PA.

Child Welfare Training Program

University of Pittsburgh Department of Public Welfare Pennsylvania Children and Youth Administrators, Inc

Capabilities Audit
Following up on the Organizational Effectiveness presentation at PCYA in October, below is material recommended by Phil Basso of American Public Human Service Association. Companies arent known for their structure or their approaches to doing business. They are known and respected for their capabilities . . . their ability to create, to respond to their stakeholders, etc. (Its a concept we all learned in Supervisor CORE 501) Ulrich and Smallwood reinforce the concept in their Harvard Business Review article entitled, Capitalizing on Capabilities. They refer to these as organizational capabilitiesyou cant see them or touch them, yet they can make all the difference in the world . . . . Ulrich and Smallwood go on to explain: That these capabilitiesthe collective skills, abilities, and expertiseare the outcomes of investments in staffing, training, compensation, communication, and other human resource areas. They form the identity and personality of the organization by defining what it is good at doing and, in the end, what it is. They arent easy to measure and managers pay far less attention to them than tangible investments . . . but these capabilities give [stakeholders confidence in the future]. While no one magical list of capabilities exist for Children and Youth Services, or any other endeavor for that matter, Ulrich and Smallwood have identified 11 capabilities that well-run organizations possess. Ulrich and Smallwood advise that companies generally excel in at least three of the capabilities while maintaining parity in the others. It is only when an organization falls below the norm in one that dysfunction . . . will likely ensue. Eleven Capabilities 1. Talentwe are good at attracting, motivating, and retaining competent and committed people. 2. Speedwe are good at making important changes rapidly. 3. Shared mind-set and coherent brand identitywe are good at ensuring that employees and customers have positive and consistent images of and experiences with our organization. 4. Accountabilitywe are good at maintaining high performance from employees. 5. Collaborationwe are good at working across boundaries to ensure both efficiency and leverage. 6. Learningwe are good at generating and generalizing ideas with impact. 7. Leadershipwe are good at embedding leaders throughout the organization. 8. Customer connectivitywe are good at building enduring relationships of trust with targeted customers. 9. Strategic unitywe are good at articulating and sharing a strategic point of view. 10. Innovationwe are good at doing something new in both content and process. 11. Efficiencywe are good at managing costs.
Source Article: Capitalizing on Capabilities, Ulrich and Smallwood, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, June 2004 gps, bblcec

PA. Child Welfare Training Program

University of Pittsburgh Department of Public Welfare Pennsylvania Children and Youth Administrators, Inc

Capabilities Audit Ulrich and Smallwood have suggested a powerful way to evaluate (these) intangible assets and render them concrete and measurableperform a capabilities audit. A capabilities audit provides a high level picture of an organizations strengths and areas for improvement. A capabilities audit is a way to monitor and highlight your organizations capabilities . . . measure your progress . . . and develop an action plan for improvement. Complete this short capabilities audit: 1. Select a component to audit (investigative unit, placement division, entire organization, supervisors only, etc.) 2. Consider your plan, your outcomes, your goals . . . 3. Assess the performance by answering the questions below (0=worst, and 10=best) 4. Rank the need for improvement for each capability (1=highest need, 2=next highest, etc.) 1 2 3. 4. 5. 6. Question Do our employees have the competencies and commitment required to deliver the strategy in question? Can we move quickly to make important things happen fast? Do we have a culture or identity that reflects what we stand for and how we work? Is it shared by both customers and employees? Does high performance matter to the extent that we can ensure execution of strategy? How well do we collaborate to gain both efficiency and leverage? Assess. Rank

Are we good at generating new ideas with impact and generalizing those across boundaries? 7. Do we have a leadership brand that directs managers on which results to deliver and how to deliver them? 8. Do we form enduring relationships of trust with targeted customers? 9. Do our employees share an intellectual, behavioral, and procedural agenda for our strategy? 10. How well do we innovate in product, strategy, services, and administration? 11 Do we reduce costs by closely managing processes, people, and projects? Next steps: If you would like to discuss the materials further, contact Jerry Sopko at (412)2606530
Source Article: Capitalizing on Capabilities, Ulrich and Smallwood, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, June 2004 gps, bblcec

PA. Child Welfare Training Program

University of Pittsburgh Department of Public Welfare Pennsylvania Children and Youth Administrators, Inc

If you would like someone to facilitate a capabilities audit with you and your team, contact Mike Danner (717) 795 9048 or Jerry Sopko (412) 260-6530 If you want to conduct your own capabilities audit but need assistance, contact Mike Danner or Jerry Sopko. -Jerry Sopko, Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Source Article: Capitalizing on Capabilities, Ulrich and Smallwood, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, June 2004

gps, bblcec