WAPES AND POLE EMPLOI/FRANCE
SEMINAR 19 – 20 NOVEMBER 2014 IN PARIS
DYNAMIC OF INNOVATION AND
IDEA MANAGEMENT IN PES
Senior adviser Peter R. Myklebust/The Norwegian Labour and Welfare
Administration (NAV)
Overview
A)
Basic facts and features of Norway and NAV
B) Panel questions; 1 - 3
 Corporate strategy and Competence strategy
C)
Complementary information of competence
development in NAV
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 2
A) Norway - some basic facts
 385.000 square kilometers
Tromsø
69.116
 19 county municipalities
 427 municipalities
 Population: 5.038.300 (2012)
 Population growth 1.3 % (2011)
 Birth rate: 2,0
Trondheim
176.348
 Unemployment: 2.9%
 1852 km air distance
Oslo
613.285
south/north (Oslo/Naples)
 Coast line 20.000 km
NAV, 08.04.2015
Bergen
263.762
Stavanger
127.506
Kristiansand
83.243
Side 3
A) Main features as basis of innovation and idea
management at NAV

Established July 1. 2006 as a merger of the Labour Administration and the
Welfare Administration. 15 000 employees (in the state run service).

Administers a third of the state budget - 420 Billion NOK; labour market
measures, benefits such as unemployment benefits, occupational rehabilitation,
pensions, childcare, etc.

About 3 million annual users

Offices throughout the country in all 427 municipalities
Norway and NAV are facing major challenges in the years to come achieve
macroeconomic aims and quality of service:

An increasing future need of ageeing due to ageing,

¼ of the population between 16-65 are temporarily/ permanently out of work.

Improve the quality and goal attainment of NAV throught technology, devlopment
processes, competence and better workrelated follow-up of jobseekers.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 4
A) Basic features cont.
The Labour and Welfare Administration’s main objectives
1. More people at work and in activity,
fewer on benefit programmes
2. A smoothly running labour market
3. Correct service and benefit at the correct time
4. Good service tailored to individual
conditions and needs
5. A comprehensive and efficient labour
and welfare administration
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 5
A) Main features cont.
Organisational chart of NAV at 1 January 2013
Directorate of Labour and
Welfare
Service line (County level)
NAV Assistive Technology
Allocations’ line
NAV Administration
NAV Reimbursement
NAV accountancy
Pension
NAV Pension
NAV Contact center
429 municipalities
Line of Economic Adm
NAV Control
NAV County (19)
NAV Internasjonal
NAV accountancy
Other allocations
NAV Appeals’ Unit
NAV salaries, disbursements and accountancy
456 NAV-offices in
429 municipalities
NAV Intro
(4 stk)
NAV, 08.04.2015
NAV Employ.
ment Counselling
NAV Inclusive
Workplace
+
+
+
+
=
The Labour and Welfare Adm
Side 6
B) PANEL QUESTION 1
1.How does NAV structure its overall innovation
and idea management?
 State legal and policy framework; quite stable
 Overall Corporate strategy of NAV
 Competence strategy (internal)
 Knowledge Strategy (external)
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 7
B) Corporate Strategy of The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration 2011-2020
Job is focus 1
Reliable
mangagement
Active
users/clients
Competent
societal partner
Operative and
instrumental
organisation
Strenghten labour
market competence
Ensure common and
and concise quality
requirements and
similar work
processes
Strenghten abilities in
guiding and
interacting with users
Enhance competence
on workable practices
Practice transperent
management and
comprehensive
implementation
Facilitate codetermination and
accentuate users’
own responsibilities
Refine and
disseminate our
expertise on the state
of labour market and
welfare system
Elaborate the statemunicipal partnership
Contributing actively in
the field of policy
develoopment and
simplifying standard
rule requirements
Induce joint efforts in
strenghtening NAV
as a learning
organisation
Strenghen the labour
market focus of users’
follow-up
Target competence
development
Clarify roles and
strengthen interaction
with working life,
doctors and the school
system
Solve managerial
tasks by means of
competent units
Maintain a flexible set
of active measures
and a well targeted
application thereof
Strenghten the system
approach of users’ codetermination
Offer more telephonic
and website services
Continue efforts in
inducing efficiency
and enhance abilities
of change
Develop new ICT
solutions and ensure
successful
implementation
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 8
B) Competence strategy; elements and requirements
The Competence strategy is to underpin the Corporate Strategy of NAV and is
crosscuting all 5 main corporate areas; a horisontal function.
The competence stragegy is composed of five (5) elements:

Knowledge; factual, updated, comprehension and insight

Skills; ability to carry out tasks successfully

Abilities; employees’ invividual potentials and qualities

Attitudes; employees’ basic values and motivation
Efficient performance of all services, including employment services, is dependent
on a successful implementation of the Competence strategy throughout the entire
structure and functions of NAV in relation to
its employees and users/clients
service performance and
organisational/managerial efficiency, cohesion and reliability.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 9
Panel question 2
2. How is the process of production and customer
service a formalized part of idea management and
innovation?
 A system of annual aims and results requirements
 Production monitoring/Control/Aggregate national
reporting/Assessment/Evaluation and
 Continuous adjustments of methodology and
digitilaised work processes
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 10
B) Panel question 3
3. The structure and tools of the Directorate of Labour
and Welfare to ensure innovation and idea management
 Annual users’ surveys
 Labour market survey; questionnaire to employers
 Risk analysis for all departments and functions of entire NAV
 National results monitoring and evaluation (Q2); 3 times a year
 Overall quality assurance assessment – Quality Director at
Services’ Department
 Improvement Section” at the Department of Organisation
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 11
B) Panel questions – Q3 continue
 Local Best Internal Practices; converted into national guidelines
 E-learning portal
 Competence@nav and Learning@nav are extranetbased
management tools to generate/maintain data to support goal
attainment.
 Annual HCI-surveys to NAV-employees (Human Capital Index)
 Department of Development established in 2014
 System of internal audits into e.g. services’ functions of NAV
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 12
C) Complementary information of competence development
in NAV
Structural features of NAV and competence
requirements

State employees at most NAV Local offices are multitasking regarding basic services;
Information/Registration/Receiving benefit applications/Jobseeking activities

A new standard of workrelated follow-up is the main tool for all state employees at NAV’s
Local Offices.

At NAV Local offices there are few earmarked employees for e.g. jobseeker/employer
services; presumably some 600 out of 5.000 employees.
Competence development and monitoring of employees at NAV Local Offices (and other local
specialized offices) employees are to a large extent determined by the

The overall aims and corporate strategy of NAV,

The structure/division of tasks at NAV macro level

The structure of and interaction between the state and the municipal part at NAV Local
offices,

The structure of employment services and the increasing digitalisation of all NAV services
and

By the ongoing development of an overall system of quality assurance as part of NAV’s
corporate strategy regarding reliable management.

All work processes are steered by a common standard of workrelated follow-up requirements.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 13
C) Staff competence development in relation to key fields
of work and service requirement
Competence assessment and development activities
General condition for recruitment at NAV: 3 years of postsecondary education
(Bachelor)

20 per cent of NAV employees hold a Master’s diploma.

55 per cent of NAV employees hold a Bachelor’s diploma.

25 per cent have completed various form of specialized postsecondary education.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 14
C) Staff competence development in relation to key fields
of work and service requirement
 Each NAV employee has an average of 3 employment relationships
 Good and widespread skills in foreign languages among NAV
employees
 Competence development activities are detemined by
1.
The relevant fields under the 5 areas of NAV Corporate
Strategy,
2.
NAV staffing profiles of abilities within various tasks/services
areas as registered by them in Competence@nav and
3.
The need of better follow-up of users to improve their
employability and ensure a quicker reintegration into the labour
market. Key obstacles, task areas and work processes related to
various services are permanently identified.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 15
C) Staff competence development in relation to key fields
of work and service requirement
 At NAV Local Offices (and other local support offices) the role of
«Generalist/multitasking» is the basis for the design of
competence development activities.
 But there is still a process of increasing specialisation of task
responsibilities, thereby better reflecting NAV/PES staffing
profiles with users’/clients’ profiles.
 Regular job assessment meetings between managers and
employees form the basis for individual job/career development
plans. Participation at competence activities within key areas are
decided on this basis.
 Managers at various levels are also subject to the same
competence development system, but does also include
management training and counselling.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 16
C) Staff competence development in relation to key fields
of work and service requirement
 Various learing methods and arenas are applied; expert meetings
specific subjects, E-learning, internships, video transmissions and
interunit courses.
 NAV has developed an electronic Learning portal: Learning@nav.
 About 60 E-learning courses have been developed.
 256.747 onloggings in 2012 – 9 in average.
 15.428 persons were registered for 746 courses/meetings via
Learning@nav in 2012.
 4283 persons completed altoghether 7250 E-learning courses.
 E-learning courses are used as tools at work; 1.600.000 «visits/clicks» in
2012 – 94 in average
 Employment related follow-up is by far the most important competence
development activity
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 17
C) Competence monitoring as tool of human resource
development to ensure quality of service
Competence monitoring is also important for the role of leadership at
various levels at NAV:

Competence@nav and Learning@nav are extranetbased management tools to
generate/maintain data to support goal attainment.

Managers must also know the «business of NAV»; management performance
itself is insufficient

Learning and being able to motivate employees and to strenghten the entire
organisational attaiment capability, is a leadership requirement.

Leadership abilities are assessed as to how they succeed in this field, including
how managers use the various means and incentive measures

Competence management is a vital element of NAV management guidelines and
requirement.

Competence management is seen as essential in ensuring quality of work in the
entire organisation, not only at the final stage of service delivery.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 18
C) Competence monitoring as tool of human resource
development to ensure quality of service
 In a broader sense, management training at NAV stresses close
employee follow-up to promote personal development and motivation
aiming at higher standards of professionalism and quality of work.
 At NAV Local Offices given the still strong prevalence of multitasking,
quality management is very challenging; In particular regarding the
follow-up of jobseekers.
 A questionnaire on “Performance competence” for units with close
client contacts has been developed. Employees are requested to
register/assess how they perform in key task and service areas. This a
management tool for improving quality and professionalism at work.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 19
C) Competence monitoring as tool of human resource
development to ensure quality of service
How is the approach at NAV to ensure professionalism and quality at work at
employee level in NAV Local offices?

The management approach is similar for all functions and employees, yet taking
individual challenges into account.

Employment councellors are subject to competence upgrading in their areas of
responsibilities.
But management approach and methodology to adress motivation, health, stress
factors, career development perspectives at local level are the same:

Annual/regular job assessment meetings with employees taking the working and
personal situation into account.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 20
C) Competence monitoring as tool of human resource
development to ensure quality of service

Employee career development plans are to be offered and adjusted for all staff
members. Skills upgrading may be part of these plans, and at local offices wage
policies are used as incentives to improve work performance and as part of
career development plans.

Current follow-up on how employees perform within the human resource
guidelines. Individual benchmarking on productivity and quality performance is a
matter of dispute.

A national agreement on Inclusive Working life, for which NAV is responsible,
requires individual work adaption for employees with mental and physical health
problems.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 21
C) Concluding remarks on competence

Competence development and monitoring of state employees at local offices are
to a large extent determined by the aims, digitalization and structure/division of
tasks at NAV as a whole. Especially between the 1st line of service at local offices
and the 2nd line of service at nationwide units for allocations.

State employees at NAV Local offices are “generalists” covering all tasks; few
earmarked employment counsellors. Therefore, all state employees at local
offices may be termed employment counsellors and steered by a common
standard of workrelated follow-up requirements.

NAV’s employment services are interlinked and unseparable from benefit
handling/eligibility. Therefore, the requirements of professionalism of
employment counsellors cannot be separated from other employees and services
at NAV.
The corporate strategy of NAV defines the Competence strategy and fields of action
related to
its employees and users/clients,
service performance and
organisational/managerial efficiency, cohesion and reliability.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 22
C) Concluding remarks on competence

On this basis competence development activities are determined by
NAV staffing profiles of abilities within various tasks/services areas as
registered by them in Competence@nav and
The need of better follow-up of users to improve their
employability and
ensure a quicker reintegration into the labour market. Key obstacles, task
areas and work processes related to various services are permanently
identified.

Various learing methods and arenas are applied; expert meetings specific
subjects, E-learning, internships, video transmissions and interunit courses. A
high level of upgrading activities in the entire organisation of NAV.

Managers must know the «business of NAV»; management performance itself is
insufficient.

Competence management is seen as essential in ensuring quality of work in the
entire organisation, not only at the final stage of service delivery.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 23
C) Concluding remarks on competence

A questionnaire on “Performance competence” for units with close client
contacts has been developed. Employees are requested to register/assess how
they perform in key task and service areas. This a management tool for improving
quality and professionalism at work.

Due to multitasking at local offices management approach to achieve quality at
work is determined by common standards, yet taking individual challenges into
account.

Management approach and methodology to adress motivation, health, stress
factors, career development perspectives at local level are the same:
Annual/regular job assessment meetings with employees.
Employee career development plans for all staff members. Skills
upgrading and local wage adjustments are used as incentives to improve
work performance
Current follow-up on how employees perform within the human resource
guidelines. A national agreement on Inclusive Working life, for which NAV
is responsible, requires individual work adaption for employees with
mental and physical health problems.
NAV, 08.04.2015
Side 24