Competency Based Management Tools

There are several CBM tools that can integrate and be utilized with an LMS, says Bray Brockbank (bbrockbank@geolearning.com). To determine which solution would meet the reader’s needs, there are a few additional questions to ask:
• What is your budget?
• How much of a CBM tool do you think you need today vs. down the road? What will you really need to use the CBM tool for (e.g., performance management, talent and succession management, career development, 360 feedback, and/or compensation planning)?
• Have you built or will you build the foundation (mapped competencies to job codes, evaluated internal practices, received senior management buy-in, and so forth) within your organization for such a tool?
• How immediate is your deployment need?
There are generally three main business types in the CBM business space, says Brockbank, including ...
• Pure-play CBM vendors (e.g., SuccessFactors Inc. in San Mateo, Calif., and Exceed (which was acquired by Workstream Inc. in Ottawa, Canada, earlier this year), both of which offer out-of-the-box as well as custom-fit CBM solutions). "This is all that they do."
• Vendors offering modular or add-on solutions in the CBM space that could meet the reader’s needs. "This is an add-on service or product to their core business product and offering."
• Custom-build companies that specialize in building tailored solutions and systems through consulting or professional services. Their specialty is consulting services around enterprise training or human-capital management.
When searching for a solution, be sure to engage your LMS vendor to determine which, if any, CBM solution vendors they have worked with in the past or are currently working with, recommends Brockbank. "Also, keep in mind that though both the LMS and CBM tools have inherent value and overlap in the human-capital-management market, they are not necessarily developed with the same logic or business value proposition."

Brockbank is a business and marketing management consultant at GeoLearning Inc. in West Des Moines, Ia.