Wilkes University

Performance Management

Dictionary of Competencies
Contents

How to Use this Dictionary 2

Baseline Requirements 3

General Competencies
Attention to Detail ................................................................................................7
Collaboration.........................................................................................................8
Communication.....................................................................................................9
Customer Focus ..................................................................................................10
Results-Focused ..................................................................................................11
Initiative ..............................................................................................................12
Job-focused Learning..........................................................................................13
Organizational Understanding ............................................................................14
Planning and Organizing ....................................................................................15
Problem Solving/Analytical Thinking ................................................................16
Technical Expertise.............................................................................................17

Management and Leadership Competencies

Change Leadership .............................................................................................19
Coaching .............................................................................................................20
Collaborative Leadership ....................................................................................21
Delegation ...........................................................................................................22
Global Sensitivity ...............................................................................................23
Innovation ...........................................................................................................24
Risk Taking .........................................................................................................25

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HOW TO USE THIS DICTIONARY
The Competency Dictionary has been designed as a resource for supervisors and non-supervisory
employees. Its primary purposes are to bring more detailed definition to the behaviors that are
important for the University to achieve its strategic goals and to create a common, objective
language for talking about behavioral skills.
Each Competency in the dictionary has a Definition and a set of behavioral skills called
Behavioral Indicators. The Behavioral Indicators are observable behaviors that individuals
employ when they are demonstrating a particular Competency. For example, when an employee
is demonstrating “Initiative”, one of the things others will observe that individual doing is
seeking information from many different sources before deciding on his/her own approach. This
is the third behavioral indicator in the dictionary under the Competency “Initiative”. Note that
observing a behavior means you can either see or hear an individual exhibiting that behavior.
During the planning phase of the performance management process, supervisors and their
employees use the dictionary to determine how the employee can most effectively achieve their
goals or planned outcomes. There are Competencies that are baseline requirements and are
expected of all employees at the University. They are: Reliability, Integrity, Accountability,
Flexibility, Diversity, Basic Computing Skills, and Interpersonal Relationships. The dictionary
contains eleven general competencies and seven management and leadership competencies from
which employees and supervisors can choose. Employees and supervisors will choose three to
five competencies from the applicable list. It is important to choose the three to five
competencies that will help the employee achieve his/her planned outcomes or goals. All
competencies are important, but there are certain competencies that are more relevant than others
to the particular job or focus for the year. Note: All employees in supervisory positions must
have Coaching as a competency.
Once the Competencies have been selected, the supervisor and employee agree on three
Behavioral Indicators in each Competency that will be performance expectations for that staff
member. It is not sufficient, though, to use the Behavioral Indicators verbatim. When they are
recorded as performance expectations on the performance management worksheet, the
Behavioral Indicators must be edited to be relevant to the employee’s planned outcomes. As an
example, a planned outcome or goal for an administrative assistant may be to, “Create first drafts
of documents and reports with 98 percent accuracy.” It is reasonable to assume that a key
Competency related to this expected outcome is Attention to Detail. A relevant Behavioral
Indicator might be, “Double-checks the accuracy of information and work product.” A possible
edit for this Behavioral Indicator might be, “Double-checks the accuracy of grammar, content,
and style on all department documents and reports”.
During the managing and appraising phases of the performance management process,
supervisors and employees use the dictionary to understand and classify the behaviors of
themselves and others. The language contained in the dictionary can be useful in helping
supervisors and other feedback providers to document and discuss specific examples of the use
of the behavioral skills identified as performance expectations.

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 BASELINE
REQUIREMENTS

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BASELINE REQUIREMENTS
DEFINITION BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS
Reliability - demonstrates a high level of  Completes all assigned tasks on time and with
dependability in all aspects of the job. minimal supervision.
 Is punctual and present for work.
 Fulfills all commitments made to peers, co-
workers, and supervisor.
 Informs appropriate individuals when assigned
tasks will not be completed in agreed upon time
frame.
Integrity - acts in an honest and trustworthy  Acts consistently with personal standards of
manner based on personal accountability and a moral ethical judgment when participating in group
conviction to do the right thing. decisions and problem-solving.
 Acts to protect and does not violate or
compromise the confidentiality of information.
Recognizes when situations or directives are
directly or indirectly in conflict with professional
ethics or with the organization’s stated values.
 Promises only what can reasonably be delivered.
 Appropriately and consistently complies with
policies and procedures.
Accountability - demonstrates an understanding  Helps and supports fellow employees in their
of the link between one’s own job responsibilities and work to contribute to overall organization
overall organizational goals and needs, and performs success.
one’s job with the broader goals in mind.  Demonstrates understanding of the overall
business – its goals, purpose, functions,
competition, etc. – that helps increase employee
commitment and interest.
 Looks beyond the requirements of one’s own job
to offer suggestions for improvements of overall
organization operations.
 Takes personal ownership in organization’s
success.
Flexibility – changes behavioral style or method of  Adjusts easily to changes at work.
approach when necessary to achieve a goal; adjusts style  Modifies a strongly held position in response to
as appropriate to meet the needs of the situation contrary evidence.
 Recognizes the merits of different approaches and
uses them in accomplishing work activities.
 Modifies own behavior to fit the situation at hand
or to meet the expectations of others.

Diversity - demonstrates respect for all differences  Refrains from behavior or language that is
(e.g., race, gender, ethnic background, disabilities, exclusionary or offensive in nature.
sexual orientation, age, career levels, style and  Solicits opinions from many diverse perspectives.
opinions.)  Considers different ideas when making business
decisions.
 Adheres to the policy on sexual and other
unlawful harassment.

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  Participates in University training and learning
opportunities to increase competence in Diversity.

Basic Computing Skills – demonstrates the  Uses the University email application to share and
ability to use information technology to receive and receive information.
share information as an active member of the  Uses the Outlook Calendar to plan and schedule
organization and to accomplish position responsibilities work, meetings, and appointments.
successfully.  Navigates the Wilkes website to obtain
information.
 Demonstrates proficiency in the use of software
applications required for the position.
Interpersonal Relationships – thinks  Demonstrates appropriate and professional
carefully about the likely effect on others of one’s behavior at all times.
words, actions, appearance and mode of behavior.  Uses a high degree of tact and diplomacy in
Maintains stable performance and emotional control working with others.
when faced with opposition, pressure, hostility from  Models and exercises sound judgment regarding
others and/or stressful conditions. personal conduct.
 Is aware of one’s own style or preference and its
impact on others.
 Earns the respect of others.
 Stays calm in the face of others’ anger or lack of
control or when faced with complaints.

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 GENERAL
COMPETENCIES

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ATTENTION TO DETAIL

DEFINITION:

Thoroughness in accomplishing a task through concern for all the areas involved, no matter how
small. Monitors and checks work or information and plans and organizes time and resources
efficiently.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Provides accurate, consistent numbers on all paperwork.

 Provides information on a timely basis and in a usable form to others who need to act on
it.

 Maintains a checklist, schedule, calendar, etc., to ensure that small details are not
overlooked.

 Double-checks the accuracy of information and work product.

 Carefully monitors the details and quality of own and others' work.

 Expresses concern that things be done right, thoroughly, or precisely.

 Follows policies, procedures, safety and security measures in using various equipment.

 Completes all reports and documents according to procedures and standards.

 Maintains properly equipped work area.

 Takes necessary actions to produce work that requires little or no checking.

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COLLABORATION

DEFINITION:

Develops cooperation and teamwork while participating in a group of people, working toward
solutions which generally benefit all involved parties.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Solicits the input of others who are affected by plans or actions.

 Gives credit and recognition to others who have contributed.

 Finds areas of agreement when working with conflicting individuals or groups.

 Identifies and pushes for solutions in which all parties can benefit.

 Demonstrates concern for treating people fairly and equitably.

 Keeps people informed and up-to-date.

 Builds consensus.

 Listens to all points of view.

 Readily gets cooperation of others for whom one has no direct supervisory responsibility.

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COMMUNICATION

DEFINITION:

Creates an atmosphere in which timely and high quality information flows smoothly both up the
organization and down, inside and outside the organization; encourages open expression of ideas
and opinions.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Asks open-ended questions that encourage others to give their points of view.

 Keeps people accurately informed and up to date.

 Appropriately expresses one's own opinion.

 Refrains from immediate judgment and criticism of others' ideas, delivering criticism in a
way that demonstrates sensitivity to the feelings of others.

 Waits for the other person to finish their intended message before responding.

 Encourages staff to keep one another informed and share information.

 Uses vocabulary which is appropriate to the audience.

 Keeps responsible people informed of both positive and potentially negative information.

 Asks questions as necessary to clarify a message being delivered, demonstrating close

concentration on the message.

 Encourages response and dissent to ideas and issues.

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CUSTOMER FOCUS

DEFINITION:

Demonstrates concern for meeting internal and external customers' needs in a manner that
provides satisfaction for the customer. ["Customers" can be students, co-workers, peers,
supervisors or managers, vendors, suppliers, external partners or other stakeholders.]

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Asks questions to identify customer's needs or expectations.

 Checks understanding by stating what he/she understands are the customer's needs or
expectations and asks the speaker to verify or clarify.

 Considers the impact on the external customer when taking action, setting policies or
carrying out one's own job tasks.

 Looks for external trends that are likely to shape the wants and needs of customers in the
near future.

 Involves stakeholders in the decision-making or problem-solving process as early as

possible.

 Looks for creative approaches to providing or improving services that may increase
efficiency and decrease cost.

 Works to remove barriers that get in the way of giving customers top notch service.

 Asks questions of customers to assess satisfaction with service being provided.

 Refers customer to appropriate department or employee to solve specific problems.

 When referring customers to different departments, follows up to make sure that the
customer has been taken care of.

 Seeks ways to continuously improve external and internal customer satisfaction with
product or service quality and on-time delivery.

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RESULTS - FOCUSED

DEFINITION:

Demonstrates concern for achieving or surpassing results against an internal or external standard
of excellence, shows a passion for improving the delivery of services with a commitment to
continuous improvement.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Holds self and other team members accountable for achieving results.

 Recognizes and capitalizes on opportunities.

 Sets and maintains high performance standards for self and others that support organization’s
strategic plan.

 Tries new things to reach challenging goals while also taking action to minimize the risks
involved.

 Persists until personal and team goals are achieved and commitments met.

 Finds more efficient and less expensive ways to do things.

 Works to meet individual and company goals with positive regard, acknowledgment of, and
cooperation with the achievement of others’ goals.

 Motivates others to translate ideas into actions and results.

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INITIATIVE

DEFINITION:

Does more than is required or expected in the job; does things that no one has requested that will
improve or enhance products and services, avoid problems, or develop entrepreneurial
opportunities. Plans ahead for upcoming problems or opportunities and takes appropriate action.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Does things before being asked or before the situation necessitates action (i.e., forced to
by events).

 Recognizes and acts upon opportunities.

 Seeks information from many different sources before deciding on own approach.

 Does far more than is minimally required in the assignment, task or job description.

 Digs beneath the obvious to get at the facts, even when not asked to do so.

 Creates opportunities or minimizes potential problems by anticipating and preparing for

these in advance.

 Tries out new ideas after consideration of all factors involved and potential consequences
and outcomes.

 Seeks out and/or accepts additional responsibilities in the context of the job.

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JOB-FOCUSED LEARNING

DEFINITION:

Demonstrates eagerness to acquire necessary technical knowledge, skills and judgment to

accomplish a result or to serve a customer’s needs effectively. Has desire and drive to acquire
knowledge and skills necessary to perform job more effectively.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Seeks out opportunities to gain additional operational exposure and experience.

 Identifies and pursues areas for development and training that will enhance job
performance.

 Maintains fluency in appropriate business applications, software or tools.

 Keeps up to date on current research and technology in the industry, field or function.

 Reviews, selects and disseminates information regarding key technologies and best
practices and tools to others in the group.

 Demonstrates resourcefulness in acquiring necessary knowledge inside or outside area of

expertise when designing solutions or improving performance.

 Continually looks for ways to expand job capabilities.

 Selects appropriate development activities from a range of competing alternatives and

pursues them.

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ORGANIZATIONAL UNDERSTANDING

DEFINITION:

Understands the agendas and perspectives of others, recognizing and effectively balancing the
interests and needs of one's own group with those of the broader organization.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Understands the organizational implications of events.

 Knows how to use the organization's formal and informal system to get things done.

 Demonstrates awareness of goals of other units and of the organization and makes
requests or decisions in support of this awareness.

 Uses the most appropriate channels and cost-effective means in communications within
and between departments/divisions.

 Identifies key decision makers on issues of concern.

 Recognizes which issues are worth pursuing and when it is time to compromise.

 Keeps objectives that are related to organizational priorities at the top of one's own
priorities and the priorities of one's work group.

 Works to build a sense of common purpose across all work groups, avoiding a "we versus
them" attitude.

 Identifies underlying problems affecting organizational or individual performance such as

market conditions, competitor actions or other external forces.

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PLANNING AND ORGANIZING

DEFINITION:

Establishes a systematic course of action for self or others to ensure accomplishment of a

specific objective. Sets priorities, goals and timetables to achieve maximum productivity.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Develops or uses systems to organize and keep track of information (e.g., "to-do" lists,
appointment calendars, follow-up file systems).

 Sets priorities with an appropriate sense of what is most important.

 Keeps track of activities completed and yet to do to accomplish stated objectives.

 Keeps clear, detailed records of activities related to the accomplishment of stated objectives.

 Plans with an appropriate and realistic sense of the time demand involved.

 Knows status of one's own work at all times.

 Creates action plans for achieving performance expectations.

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PROBLEM SOLVING/ANALYTICAL THINKING

DEFINITION:

Builds a logical approach to address problems or opportunities or manage the situation at hand
by drawing on own knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources
as necessary.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Undertakes a complex task by breaking it down into manageable parts in a systematic,

detailed way.

 Anticipates the consequences of situations.

 Thinks of several possible explanations or alternatives for a situation.

 Identifies the information needed to solve a problem effectively.

 Gets input from internal/external contacts who are closest to the problem.

 Presents problem analysis and recommended solution to others rather than just
identifying or describing the problem itself.

 Acknowledges when one doesn't know something and takes steps to find out.

 Anticipates potential obstacles and develops contingency plans to overcome them.

 Considers the organization’s priorities when making decisions or analyzing the costs and
benefits of various alternative solutions.

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TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

DEFINITION:

Applies and improves extensive or in-depth specialized knowledge, skills and judgment to
accomplish a result or to serve one's "customers" effectively. ["Customers" can be students, co-
workers, peers, supervisors or managers, external partners or other stakeholders.]

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Understands technical aspects of one’s job.

 Makes self available to others to help solve technical or procedural problems or issues.

 Continuously builds knowledge, keeping up-to-date on the technical or procedural

aspects of the job.

 Acts on own to improve and increase technical or procedural knowledge.

 Uses a wide range and depth of technical or specialized knowledge and skills.

 Keeps up-to-date on resources available to serve the needs of customers.

 Thinks of ways to apply new developments to improve organizational performance or

customer service.

 Applies technical/procedural knowledge to correctly address a situation, taking into

consideration the full range of available facts.

 Applies technical procedures correctly and in a timely manner.

 Recognizes trends in theory and practice of one's own technical area and effectively
prepares for anticipated changes.

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 MANAGEMENT &
LEADERSHIP
COMPETENCIES

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CHANGE LEADERSHIP

DEFINITION:

Initiates and/or manages the change process and energizes it on an ongoing basis, taking steps to
remove barriers or accelerate its pace.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Communicates a compelling vision that generates excitement, enthusiasm, and

commitment.

 Communicates the need for change and inspires commitment to the process.

 Obtains and provides resources to enable implementation of change initiatives.

 Clearly communicates the direction, required performance, and challenges of the unit to
its members.

 Identifies and enlists the support of key individuals and groups to move the change
forward.

 Demonstrates commitment to innovation and continuous improvement in organizational

performance.

 Takes action to call attention to a crisis or heighten the awareness of a need for change.

 Enlists others effectively as champions of the change one is pursuing.

 Leads initiatives to change the structure, system, or talent mix of the organization to more
effectively support the business strategy.

 Serves as a personal model of the change that she/he expects of others.

 Works to make other feel ownership in one's own solution.

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COACHING

DEFINITION:

Works to improve and reinforce performance of others. Facilitates their skill development by
providing clear, behaviorally specific performance feedback and making or eliciting specific
suggestions for improvement in a manner that builds confidence and maintains self-esteem.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Reinforces effective behaviors or results immediately after the event.

 Compares and clearly states actual performance to expected or desired performance.

 Takes extra time to assist and provides specific, detailed follow-up.

 Demonstrates or specifically explains correct procedures or desired performance.

 Devotes time to providing task-related help to others, as needed.

 Asks questions that help other people recognize the need for performance improvement.

 Expresses confidence in an individual's ability to improve performance.

 Talks with others openly and directly about problems with their performance, providing
necessary focus, guidance and direction.

 Tailors feedback and interactive approach to the individual.

 Discusses problems immediately, before they are forgotten or out of control.

 Ensures clarity of and commitment to performance expectations.

 Collects and incorporates the feedback of others to create development plans.

 Gives specific feedback and examples in a manner that maintains self-esteem.

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COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP

DEFINITION:

Promotes and generates cooperation among one’s peers in leadership to achieve a collective
outcome; fosters the development of a common vision and fully participates in creating a unified
leadership team that get results.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Takes into account the organization as a whole when making decisions. Separates one’s
own interests from organizational interests in order to make the best possible judgments
for the university.

 Supports and acts in accordance with final leadership team decisions even when such
decisions may not entirely reflect one’s own position.

 Solicits the input of peers across the university even when those peers may only be
tangentially affected or involved.

 Finds areas of agreement when working with conflicting viewpoints and opinions.

 Identifies and pushes for solutions in which all parts of the university can benefit.

 Builds consensus among one’s peers in leadership.

 Communicates key university priorities and how one’s division or department contributes
to achieving those priorities.

 Shares annual goals with peers in the university to increase alignment, cooperation and
opportunities to collaborate.

 Builds buy-in for strategic goals across the university.

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DELEGATION

DEFINITION:

Utilizes direct reports effectively by allocating decision-making and other responsibilities to the
appropriate person.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Does not complete tasks that are/should be part of a direct report's responsibility.

 Assigned accountabilities are clear end results, not simply tasks to complete.

 Assignments are delegated to the appropriate person (i.e., are consistent with the person's
job) and that individual is capable of performing them successfully.

 Individualizes delegation to meet the needs and abilities of the individual.

 Encourages others to set own deadlines within time constraints of assignment and holds
them accountable for meeting the deadline.

 Asks employee for his/her plan to address issue to be delegated, allowing person to create
and "own" the solution.

 Manages risks by making contingency plans with employee.

 Clearly communicates expectations or boundaries.

 Provides the necessary guidance and resources when assigning work.

22
GLOBAL SENSITIVITY

DEFINITION:

Works to continuously increase knowledge and understanding of other backgrounds,

orientations, experiences, cultures and countries; creates an atmosphere in which others feel
accepted and invited to participate and bring their unique perspectives.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Is open to diverse perspectives.

 Seeks to understand issues, trends and perspectives of different groups that may be
represented in the university community.

 Creates opportunities for people who are different from one’s self to participate in
important initiatives.

 Removes barriers for those who are different from the population-majority by helping
one’s colleagues understand and become more comfortable with differences.

 Actively seeks input from people with different backgrounds to one’s self.

 Ensures that all members of one’s group have the opportunity to contribute to the
discussion or process.

 Recognizes that a person’s experience as a minority in the community is different from

one’s perspective as a majority.

 Avoids going to the same people for input or to delegate important assignments,
considers others that would benefit from the opportunity and who would offer a unique
perspective.

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INNOVATION

DEFINITION:

Generates novel and valuable ideas and uses these ideas to develop new or improved processes,
methods, systems, products or services.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Works to develop new approaches when problem-solving; seeking ideas or suggestions

from others as appropriate.

 Identifies novel approaches for completing work assignments more effectively or

efficiently, and works within the "established" system to push for "a better way."

 Able to envision the impact of possible future changes.

 Suggests new ways to improve the quality of products or services.

 Identifies new ideas, solutions, or directions in dealing with daily situations.

 Displays a high level of curiosity and translates it into new approaches to solutions.

 Translates adversity into opportunities for improvement.

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RISK TAKING

DEFINITION:

Takes bold decisive action despite risks, conflict or uncertainty; is willing make radical
recommendations and support their implementation.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

 Takes calculated risks to achieve goals.

 Challenges self and others to achieve “stretch” goals.

 Pushes forward with important initiatives in the face of uncertainty.

 Moves ahead without always requiring a consensus.

 Makes recommendations that challenge the status-quo.

 Steps forward with a position of principle even when there is ambiguity regarding the
facts.

 Gives people the feedback they need even in difficult situations.

 Endorses others who take calculated risks to achieve university goals.

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