Core competencies are the unique skills and technologies required for effective technology teaming. Developing a team's core competencies to the point where they become high-performing is difficult. Building team core competencies requires adoption of a whole new perspective on how to manage the future according to Hamel and Prahalad (1994). Hamel and Prahalad (1994) contend that it is necessary to demystify competencies from the services in which they are grounded. Hamel and Prahalad (1994) also assert that descriptions of core competencies are necessary for promoting a shared understanding.

Core goals and values are directly related to core competencies and are logically required for developing core competencies because behaviors communicate values and goals. Core goals provide future direction for the accomplishments that the school district wants to perform. This requires asking questions such as what is our purpose and what things do we want to accomplish (Blanchard and Waghorn, 1997). Core goals help define the reason(s) for the school's existence, and the school's purpose. Core goals are statements of intent that when accomplished reinforce the school's purpose.

While core goals symbolize the school's core values, core values are what the school district considers important and are held constant such as "all students can learn." Core values determine the behaviors and reflect the fundamental beliefs upon which decisions are made (Blanchard and Waghorn, 1997), and core competencies are required to sustain core values and accomplish core goals.

Characteristics of Core Values and Goals

Core Goals are the accomplishments that the organization wants to achieve. These core goals provide direction for the future of the organization.
Core Values are what the organization believes in and stands for. Values are the fundamental things that can be found in all organizational behaviors. The things that are most important to schools can be found by looking at the school's values.
Identifying Core Values is more than simply agreeing on a list of beliefs. Values have meaning when they are defined to the extent that they guide behavior and are prioritized.
Communicating Core Values is necessary to make them evident to all stakeholders. It is through behavior that core values become evident to stakeholders.
Aligning Values and Practices requires identifying the gaps between core values and behaviors. Clarification of core values provides direction for viewing problems, and problems become disturbances in the values.

Checklist for Establishing Core Competencies

Develop roles for the team and expand stakeholders for ensuring representation of the school.
Develop shared values through discussion and dialogue in team meetings.
Develop a list of needed team competencies for accomplishing team and school goals.
Develop a list of core team goals that are aligned with the school's goals.
Develop team activities that support the team goals and values, and the school's goals and values.

Cautions on Core Goals and Values

$ Gaps between values and practices are most noticeable at first. Through processes of identifying and eliminating gaps between core values and practices, the gaps disappear.

$ Communicating core values requires "walking the walk" as well as "talking the talk."

Adapted from Blanchard and Waghorn, 1997.

Last updated: March 10, 1998

Team Core Competencies