THE WELL-BEING PROJECT
MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES
FOR PREVENTING AND REDUCING
STRESS AT WORK
Black & Veatch Ltd
28 FEBRUARY 2012
PREPARED BY: LUCIE ZERNEROVA
©Black & Veatch Holding Company 2011. All rights reserved.
Black & Veatch Ltd | Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work
Management Competencies for Reducing and Preventing Stress at Work
The following competency framework was developed by a team of occupational psychologists at
the Goldsmith, University of London and endorsed by Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (CIPD), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Investors in People. This
document maps these competencies onto Lominger competency framework.
It is recognised that managers can have a significant impact on employee stress.
This can occur in a number of ways:
1. Managers can cause (or prevent) stress by the way they
behave towards their employees.
2. Managers can act as ‘gatekeepers’ to the presence or absence
of hazardous working conditions for employees – for instance
preventing an unfair or excessive workload being placed on
an individual.
3. Managers can help ensure that stress is identified early if it
occurs in their team.
4. If an individual suffers from stress, the manager needs to be
involved in the solution.
5. Managers are responsible for the update and roll-out of risk
assessments for work stress within their team / department.
The management competencies cover 4 key domains (these competencies are mapped on the
Lominger competency framework used in Black & Veatch globally):
COMPETENCY
SUB-COMPETENCY
LOMINGER EQUIVALENT
1. Respectful and responsible:
managing emotions at work
and having integrity
Integrity
Managing emotions
Considerate approach
Fairness to direct reports (23)
Composure (11)
Caring about direct reports (7)
2. Managing and
communicating existing and
future workload
Proactive work management
Problem solving
Participative / empowering
Managing and measuring work (35)
Problem solving (51)
Timely decision making (16)
Delegation (18)
Developing direct reports (19)
Directing others (20)
Motivating others (36)
3. Reasoning / Managing
difficult situations
Managing conflict
Use of organisational resources
Taking responsibility for
resolving issues
Conflict management (12)
Confronting direct reports (13)
4. Managing individuals within
the team
Personally accessible
Sociable
Empathetic engagement
Approachability (3)
Compassion (10)
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Black & Veatch Ltd | Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work
1. RESPECTFUL AND RESPONSIBLE: MANAGING EMOTIONS AND HAVING INTEGRITY
Sub-competency
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
Lominger competency
framework equivalent
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
INTEGRITY
 is a good role model
 treats team members with respect
 is honest
FAIRNESS TO DIRECT
REPORTS




Treats direct reports equitably and acts fairly
Has candid discussions
Doesn’t have hidden agenda
Doesn’t give preferential treatment




Is not equitable toward direct reports
Doesn’t listen to direct reports’ concerns and needs
Is inconsistent or plays favourites
Does not read people’s need well and is not able to tell how they are
responding to his/her treatment




is cool under pressure
doesn’t become defensive or irritated when times are tough
is considered mature
is not knocked off balance by the unexpected







gets rattled and loses cool under pressure and stress
blows up, says things he / she shouldn’t say
gets easily overwhelmed and becomes emotional, defensive or withdrawn
contributes to others losing composure or being unsettled
lets anger, frustration and anxiety show
is cynical or moody
is defensive or sensitive to criticism





Is available for listening to personal problems
Monitors workloads and appreciates extra effort
Is interested in the work and non-work lives of direct reports
Asks about their plans, problems and desires
Knows about their concerns and questions






Does not care much about the personal needs of direct reports
Is too busy to know much about direct reports
Believes work and personal life should be separate
Is more work and task oriented than most
Is very tense and impersonal with direct reports
Lacks the listening skills or interest to know people’s hopes and problems
 says one thing, then does something different
 speaks about team members behind their backs
MANAGING
EMOTIONS
 acts calmly in pressured situations
 takes a consistent approach to managing




CONSIDERATE
APPROACH
COMPOSURE
is unpredictable in mood
passes on stress to employees
panics about deadlines
takes suggestions for improvement as a personal
criticism
 Provides realistic deadlines
 Provides positive feedback
 makes short-term demands rather than allowing
planning
 gives more negative than positive feedback
 relies on others to deal with problems
 imposes ‘my way is the only way’
 shows a lack of consideration for work–life balance
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CARING ABOUT
DIRECT REPORTS
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Black & Veatch Ltd | Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work
2. MANAGING AND COMMUNICATING EXISTING AND FUTURE WORK
Sub-competency
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
Lominger competency
framework equivalent
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
PROACTIVE
WORK
MANAGEMENT





MANAGING AND
MEASURING WORK




clearly assigns responsibility for tasks and decisions
sets clear objectives and measures
monitors process, progress and results
designs feedback loops into work







doesn’t use goal and objectives to manage self and others
not orderly in assigning and measuring work
isn’t clear about who is responsible for what
is disorganised, just throws tasks at people, or lacks goals or priorities
poor time management
doesn’t provide work-in-progress feedback
doesn’t set up benchmarks and ways for people to measure themselves




PROBLEM
SOLVING
clearly communicates employee job objectives
develops action plans
monitors team workload on an ongoing basis
encourages team to review how they organise work
stops additional work being taken on when
necessary
works proactively
sees projects/tasks through to delivery
reviews processes to see if work can be improved
prioritises future workloads
 deals rationally with problems
 follows up problems on team’s behalf
 deals with problems as soon as they arise
TIMELY DECISION
MAKING
 makes decisions in timely manner
 is indecisive at decision-making
PROBLEM SOLVING
 is excellent at honest analysis, can see hidden problems
 probes all fruitful sources for answers
 looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers
 Slow to make decisions on more complex issues
 Procrastinates, disorganised, perfectionist
 Doesn’t stop to define and analyse the problem; doesn’t look under rocks
 Misses the complexity of the issues and force-fits it to what he / she is most
comfortable with
 Many times has to come back and rework the problem a second time
PARTICIPATIVE
/
EMPOWERING
 gives employees the right level of responsibility
 correctly judges when to consult and when to make
a decision
 keeps employees informed of what is happening in
the organisation
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DIRECTING OTHERS




Establishes clear directions, sets stretching objectives
Distributes the workload appropriately
Lays out work in a well-planned organised manner
Maintains two-way dialogue with others on work and results
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Black & Veatch Ltd | Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work





acts as a mentor
delegates work equally
helps team members develop in their role
encourages team participation
provides regular team meetings
 Gives too little direction to employees
DEVELOPING DIRECT
REPORTS AND OTHERS





Unclear or cryptic communicator to direct reports
Doesn’t set goals, targets, mileposts and objectives
Mostly tells and sells; doesn’t listen much
Doesn’t delegate well; doesn’t take the time to manage
May lack interest in managing and be more eager to work on own
assignments





Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments
Holds frequent development discussions
Is aware of each person’s career goals
Will take on those who need help and further development
Cooperates with developmental system in the organisation
 Not a people developer or builder
 Doesn’t see long-term development as his / her job
 Thinks development is going to a course – doesn’t know how development
really happens
 May not know the aspirations of people, may not hold career discussions or
provide coaching, may not push people to take their development seriously
 May prefer to select for talent rather than develop it
MOTIVATING OTHERS




Creates a climate in which people want to do their best
Empowers others
Invites input from each person and shares ownership and visibility
Makes each individual feel his / her work is important
 Doesn’t know what motivates others or how to do it
 Not empowering and not a person many people want to work for, around
or with
 May be a poor reader of others, may not pick up on their needs and cues
 Intentionally or unintentionally demotivates others
DELEGATION
 Clearly and comfortably delegates both routine and important tasks and
decisions
 Broadly shares both responsibility and accountability; tends to trust people
to perform




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Lacks trust and respect in the talent of direct reports and others
Doesn’t want to or know how to empower others
May delegate but micromanages and looks over shoulders
May just throw tasks at people; doesn’t communicate the bigger picture
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Black & Veatch Ltd | Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work
3. REASONING / MANAGING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
Sub-competency
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
Lominger competency
framework equivalent
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
MANAGING
CONFLICT
 acts as mediator in conflict situations
 deals with squabbles before they become
arguments
 deals objectively with conflicts
 deals with conflicts head on
CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT





steps up to conflicts, seeing them as opportunities
reads situations quickly
good at focused listening
can hammer out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably
can find common ground and get cooperation with minimum noise




Avoids conflict in situations and with people
May get upset as a reaction to conflict, takes it personally
Will let things fester rather than dealing with them directly
Will try to wait long enough for it to go away





Deals with problem direct reports firmly and in a timely manner
Doesn’t allow for problems to fester
Regularly reviews performance and holds timely discussions
Can make negative decisions when all other efforts fail
Deals effectively with troublemakers
 Acts to keep peace rather than resolve issues
CONFRONTING DIRECT
REPORTS
 Not comfortable delivering negative messages to direct reports
 Procrastinates and avoids problems until forced to act
 Has low standards or plays favourites
See also FAIRNESS TO
DIRECT REPORTS
USE OF
ORGANISATION
RESOURCES
 seeks advice from other managers when necessary
 uses HR as a resource to help deal with problems
 seeks help from occupational health when
necessary
N/A
TAKING
RESPONSIBILITY
FOR RESOLVING
ISSUES
 follows up conflicts after resolution
 supports employees through incidents of abuse
 makes it clear they will take ultimate responsibility
if things go wrong
See the above
 Doesn’t address bullying
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Black & Veatch Ltd | Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work
4. MANAGING THE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE TEAM
Sub-competency
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
Lominger competency
framework equivalent
Examples of manager behaviour
(Do  and Don’t )
PERSONALLY
ACCESSIBLE




APPROACHABILITY





is easy to approach and talk to
spends extra effort to put others at ease
can be warm, pleasant, gracious; builds rapport well
is a good listener
is an early knower, getting informal and incomplete information in time
to do something about it





Distant, not easy to be around
Doesn’t reveal much, hard to know what he / she is really like
Doesn’t build rapport, may be a “let’s get on with it” type
May be a poor listener or appear uninterested
May be tense




Genuinely cares about people
Is concerned about their work and non-work problems
Is available and ready to help
Demonstrates real empathy with the joys and pains of others
speaks personally rather than uses email
provides regular opportunities to speak one to one
returns calls/emails promptly
is available to talk to when needed
 Acts to keep peace rather than resolve issues
SOCIABLE
 brings in treats
 socialises with the team
 is willing to have a laugh at work
N/A
EMPATHETIC
ENGAGEMENT
 encourages employee input in discussions
 listens when employees ask for help
 makes an effort to find out what motivates
employees at work
 tries to see team member’s point of view
 takes an interest in team’s life outside work
 regularly asks ‘how are you?’
 treats all team members with equal importance
COMPASSION





May be less caring or empathic than most
Doesn’t ask personal questions; doesn’t respond much when offered
Results are all that matters; everything else gets in the way
Uncomfortable with people in stress or pain
May not know how to show compassion or how to deal with people in
trouble
 May have less sympathy than most for the imperfections and problems of
others
 assumes rather than checks that employees are OK
Also see CARING
ABOUT DIRECT
REPORTS
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