Chapter 8: Strategic Human Resource Management and Performance Additional Case Study

Competencies in CAFOD

The Catholic Overseas Development Agency (CAFOD), previously known as the Catholic

Fund for Overseas Development, is the international aid and development agency of the

Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. It has close links to the poorest countries in the

world and has been involved in a wide range of projects ranging from bringing humanitarian

aid to the Sudan to campaigning for press freedom in Mexico. CAFODs goal is to bring

about lasting and positive change in the lives of some of the worlds poorest and most

disadvantaged people in the global South, while challenging those living in the more

prosperous North to transform their lives for the common good. In 2008/09 the charity raised

47.7 million and by 2010/11 this figure had risen to 56 million with 67 per cent coming

from the Catholic community in England and Wales. In 2010/11 it employed 369 staff.

In 2010 CAFOD launched a new 10 year strategic framework, called Just One World. This

was designed to replace an earlier framework which managers had found difficult to use as it

had 21 competencies. Although each competency had clearly defined indicators, managers

and staff rarely made any reference to them. Senior management also knew that these

competencies were only embedded well in recruitment processes. Additionally, managers

and staff did not connect their original competency framework to the organizations strategic

plan. Also, managers and staff did not talk explicitly about recruiting and retaining people

with the competencies that were needed to deliver organizational aims. Consequently, the

new competency framework needed to be easier to use and easier to align with the

organizations strategy.

In devising the competency framework, CAFOD first identified the knowledge, skills,

behaviours, and attitudes which would support the delivery of their organizational aims. The

new framework comprised eleven core competencies, which applied to all staff, in all

functions, in all locations. These core competencies were grouped under three key areas of

competence that were felt to encompass the work of the charity: understanding our context,

working together, and making change happen. It was decided that there should be three

levels to each competency: Being effective, Excelling, and Leading the way. It was also

decided to include examples of behaviours that needed to be avoided. Next, CAFOD looked

at ways to embed competencies beyond recruitment and into induction, performance

development, and learning.

Activity

Assume that you are an external HR consultant.

1. What advice would you offer CAFODs HR function on how best to embed competencies

beyond recruitment and into areas such as induction, performance development, and

learning?

2. What timescale would you recommend for implementing the new framework?

3. More generally, what are the potential implications of extending formal HR processes

such as performance manage