GTO Technician Development—Challenges

 
Information
Instrumentation
Motivation

Environment

Communication, Feedback, Data

Technicians need to understand what is expected of them in their new role: definition of role, responsibilities, deliverables, measures of success. They need frequent feedback on their performance.

Challenges:
New role in many functional areas, inexperienced managers with underdeveloped Performance Discussions and coaching skills, managers may not understand the nature of the role (process vs functional silos), unclear measures of success. Lingering uncertainty over finality of business processes. Lack of local champion.

 

Environment support, Resources, Tools

Technicians need to be supported with processes, tools, and resources. Their workload needs to be balanced. Conflicting priorities need to be addressed.

Challenges:
Processes and tools are being defined and developed. They need to be validated and then communicated. Workload balancing is difficult due to limited availability of qualified individuals. Also, where the role is not formally recognized. Need to wean off resources provided by project.

Consequences, Incentives, Rewards

Technicians need to understand the upside to serving as Technicians.

Challenges:
Current focus is on market reference adjustment, for which there is little data. Employees perceive role as additional work with little off-setting benefits. Management has not sufficiently promoted the criticality of this role. No career path has been articulated for this role. Other than possible market reference adjustment, no recognition or reward strategy is in place.

Individual

Skills & Knowledge

Technicians need to have requisite skills and knowledge to execute role.

Challenges:
Steep learning curve for processes and GTO SYSTEMS knowledge. Under-developed coaching skills and the importance of such may be underestimated. Need to be trained to use new processes and tools developed by HR to coach end users.

Individual Capacity
(physical, intellectual, social)

Motivation & Expectations

Technician motivations and expectations should match job requirements and recognition/ reward structure. Unique role that blends technical and interpersonal skills.

Challenges:
Limited availability of qualified candidates. Under-developed recognition/reward structure, under-developed tools and processes make this role appear “high pain, little gain”.

 

 

GTO Technician Development—Solutions

 
Information
Instrumentation
Motivation

Environment

Communication, Feedback, Data

J Ward to advise business leaders to hold regular Performance Discussions sessions with employees and especially Technicians to review performance expectations, successes, opportunities for improvement, development plans. HR to provide JIT Performance Discussions coaching to business leads, hold Technician focus groups to capture feedback, advise mgmt on improvement areas. HR and local executives to develop communication strategy to promote GTO SYSTEMS utilization and the critical role of Technicians.

Environment support, Resources, Tools

HR and EST are developing tools and processes to support Technicians. Especially critical are those tools that facilitate their coaching of end users.

Tools include IntranetSys GTO SYSTEMS Support page, training materials, coaching guides, distance learning capabilities.

HR will conduct training for Technicians on the use of these tools and processes.

Consequences, Incentives, Rewards

HR will assist local leadership in the development of a recognition/reward strategy and a career development strategy.

Short term, HR will develop a professional development curriculum (Performance Discussions, Coaching, Meeting Management, Leadership, etc.) and lead professional development training sessions that both provide practical skills to support Technicians’ execution of their roles as well as signal the enterprise’s commitment to their professional development.

Individual

Skills & Knowledge

HR is developing training material and tools to facilitate Technician self-learning as well their coaching of end users. HR will train Technicians in the use of these tools. In addition, HR will conduct train the trainers to increase their coaching ability.

Individual Capacity
(physical, intellectual, social)

Motivation & Expectations

Through its work with local leadership in developing communication, recognition, career development strategies, HR will help Technicians and their supervisors manage their expectations for the Technician role. In addition, HR will assist local HR in developing a candidate profile to facilitate the identification of qualified candidates.