Building People Capability in Procurement – Part 3

Dave HenshallProcurement Excellence, Talent

Here in part 3 we look at how CPO’s can develop a strategy for behavior change  to support and build the capability of their team.

Making it happen

Although the “Brave CPO” is a key part of the transition mix, it is also clear that they must have specific behavior change strategies for bringing about the desired transformation in the transition from “as is” to the “to be” state.

Most of the behavior change strategies, boil down to the following three “levers”:

  1. Increase the number of triggers leading to the desirable behavior.
  2. Enhance ability to perform the behavior (make it easier to do)
  3. Amplify motivation for doing the behavior with intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.

In each capability building effort you have to figure out how to get people to do something different:

  1. “What do you want people to do?”
  2. “Why aren’t they doing it then?”

CPP Model

The Purchasing Practice model operates on the framework that for people to perform a target behavior, they must:

  1. be sufficiently motivated
  2. have the ability to perform the behavior, and
  3. be triggered to perform the behavior

Our model provides CPO’s & HR leaders with a systemized methodology to develop a collection of questions, collect the results and analyze the current state of data, processes, incentives, knowledge, capacity, and motives, to generate conversation of how to implement effective behavior change in their organization.

1. Triggers:

a) Information

  • Do employees know your organizations strategy and how their role contributes to it?
  • Have you clearly communicated performance expectations to employees?
  • Do employees understand the various aspects of their roles and the priorities for doing them?
  • Are there clear and relevant performance aids available to guide the employees?
  • Do you provide sufficient, timely behaviorally specific feedback regarding their performance?
  • Do you have a performance management system to assist managers in describing expectations for both activities and results for the employee?

2. Capability:

a) Resources

  • Do employees have the right tools and templates to do their jobs?
  • Do employees have the time they need to do their jobs?
  • Are procurement processes and procedures defined in such a way as to enhance employee performance?
  • Is the work environment conducive to excellent performance?

b) Capacity

  • Do the employees have the ability to learn what is expected for them to be successful?
  • Are employees free from any emotional limitations that impede performance?
  • Are employees recruited, selected, and matched to the realities of the work situation?

c) Knowledge and Skills

  • Do the employees have the necessary knowledge to be successful at their jobs?
  • Do the employees have the needed skills to be successful at their jobs?
  • Do the employees have the needed experience to be successful at their jobs?
  • Do employees have a systematic training program to enhance their knowledge and skills?
  • Do employees understand how their roles impact organizational performance?

3. Motivation=

a) Incentives

  • Are there sufficient financial incentives present to encourage excellent performance?
  • Are there sufficient non-financial incentives present to encourage excellent performance?
  • Do measurement and reporting systems track appropriate activities and results?
  • Are jobs enriched to allow for fulfillment of higher level needs?
  • Are there opportunities for career development?


b) Motives

  • Are the motives of the employees aligned with the incentives in the environment?
  • Do employees desire to do the job to the expected standards?
  • Are employees recruited and selected to match the realities of the work environment?
  • Are there any rewards that reinforce poor performance or negative consequences for good performance?
  • Do employees view the work environment as positive?

Applying the Model to Your Organization

The CPP model provides the standard terminology and methodology to collect hard data upon which to base future decisions? However, the CPO must aligning the goals and define what this data is going to do for you:

  • What does success look like?
  • How will you know you have successfully collected all the data you can and have analyzed it successfully?
  • What specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, outcomes will make it easier to evaluate the success of the selected interventions?

When defining measurable objectives the analysis of the data must demonstrate how it all fits together to drive the desired behaviors. CPO’s must then create an action plan to implement those interventions that will support the desired behaviors both during the implementation of your plan and after the plan is in place and your team are engaged in their roles in the months and years to come.

Nuff said …

Review part 2 here