DMA Consultancy Limited

DMA Competencies - Setting Direction

DEFINITION

The capacity to set the direction and deliver plans over time which are aligned to the needs of a defined context of accountabilities.

RELATED DMA ELEMENTS:

NATURE OF WORK
Stems from the purpose of the role and defines where it differs in accountability from those above and below.

TIME FRAME
Focuses on the time over which the impact of the majority of the decisions of the jobholder will be felt.

RANGE

Setting Direction - Range

POSITIVE DIFFERENTIATING BEHAVIOURS

WORK LEVEL 2

  • Sets, communicates and holds self and others accountable for delivery of stretching, short-term (up to 12 months) operational objectives.

  • Continuously reviews and acts to remove obstacles to achieving progress.

WORK LEVEL 3

  • Balances potentially conflicting sub-goals or objectives to achieve an integrated set of results for a major operating unit.

  • Identifies trends, patterns and priorities for performance improvement and contributes to policy and plans for the year ahead.

WORK LEVEL 4

  • Has a comprehensive view of a function, profession or activity, and is able to anticipate future needs and opportunities and set new milestones up to 3 years ahead.

  • Able to establish specific objectives and direction for subordinates from strategic intentions and establish concrete plans from identified but incompletely defined opportunities.

WORK LEVEL 5

  • Sets and clarifies strategy and new directions, which call for significant change in the scope and pace of business activities.

  • Balances both new and existing business activities to ensure effective strategy implementation and contributes to the Group's vision, mission, strategy, priorities and values.

NEGATIVE DIFFERENTIATING BEHAVIOURS

WORK LEVEL 2

  • Spurs self and others to action without a clear sense of direction and well-conceived objectives.

  • Ignores or fails to identify and remove obstacles to progress.

WORK LEVEL 3

  • Tolerates and does not resolve conflicting objectives within and/or between subordinate teams at the expense of overall unit or departmental performance.

  • Is overwhelmed by detail and fails to identify negative patterns and to act on the causes of poor unit or departmental performance.

WORK LEVEL 4

  • Concentrates on short-term issues and immediate results to the detriment of longer-term objectives.

  • Unable to work up a concrete plan of action from an idea or produce a solution to a new problem.

WORK LEVEL 5

  • Maintains the current business performance but does not significantly challenge or change the existing strategy to deliver better results.

  • Has difficulty simultaneously delivering the annual results for a key part of the Company's business together with the long term strategy and contributing to the Company's overall  strategy, policies and priorities.

If you want to have more information on the definitions of this or other competencies -
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