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Task Instructions:
The organization establishes a framework for continuously improving its workforce practices and activities.
- The organization identifies a group of responsible individuals with organization-wide responsibility for continuous improvement within each area of workforce practices and activities
- Those with organizational responsibility for continuous improvement within an area of workforce practices and activities, establish for their area organizational priorities for improvements, if any, approaches and guidance for identifying and implementing improvements, high-level plans for pursuing improvement activities, funding and other resources required to support planned improvement activities, and how improvement activities will incorporate both suggestions from the workforce and structured improvement activities guided by quantitative objectives and analyses.
Individuals and workgroups are empowered to continuously improve their performance of workforce activities.
- The workforce is informed of their ability to continuously improve the competency-based processes that they perform, their ability to continuously improve the workforce activities that they perform, and methods available to them for participating in improvement activities.
- Those who perform workforce practices and activities are encouraged to identify improvements in performing their responsibilities.
- When they begin performing an improved practice or activity, individuals or workgroups record evidence for evaluating whether the new practice represents an improvement over previous methods.
A continuous improvement program is established to encourage individuals and workgroups to propose improvements to workforce practices and activities.
- Based on their experience in implementing improved workforce practices or activities, individuals and workgroups are encouraged to submit improvement proposals for possible adoption across their units or across the
organization. - Improvement proposals can be submitted by any individual or workgroup, and address any area of workforce practices or activities.
- Proposals concerning workforce practices or activities at the organizational level are reviewed by those coordinating improvements in the relevant area of workforce practices for the organization.
- Proposals concerning workforce activities within a unit are reviewed by the person(s) responsible for workforce activities within the unit, with advice from an appropriate person at the organizational level, if appropriate.
- Improvement proposals are evaluated by appropriate individuals or groups responsible for improving the area of workforce practices relevant to the proposal.
- When the implementation of a proposal is localized to a unit and does not require changes to policies or procedures at the organizational level, the unit is empowered to implement the improvement with appropriate review and guidance.
- Decisions regarding proposals that affect practices and activities at the organizational level are evaluated in the context of other proposed improvements or innovations.
- Individuals and workgroups are informed of decisions regarding their improvement proposals.
Workforce opinions about their working conditions are periodically evaluated to identify areas that would most benefit from innovative or improved practices.
- Based upon data collected regarding employee opinions about their working conditions, identify and document employee needs, requirements, and priorities.
- The employee needs, requirements, or priorities emerging from these analyses provide inputs for use in identifying workforce practices needing improvement, and selecting among improved workforce practices for trial use and
deployment.
Data regarding the impact of the organization’s workforce practices and activities are analyzed to identify areas that would most benefit from innovative or improved practices.
- Data on the capability of the organization’s competency development activities are analyzed to determine which of the organization’s workforce competencies would most benefit from innovative or improved competency development practices or activities, within each workforce competency, which competency development activities have been most effective and which are in most in need of improvement, and within each workforce competency, which workforce practices have been most effective and which are most in need of improvement.
- Data on the impact of workforce practices and activities on the capability of competency-based processes are analyzed to determine which competency-based processes are most in need of improvement, and within each area of competency-based processes, which workforce practices have had the most beneficial impact and which are most in need of improvement.
- Data on the impact of workforce practices and activities on the alignment of performance are analyzed to determine which areas of performance are most in need of improved alignment, and within each area of misaligned performance, which workforce practices have had the most beneficial impact and which are most in need of improvement.
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Quantitative objectives are established for improving the impact of workforce practices and activities.
- Quantitative objectives for improving the impact of competency development practices and activities are based on the organization’s strategic objectives for developing capability in each of its workforce competencies compared to the impact of its competency development practices and activities, and the opportunities for improvement identified in analyzing data on the impact of competency development practices and activities.
- Quantitative objectives for improving the impact of workforce practices and activities on competency-based processes are based on the current capability of competency-based processes compared to the capability required to achieve organizational business objectives, and the opportunities for improvement identified in analyzing data on the impact of workforce practices and activities on the capability and performance of competency-based processes.
- Quantitative objectives for improving the impact of workforce practices and activities on the alignment of performance are based on the current level of performance alignment across individuals, workgroups, and units compared to that needed to achieve organizational business objectives, and the opportunities for improvement identified in analyzing data on the impact of workforce practices and activities on the alignment of performance.
The organization continuously investigates innovative workforce practices and technologies.
Innovative and improved workforce practices and technologies are evaluated and selected for implementation.
- Those responsible for coordinating the continuous innovation and improvement of workforce practices and technologies review improvement proposals and information on innovative practices or technologies in their
area and select the most promising for further evaluation. - Preliminary cost-benefit analyses are performed for the anticipated impact of proposed innovations or improvements and those with the highest potential benefits are selected for implementation.
- The potential risks to effective implementation or potential benefits of selected innovations or improvements are evaluated.
- Innovative and improved workforce practices and technologies that are evaluated to have few risks to effective implementation or expected benefits are approved for organization-wide implementation.
- When significant risks to effective implementation or potential benefits are identified, the innovation or improvement is proposed for trial implementation.
When appropriate, innovative or improved workforce practices or technologies are evaluated in trials to evaluate their benefits and most effective methods for implementation.
- The objectives and evaluation criteria for the trial are documented.
- A plan for conducting one or more trials is developed which covers the unit(s) to be involved in the trial, resources needed to conduct the trial, the schedule of activities involved in the trial, the training for those who will implement the practice or use the
technology, the orientation of those who are affected by the trial, the criteria for evaluating the trial, the data and other information that will be collected for evaluating the trial, how the evaluation will be performed, and the steps to be taken if the trial demonstrates that the practice or technology is beneficial. - The plan for the trial is reviewed by all affected parties.
- Those responsible for innovative or improved workforce practices or technologies provide consultation and assistance to the trial.
- The trial is conducted and evaluated according to the plan.
- The results of the trial effort are collected, analyzed, and documented, including documentation of any lessons learned and problems encountered during the trial, estimates of the benefits and impacts of broader use in the organization, and assessment of risks in moving to broader implementation.
- Adjustments to a proposed workforce practice or technology are made and documented during the trial effort to optimize its effective implementation and benefits.
- Based on trial results, a decision is made to either terminate the further work with the practice or technology because it has proven ineffective, proceed with full implementation, or make adjustments to the practice or technology, based on lessons learned, and then replan and continue with additional trials.
The deployment of innovative or improved workforce practices or technologies is planned and prepared.
- The scope of the organization to which the innovative or improved practice or technology is to be deployed is identified.
- A plan is developed for deploying innovative or improved workforce practices or technologies that have been approved for organization-wide use. The plan typically covers resources needed for deployment, the schedule for deployment across units, the activities involved in deployment within a unit, the training or other preparation for those who will deploy the practice or use the technology, the orientation of those who are affected by the practice or technology, how to mitigate risks involved in the deployment, steps in reviewing deployment status and effectiveness, and any changes required for deploying the practice or technology.
- Before implementing a workforce practice or activity, those responsible for deploying it should review it with those affected by the practice or activity to identify unanticipated problems or effects, those who have expertise in the area of the practice to determine if the improvement is likely to prove beneficial, a human resources professional, if they believe the improvement may conflict with organizational policies or procedures, or a human resources or legal professional, if the practice or activity is governed by laws or regulations.
- The strategy for collecting data to measure and track the impact of an innovative or improved workforce practice or technology is documented, reviewed by all affected parties, and agreed to.
- Training and other methods for preparing responsible individuals to perform innovative or improved workforce practices or to use new technologies are developed.
Innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies are implemented according to their deployment plans.
- Innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies are implemented across all segments of the organization within the deployment scope.
- Consulting and other facilitative support is provided to those implementing innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies.
- Progress in deploying innovative or improved practices or technologies is tracked against the plan.
- When progress in deploying innovative or improved practices or technologies deviates significantly from plan, corrective actions are taken, which may include re-planning the deployment, resolving shortfalls in resources, training, or other preparations for deployment, correcting inefficiencies in the method of deployment, or adjusting innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies to improve their integration into unit activities.
- Problems in deploying innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies are identified and adjustments are defined for use in future deployments.
The effectiveness and benefits of innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies are evaluated quantitatively.
- A strategy for evaluating the effectiveness and benefits of innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies is developed.
- Appropriate methods for evaluating the effectiveness and benefits of innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies are identified, and analyses are planned.
- Data concerning the effectiveness and benefits of innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies are collected, analyzed, and reported.
- Results of these analyses are used to improve the selection and implementation of innovative or improved workforce practices and technologies.
The status and results of the organization’s Continuous Workforce Innovation activities are periodically reviewed and communicated across the organization.
- Responsible individuals periodically review the progress in implementing improved or innovative workforce practices and technologies.
- The workforce is kept informed of the organization’s activities for continuously innovating or improving its workforce practices and activities.
