coordinator of the project by Administration and in charge of logistics.
Daniel Abreu and Luis Vanegas (Sales managers): Project coordinators for Sales.
Bibliographic references
Jorge Etkin (2005) "Management of complexity in organizations". Editorial Granica
Robert E. Quinn et al. (1995) "Master in Organizational Management". Editorial Díaz de Santos.
Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad (1998), "Competing for the Future". Editorial Ariel Sociedad Económica.
Peter M Senge "The Fifth Discipline" (1992) Editions Juan Granica
Annie Brooking (1997) "The Intellectual Capital", Editions Paidós Ibérica
Domingo J Delgado M. (2003), article "Models of Management of Competences" Iberoamerican Knowledge Foundation www.gestiondelconocimiento.com
Domingo J Delgado M (2005) Monographic article "The contribution of Human Capital Management based on Competencies", as part of the book "Knowledge for Development" published by the Deusto University, San Sebastián, Spain.
