Key skills experts need

The Expertship Model describes the key skills that an expert needs to master to become a Master Expert. This is the highest level of expertise.

The Expertship Model describes three groups of skills, only one of which is technical skills. The others describe enterprise skills - the ability to optimise stakeholder engagement, dive change, business skills, and innovation and value creation.

A Roadmap for Subject Matter Experts

Ultimately, the Expertship model helps experts identify the skills to improve to reach master expert level across six months of intensive development with coaches, facilitators, their manager and other experts.

The Expertship Model has four key applications:

• It enables experts to self -assess, and build a plan for continuous improvement;

• It enables managers of experts to have meaningful and valued-added conversations with experts about the impact they are having and the impact that they could be having;

• It enables organisations to assess the quality of their experts, and acts as a development and recruitment guide; and

• It enables organisations to effect introduce a fair method of remuneration and reward for experts based on effective impact not longevity.

Below is a brief description of the structure of the Expertship Model. Or you can download a detailed primer to the Expertship model at the end of this article.

TECHNICAL DOMAIN

The Technical Domain is the area of the model most experts will already be familiar with. This domain describes the best practice collection, application and transfer of knowledge. It’s what experts are known for, although individuals’ capability varies widely across the spectrum.

The Technical Domain consists of three Expert Capabilities:

• Expert Knowledge

This capability deals with how experts acquire, retain and grow the deep specialist knowledge and experience they require to do their jobs effectively.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles : Knowledge Seeker, Knowledge Curator, and Knowledge Generator.

• Solutioning

This capability deals with developing the the ability of the expert to solve complex technical problems effectively and quickly, via insightful diagnosis, shaping long-term solutions that improve processes and create opportunities.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles : Problem Identifier, Active Responder, and Problem Solver.

• Knowledge Transfer

This capability deals with developing the increased knowledge of others to apply specialist knowledge and facilitate the overall increased capability of the organization.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles : Knowledge Sharer, Knowledge Coach, and Talent Developer.

Relationship Domain

The relationship Domain is about influencing, and engaging those around you in a positive manner. It describes best practice in identifying and engaging with key stakeholders, influencing skills, relationship building skills and understanding what makes humans tick.

• Stakeholder Engagement

This capability deals with the ability of the experts to build and maintain mutually rewarding stakeholder relationships across a variety of internal and external stakeholder groups.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles: Internal Networker, External Networker, and Network Manager.

• Collaboration

This capability deals with the ability of the expert to act as a valuable, proactive member of their teams, virtual or co-located, taking on a leadership role when required and appropriate.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles: Team Worker, Communicator, and Diplomat.

• Personal Impact

This capability deals with the ability of the expert to effectively influence others positively, be empathetic and adaptive, their being self-aware of the impact they have on others, and their ability to make individual and collective great results happen.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles: Positive Influencer, Self-Aware Adapter, and Results Driver.

Value Domain

The Value Domain deals with the ability of the expert to understand and leverage the context in which their organization operates, both internally and externally. Our meta-data suggests that many experts are deficient in this capability, and mastery here is a source of great opportunity to redefine personal brand and effectiveness.

• Market Context

This capability deals with the ability of the expert to to acquire, retain, refresh and deploy contextual organizational, competitive, and customer knowledge consistently and effectively.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles: Organizational Navigator, Competitive Analyst, and Customer Strategist.

• Value Impact

This capability deals with the ability of the expert to articulate and recognize tangible ways of adding commercial or community value, and demonstrating an active engagement in improving overall organizational performance.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles: Operational Value Creator, Competitive Advantage Creator, and Customer Value Creator.

• Change Agility

This capability deals with the ability of the expert to to act as a change catalyst and lead change initiatives effectively.

Specifically, it defines three Expert Roles: Change Supporter, Change Catalyst, and Change Leader.

For more detail, download the detailed primer below.

How do your experts rate?

Use our Expertship360 multi-rater survey, based on the Expertship Model, to help your experts understanding what level of expertship are they currently operating at, and how they can become the best expert expert they can be. We offer affordable and easy to implement options.