Using 'important to and for' in job design and recruitment
Technique
What is ‘important to and important for’?
Looking at what is ‘important to and for’ is a fundamental concept of a person-centred approach.
When looking at a situation or an area of a person’s life, having a sense of the things that are ‘important to and for’ the people involved, provides everyone with the opportunity to say what matters to them most.
When designing jobs and recruiting people for individuals and/or for the organisation, using ‘important to and for’ provides a way to hear from all the stakeholders involved.
An understanding of what is ‘important to and for’ different people in relation to the position you are recruiting for can assist in capturing information about what different stakeholders want and need from the potential candidate.
What does ‘important to and for’ mean?
When describing ‘important to’ we are talking about about the things that really matter to an individual from their perspective. In general the things that are ‘important to’ us are those that make us happy, content or are of value to us.
When addressing this in relation to job design and recruitment in the disability sector, it provides the opportunity to explore the things that matter to the different stakeholders about the position itself and how the person will need to function in the role.
What is ‘important for’ a person?
These are the things that we need do in order to be healthy and safe and are also the things that are seen as important by others.
In the context of job design and recruitment these are the things that we have to pay attention to and that need to be addressed but are not necessarily seen as a priority for some individuals themselves.
By using ‘important to and for’ during the job design and recruitment process, it is more likely that:
- Employees in different roles across the organisation will have an understanding of the common language used with person-centred approaches.
- Everyone will understand that the concept applies to job roles, including paid employees and volunteers and not just individuals supported by services.
- The concept ‘important to and for’ will be used as a way of gathering information, gaining an understanding of what matters to a variety of different stakeholders and considering these perspectives before taking action.
- Emphasis needs to be placed equally on what is ‘important to’ and ‘important for’ individuals so that even when support needs are complex, people do not place sole importance on the person being healthy and safe or on what others see as being a priority. This can also support individuals to think about how to achieve a balance of what they want and need in terms of support.
How you might use ‘important to’ and ‘important for’?
‘Important to and for’ can be used during the job design and recruitment process for all jobs. It can be used to gather information from different peoples’ perspectives, to ensure that everyone involved is looking at the bigger picture and that time is taken to consider more than one person’s view of what is needed.
When there are different stakeholders involved in the process, it can be used to listen to what everyone wants while supporting them to think about what is also needed.
For example:
You are hiring a new staff member in the ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) team. Information needs to be not only gathered about what is ‘important to and for’ the ICT Manager, but also from key stakeholders who the job holder will be interacting with on a regular basis.
The manager may say it’s important that the person has the right training and experience for the job and is a good fit for the team. Whereas another stakeholder may say that it’s important that the person is able to explain technology in an easy to understand manner and who understands the needs of their particular service area.
Use information from an individual’s plan when designing and recruiting frontline roles. An individual’s plan will provide a starting point to get a sense of what the individual wants and needs from their staff. This can assist in ensuring that the individual is making an informed choice about who supports them, and that the organisation listens to what matters to them without ignoring the ‘important for’ aspects of support.
Gather information directly from individuals to understand the things that matter most to them. This is also a way of listening to the individual and their family to understand where their priorities may differ.
Tips
Use information gathered from team plans, meetings and existing staff member’s one-page profiles get a sense about what is ‘important to’ them about a new team member.
Look at things from an organisational perspective. What matters to the organisation as a whole, what values and skills does the person need to have the right fit for the role.
Talk with different stakeholders directly about what they want or need from the potential new staff member. Then have a conversation about the things they tell you to get a better sense of what’s ‘important to’ them about the information they have provided.
Support the stakeholders involved to work through in more depth what they know they need from any new staff member. This might be harder for some people to think about because it’s often not at the forefront of their minds.
In speaking with a regional manager about what was ‘important to’ and ‘important for’ her in recruiting a new area manager, she came up with a long list of what mattered to her. This included the need for the person to be an open communicator that is efficient and organised, and is good with timeframes.
However, she struggled when it came to what is ‘important for’ her.
After reflecting on past employees in the role she stated that “It’s important for that person is able to tell me if I’m micro-managing because I know I have a tendency to do that. So they need to be confident and to the point. I also think I need an area manager who has great ICT skills as this is lacking in the team. It’s not something I’m focused on, but I know that it’s something we need and will help us as a region”.
Template:
Download the 'Important to/Important for' template using the button above.
Notes:
Important to
This could be particular skills someone is looking for in the new employee.
It could also be personality traits or areas of strength.
Important for
These can be the elements that are needed but might not feel like a priority or are about what other people see as important.
These are often the things we need others to remind us about or can be something that complements existing employees in the team or even ourselves.
Additional resources:
- The Workforce Capability Framework.
- The disability career planner and capability framework implementation guide.
- Tips – supporting individuals, family members and/or circles of support to develop selection criteria when recruiting for a job role
- Tips – involving individuals, their families and/or circles of support in the interview process.
Definitions:
The term individual(s) refers to an individual with a disability and their family and/or circle of support.
The terms staff/employee(s) refer to paid or unpaid members of the workforce regardless of their employment relationship with their employer i.e. permanent, casual, full-time, volunteer, etc.
Intellectual property rights are jointly owned by National Disability Services Ltd, PeopleAdvantage Pty Ltd and Helen Sanderson Associates respectively. Concepts and intellectual property used with permission from The Learning Community for Person Centred Practices. ©This publication is copyright. All rights reserved.
