The Beacon Strategies Organisational Capability Framework — our guide to how we attract, recruit, develop and retain a highly capable team.
Background
Why a capability framework?
The purpose of the Beacon Strategies capability framework is to support how our organisation attracts, recruits, develops and retains a highly capable team. Our capability framework provides a shared language and common understanding of the capabilities that are required for us to deliver high-quality work that delights our clients.
Generally speaking, an organisational capability framework describes the capabilities and behaviours expected by employees to perform work at different levels for performance management purposes. Whilst our organisational capability framework can be used in this way, the primary focus of our framework is to encourage mastery through guiding and enabling access to learning and development opportunities.
Definitions
What is a capability?
So what do we mean when we refer to a ‘capability’? For the purposes of our organisational capability framework, we define a capability or capabilities as:
“the knowledge, skills, behaviours and abilities required to perform a role effectively”
Or for those who prefer a bit more of depth:
“the knowledge (theoretical or practical understanding of a subject), skills (proficiencies developed through training, experience or practice) and abilities (qualities of being able to do something) needed to perform a role.”
What isn’t a capability?
Some capability frameworks drift into talking about organisational values and broader domains of organisational capability such as business practices, equipment, technology and governance. For the purpose of our organisational capability framework, anything of this nature is out of scope and is addressed through other mechanisms.
Audience
Our organisational capability framework is intended to be utilised by a diverse audience:
Organisation: sets out our key capabilities and will guide whole-of-organisational capability development activities
Managers: supports managers to have conversations about performance and encourages accessing relevant training and development opportunities
Team members: supports team members to engage in self-guided development planning based on identified high-value capabilities
Prospective employees: can be provided to potential employees to give transparency around the capabilities we value and what we are committed to investing in.
Capability framework
Capability categories
Our capability framework utilises groups to categorise our capabilities into a logical framework. It is envisaged that team members will be able to better visualise the capabilities that they require to seek mastery in capabilities that are relevant to their role.
We acknowledge that not everyone in our organisation needs to be an ‘expert’ in all of the capabilities identified in our capability framework. For example:
one person in our team who has extensive knowledge of a sector or subject matter can advise and guide a team of highly capable people through a project. We don’t all need industry experience in PHNs, NFPs, LGs or LHNs. But we do need a few people who can sit in a room of industry-specific peers and hold the room.
one person in our team who has advanced knowledge and qualifications in any of our disciplines can lead the design and delivery of that kind of project. We don’t all need to be planning, service design, implementation and change management, evaluation and review or organisational strategy experts. But we do need a few people to have advanced knowledge of a discipline area or two to lead the way.
We do however acknowledge that team members have a foundational level of knowledge about most of the work we do so that they are able to contribute effectively to projects that span a broad range of topics or require specific skills.
The capability groupings that make up our capability framework are:
Foundations: capabilities in this group include how we communicate effectively (written, verbal and visual) and the principles that underpin our work
Components: capabilities in this group are tangible things that we deliver within any given project e.g. project planning, stakeholder engagement, data collection and analysis and desktop research
Disciplines: capabilities in this group relate to how we arrange and present our work in alignment with recognised frameworks (e.g. health planning, co-design, evaluation, change management, implementation and more)
Sectors and subject matter: capabilities in this group relate to the industries and subject matter of our clients (e.g. NFPs or PHNs, suicide prevention or chronic disease)
Stewardship: capabilities in this group are focussed on how we take care of and provide leadership for people, projects and our organisation.
Individual capabilities
Foundations
Capabilities in this group include how we communicate effectively (written, verbal and visual) and the principles that underpin our work.
Agile project delivery: we plan and deliver high-quality and timely work in a way that is collaborative, enjoyable, delivers value and is efficient.
Consulting mindset: we listen deeply and deliver high-quality, insightful and appropriately scaled work that meets the needs of our clients.
Written communication: we develop well-crafted written products that clearly and comprehensively articulate the technical details of our work
Visual communication: we deliver compelling advice to our clients through slide decks that are insightful and look good
Verbal communication: our verbal communication is measured, persuasive and respected. When we talk, our clients listen.
Careful practice: our work comes from a place that anticipates trauma, advocates for equity, acknowledges power dynamics and cares for people in all we do.
Components
Capabilities in this group are tangible things that we deliver within any given project e.g. project planning, stakeholder engagement, data collection and analysis and desktop research
desktop research: we have the ability to rapidly acquire and scan the strategic and operational factors that influence any given project. We have the capability to research ‘what works’ so that we can deliver effective and contemporary advice.
Meeting and workshop facilitation: we are able to effectively plan and deliver stakeholder engagement activities of all sizes with professionals and members of the public
Capturing lived experiences: we are skilled at planning and engaging with people who have a lived and living experience of the issues that we are working on
Qualitative data analysis: we analyse and visualise qualitative data to produce powerful and insightful reporting products
Quantitative data analysis: we analyse and visualise quantitative data to understand supply side (e.g. population data) and demand side (e.g. service utilisation) issues
Disciplines
Capabilities in this group relate to how we arrange and present our work in alignment with recognised frameworks (e.g. health planning, co-design, evaluation, change management, implementation and more)
Health and Social Planning: We support service providers, commissioning agencies and policy-makers to analyse and understand the health and social needs of the communities and populations they serve.
Service design: we support organisations to collaboratively design programs and services based on the best available insight and that respond to the needs and expectations of communities
Implementation and change management: we support organisations to execute their strategies and programs through leading sector, community and organisational change to help ‘make it stick’.
Evaluation and review: we support organisations to understand the impact of their programs and services and strengthen their implementation through both independent evaluation and partnered program review.
Organisational strategy: we support organisations to develop organisation-wide strategic plans, plan for change and execute their strategy.
Sectors and subject matter
Capabilities in this group relate to the industries and subject matter of our clients (e.g. NFPs or PHNs, suicide prevention or chronic disease).
Sector expertise: our team possess advanced knowledge of Primary Health Networks, Not-for-profit organisations, governments (local and state) and Local Health Networks (i.e. Hospital and Health Services, Local Health Districts).
Subject matter expertise: our team possess subject matter expertise in a related field such as mental health, suicide prevention, aged and palliative care, chronic disease, early childhood, maternal health and alcohol and other drugs amongst others.
Stewardship
Capabilities in this group are focussed on how we take care of and provide leadership for people, projects and our organisation.
Leading self: we are proactive in seeking development opportunities, continue to strive to be better and are accountable for all that we do.
Leading people: we cultivate a positive team environment that people love and that delivers results.
Leading projects: we effectively steer projects through strategic project management and a dedicated focus on client experience.
Leading organisation: we build an operating system that is people-positive and complexity-conscious.
Attracting opportunities: we are thought leaders, we are visible in the markets that we work in and we attract new work, new partnerships and new opportunities.
Do the capabilities outlined above line up with how you may contribute to delivering ‘the work’ here at Beacon Strategies? Head to our careers page here to read more and express your interest in joining out team.