IU Staff Competencies: Skills for Success
Competencies are observable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace success. The Indiana University Staff Competencies give employees a common language to describe how we work together, what to expect from each other, and how to maximize our potential at IU.
IU Staff Competencies were informed by the mission, vision, and values of IU, and will help foster accountability among staff. They also create a roadmap for staff to view personal development opportunities and assist with career planning. IU Staff Competencies create a foundation for Human Resources initiatives including: recruitment, career progression, performance management, training and development, and more.
The core competencies were introduced to staff in February of 2019. The career level competencies, introduced in February 2021, further define the skills and behaviors that contribute to success at every level of the IU organization. The first university-wide application of the IU staff competencies—core competency-based behavioral interviewing for staff positions—began in the spring of 2019 and was followed by other employee-focused efforts centered on learning and development, performance conversations, and career planning.
IU Staff Core Competencies
The IU Staff Competencies define what we at IU should expect from ourselves and from one another. They allow us to approach our work with a shared understanding of how we can best work together to support the university.
Frequently Asked Questions
How were the IU Staff Competencies determined?
With the support of President McRobbie and his leadership team, IU Human Resources acquired the Korn Ferry Competency Library to begin the process of determining IU’s competencies. Korn Ferry’s competency framework is based on comprehensive analysis and leverages their decades of expertise to define the skills that matter most for performance.
The IU Staff Competencies draw on IU’s mission, vision, and values, and principles of ethical conduct, as well as IU’s bicentennial and individual campus strategic plans. The IU Staff Competencies emerged as the true definition of what it looks like to work at IU and what we should expect from ourselves and from one another.
As a staff employee, how will these competencies help me?
The IU Staff Competencies touch many aspects of the IU employee experience and provides a framework of observable skills and behaviors that contribute to your success at IU.
Competencies help employees to:
- Understand the key behaviors they should demonstrate to ensure success at IU
- Discuss with their supervisors their strengths, areas for growth, and developmental activities
- Take ownership and provide direction for training and development opportunities
- Understand what skills and behaviors would be expected in order move to a new role or to management at IU through the career level competencies
Will I be measured against these competencies?
The IU Staff Competencies are a framework for “how we do our jobs” at IU and provide a language of accountability for work teams. Units should consider these competencies when viewing an employee’s performance and contribution.
