The mutual relationship between the Employee Experience and Capability

Now, more than ever the employee experience is of utmost importance as our people will design, lead and sustain our business in the long term.

As stated by Culture Amp’s research teams, “What people respect about companies is not how they are structured or their specific approaches to management, but their capabilities”.

The employee experience is subject to many factors and begins as early as when your potential employee sees your Job ad.  Every action that you take, and every interaction that you have from that point on forms the employee experience.

So, let me paint a picture for you: a new employee commences in your organisation.  They get the standard induction to your team, your org strategy and values, a job description (JD) and agreed objectives.  The JD has a list of capabilities with definitions, and the agreed objectives have key outcomes. BUT, how does your new Team Member:

• Know the level of capability expected of them in this role?
• What behaviours will meet the required level of capability for the role?
• Has a self-evaluation of their own capabilities against the roles’  identified any gaps?
• What learning and development initiatives are needed to improve their capability?

A role capability profile will clearly define the capabilities and articulate the behaviours required at each level (ie. Consultant, Manager …).  A Capability Framework delivers an objective and consistent capability expectation for all employees, which sets the foundation for a transparent and objective employee experience that is open to all. 

A simple and effective Capability Framework will directly improve the employee experience as it delivers an objective, transparent and effective way to identify gaps so that employees can truly develop and plan their careers. It also provides a consistent coaching approach for leaders as everyone has a shared understanding of the organisational capability needs that are required to deliver a transformation strategy.

I have coached many leaders around how to evaluate and develop people objectively based on the performance and capability needs of a team.  Effective evaluation of performance and capability can be subjective at times; different leaders, teams, even locations and can detract positivity from the employee experience.  However, an objective capability framework delivers an even playing field.  

For the organisation, a Capability Framework creates a positive and significant impact throughout the whole Employee Life Cycle. Illustrated below are the impacts of a capability framework in relation to the Employee Life Cycle. 

Recruitment:  Delivers targeted selection based on specific needs of the role.

Future Capability: Provides a simple structure to develop & deliver future capabilities of the organisation.

Clear role expectations: Every employee has a clear understanding of the minimum role and behavioural expectations – not only of their current but also aspired career moves.

Training & Assessment: Enables objective and transparent evaluation which facilitates long term career planning.

Learning Needs Analysis: Brings simple identification methods for learning needs across the organisation which allows access to insightful analytics that form insightful decisions.

Talent & Succession: Enables talent ID and succession planning as you have access to every employee capability evaluation; these, in turn, can be assessed against senior profiles.

Harvard Business Review research demonstrates that ”a capabilities audit can help you monitor your company’s intangible assets. It will highlight which ones are most important given the company’s history and strategy, measure how well the company delivers on these capabilities, and lead to an action plan for improvement”

Most organisations recognise that their people are their greatest assets; our employees will lead and sustain transformation. Therefore, it follows that the employee experience should be a priority.

In today’s constantly changing environments, our leaders need a simple, transparent process that will attract and retain employees – effective Capability Frameworks can result in very strong employee experiences as they provide clarity, transparency, structure and deliver on career aspirations.

Culture Amp’s research summarises these claims well: “A strong employee experience is one of the most powerful investments your organization can make. It’ll lead to noticeable benefits such as a wider talent pool, improved retention, and increased revenue. But it doesn’t stop there. A well-designed employee experience also ensures that your employees – who are your company’s greatest assets – are set up for success before, during, and after their tenure at your company.