What competences are relevant?

Experience shows that three basic competences are needed for transition work:

  • Communication skills
  • Networking skills
  • Persuasiveness.

Six groups

These three basic competences are covered by six groups of competences that are important for transition work (see the table). A person does not have to possess all of these competences since you will generally be working in a team.

ompetence group

Competence

Recognising patterns

  • integrated thinking
  • questioning with an open mind
  • analytical thinking
  • conceptual thinking

Reorientation

  • visionary and inspirational
  • possessing courage and the will to change
  • creative
  • historical sense

Experimentation

  • mobilising skills
  • organisational talent
  • second-order learning

Anchoring

  • anticipatory skills
  • entrepreneurial skills
  • powers of persuasion
  • networking and lobbying

Monitoring

  • observational skills
  • reflective skills
  • self-aware and independent

Transition management

  • systems thinking
  • insight, helicopter view and a sense of timing
  • ability to balance substance, process and results

Connection with clusters

The six competence groups are connected as follows to the clusters in this website:

  • The competence groups ‘recognising patterns' and ‘reorientation' relate to the cluster ‘Creating a vision/reorientation'
  • The competence group ‘Experimenting' is important for the work that commences with ‘Producing an action plan'
  • The competence groups ‘Anchoring' and ‘Monitoring' apply for the eponymous clusters
  • Finally, the competence group ‘Transition management' covers an overarching group of competences relating to the art of guiding the stakeholders, which applies mainly when a programme is being implemented after the vision has been formulated.

Changing needs

The competences required can change in the course of a programme. You should therefore incorporate sufficient flexibility in the organisation of a project or a programme to allow you to switch people and competences if necessary.