Client: International Intermodal Transportation Company

The context

Our client was undergoing significant strategic changes to position its business for growth. As a result, the company sought to replace its existing five-level competency model to be more contemporary, streamlined, and aligned with its new business strategy. Most of the company’s workforce was comprised of employees who had been with the organization for their entire careers, causing internal clashes between generational working styles and a culture rooted in legacy systems.

Our approach

ZRG approached the project in four phases: review, conduct, build, and communicate.

• Gathered input from the company’s HR leadership team regarding the new strategy, current competency model, and required changes to the model
• ZRG consultants interviewed 19 key stakeholders across multiple leadership levels, and eight executive team members, to ensure an informed design process and buy-in for the new model
• During the second phase, the team conducted four in-person validation focus groups with leaders from each level, and one virtual focus group with select field team leaders to gauge which competencies were critical to keep, incorporate, or eliminate
• ZRG built the new, innovative, and contemporary competency framework and model
• We created a tailored and comprehensive communications plan to launch the new model, as well as a validation report of findings to ensure legal defensibility

The results

ZRG formulated a novel competency model that catered to the client’s unique needs and request for a compressed model style. The company’s executives and HR leaders lauded its “excellent project management, timeliness, and responsiveness.” The team was cited for the “phenomenal” quality of its competence, knowledge, professionalism, listening, pushback, and deliverables. The model is currently being deployed, and many of the impacted talent management areas are being refreshed.

Our expertise

Competency Modeling – Audit and Redesign, Stakeholder Interviews, Communications Planning

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