SFIA for you: Practical SFIA for your personal leadership development

• Thanks to everyone who joined us for SFIA Week 2024!
• You can view a replay of the session video, download the slides, and review the session Q&A below.
• We encourage you to explore the SFIA NZ site in more detail as it contains a wealth of knowledge and resources on digital skill and capability that could be beneficial to your learning journey.
• If you’d like to talk to us to about the benefits of SFIA for your organisation, or would like more info on our SFIA training and recruitment support services, please email us at hello@digitalskillsagency.com.

Video - replay session

Download slides

You can download our slides from this session via the link below. 

A copy of the workbook used in the session can also be downloaded via the link below.

Q&A

1. Question:
   • In the 'Tools & Support' slide, Skillsoft is mentioned, how could it help? Is it for the 10% 'raise knowledge'? Will it help with using SFIA as well?
   •  
   • Answer:
     • Yes - this would be for the 10% 'raise knowledge' aspect of development.
     • Skillsoft is an online learning platform that has mapped its courses to SFIA skills. So if you are wanting to improve a particular SFIA skill, you can identify the mapped Skillsoft course for the level you want to grow into, and add that into your development plan.
2. Question:
   • Assuming the rest of the organisation is not yet pushing SFIA and does not have defined profiles, is there some generic/standard role profiles defined to use as a basis?
   • Answer:
     • Have a look at the job families resources at the link here shared by the SFIA Foundation. These are currently being updated for version 9.
3. Question:
   • Is my understanding correct that you would eventually need to add tabs like Autonomy to complete the detailed analysis for building the development plan?
   • Answer:
     • Yes, if you wanted it to be comprehensive. The workbook shared in the resources here is illustrative and only covers the examples shown. You could add worksheets for the other Attributes as well as other skills you would like to include.
4. Question:
   • Would you use mini 360 surveys to collect the Johari Window attributes? E.g. continue/stop/start questions.
   • Answer:
     • Yes you could - you could adapt this in various ways to suit your own organisational preferences and practices. We'd love to hear about what you do!
5. Question:
   • Is using something like OKRs compatible for goal setting? By definition OKRs are aspirational and not fully achievable. So might not fit the bill here.
   • Answer:
     • Yes you can use them! Reaching skill levels, or 'ticking off' the components of a skill level (% of the skill you can demonstrate) can make for great KRs in an OKR structure.
6. Question:
   • If the Senior Change Manager role requires Autonomy at level 5, which is also Monique's current role, how does she define or assess herself to be Autonomy at level 6 as per her profile in the example? Is that because she is operating at a level 6 and above what her role demands?
   • Answer:
     • There is a difference between the skills required for the job, and the skills an individual may actually possess. We may have skills above or below role requirements, and/or skills that are not required for the role. Sometimes these are acquired from work in previous roles, or they may have been so well developed in the current role that they have 'levelled up' before the individual has been promoted. Monique's example is intended to show this kind of real-world skills profile example. Her Autonomy level is above her current job requirements, and this could have occurred through either option described above.
7. Question:
   • The structure of the pathway presented here doesn't fully match the workbook. Is that meant to be tracked separately like in SkillsTX?
   • Answer:
     • The workbook here is meant to be a starter resource. There is more in the pathway as to include all those pages in the resource may have been too much for a short webinar example and we wanted to make it accessible. See Question 3 above.
8. Question:
   • The workbook is great, will there eventually be sample filled ones to illustrate?
   • Answer:
     • Glad you are enjoying it! We will look at providing some worked examples to share in the near future and will let you know when it's updated.
9. Question:
   • Just curious if SFIA digital badges would replace interviews at all?
   • Answer:
     • SFIA digital badges are great to validate that someone has already demonstrated specific skills at the level you need. That's not the only thing you are looking for in interviews though - and of course part of the interview is for the candidate to learn about you and your organisation.
     • We have seen organisations using validated SFIA skills to help short-list internal applicants too - it definitely doesn't replace the interview, but it does help with the overall process.
10. Question:
    • Doesn't knowledge lead to skill? Can you help with an example of why it's useful to think of these separately?
    • Answer:
      • Knowledge doesn't always lead to skill - you can learn about something, but unless you are able to do the thing you have learned about competently and consistently in the real world, you couldn't call it a skill. Many of us have attended courses or gained certifications where we have obtained knowledge, but are not yet able to do that thing in practice. The practice is what leads to skill - demonstrating you can do the thing in the real world, consistently and competently. This is what SFIA give us.
11. Question:
    • How do I earn those skill badges? Keen to learn more about what is involved.
    • Answer:
      • We currently offer accredited assessments (which result in digital badges) as a service to our clients. We are looking at opening this to private individuals and organisations who aren't yet clients.
      • Feel free to get in touch if you would like to learn more at hello@digitalskillsagency.com. 
      • See more about our digital badges on our website here.