John and Mo-Ling facilitated a workshop at David Kester & Associates, a London based strategic design consultancy. They were interested in using the Design Competency Framework to identify the capacities inside the organisation and how to use the DCF themselves in their own workshop and training contexts. We worked together using a matrix sheet of categorised competencies to synthesis abilities across the agency team.
The next step involved using a deck of cards we designed to enable the grouping of competencies and building personal competency profiles. Cards can then be used for gap analysis and to reveal overlaps. Final step of this workshop was to elicit new or missing competencies the team felt were missing.
Overall the Kester Associates team felt the workshop helped them define what they are good at as individuals, and derive a team and company competency profile from there. Brainstorming new competencies is an act of projective imagination and worked to focus attention on what kinds of skills and abilities designers will need in the short to medium future.
