The BRM Competency Model - Connecting Culture to Results

Today’s great leaders don’t talk about hitting quarterly results, EBITDA targets, or ROI thresholds. Instead, exceptional leaders direct conversations that spark innovation and imagination for a better future. These are the leaders who ultimately revive the corporate landscape by infusing their organisation with that long-forgotten ‘magic’ that’s needed to foster a positive culture that not only inspires, but drives productivity and growth. As highlighted in an article published by MITSloan Management Review[1], more than three-quarters of senior leadership will discuss their organisation’s culture or core values during interviews, even if the interviewer didn’t prompt the question. This begs the question: if company culture is so important, why are so many organisations still struggling to maintain a positive work environment?

The answer, though it sounds simple, is found in the strength and resiliency of the relationships inside your organisation. Think of the last time a significant challenge was dumped on your desk. Was your first thought to outline a 12-step plan or did your mind immediately race to “who do I trust to help dig us out of this mess?” In fact, most people have that “work buddy” who they’ll turn to when things become too overwhelming. While a 12-step plan is incredibly useful, people are still more inclined to phone a friend than to tackle a big initiative single-handedly.

Relationships evolve your organisation’s culture and reshape the meaning behind the common phrase “that’s how we do things around here”. It’s not enough that a CEO says “our culture is this,” because the actions and behaviours driving the organisation may suggest otherwise. So how does one begin to shift organisational culture? Enter the discipline of Business Relationship Management.

In simple terms, Business Relationship Management is the art and science of fostering meaningful connections with everyone involved in the organisation: stakeholders, customers, suppliers, and partners. It's about understanding the needs, desires, and quirks of those within the larger organisational network, as well as the skill and discipline to nurture those relationships. But, most importantly, connecting the right relationships, at the right time, and in the right way that drives value results.

How often are you faced with a new initiative that seems to have no correlation to current projects or strategies? As previously mentioned, it’s not uncommon for an organisation to separate its projects and initiatives from its overall purpose and strategy. This inevitably leads to confusion and loss of direction as more and more people begin to solely focus on their function’s deliverables and objectives rather than the objectives and strategies of the overall organisation. Many refer to this as “silo” behaviour since communication between teams is limited at best and at worst non-existent. Part of the BRM discipline involves creating (or cleaning) pathways of communication to ensure that teams are not only aligned but converged around the shared objective and strategy of the entire organisation.

Let’s take a closer look at the BRM discipline and how its application can drive organisational growth. Firstly, what are the key components of the BRM discipline?

To answer that in full would take longer than one blog post, so we’re going to focus primarily on the four main capabilities that drive the discipline which are: evolve culture, build partnerships, drive value; and satisfy purpose. Together, these capabilities encompass specific skills, behaviors, and knowledge domains for BRM practitioners which are collectively called competencies. Proficiency in these competencies drives the effectiveness of the framework. By providing a structured approach for assessing, developing, and enhancing the capabilities of individuals involved in BRM, the framework ensures a consistent and proficient approach to fostering collaboration between organisation and partner entities.

Capabilities are great and all, but it’s the competencies that truly drive organisational growth which are outlined in the chart below.

The table of BRM Competencies was created by the Business Relationship Management Institute. Copyright © 2021 Business Relationship Management Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Exceptional leaders can easily spot these competencies within their team members as well as those within their larger relationship network. They can identify those who have the ‘right stuff’ and differentiate them as the individuals who can be entrusted with critical initiatives that will make or break careers and ensure those pivotal projects don't end up as flaming disasters on their desk. But here’s the dilemma, those leaders can’t coach everyone all at the same time.  They need a reliable methodology, an approach to systematically identify strengths and weaknesses in competencies – and not just areas that could be improved, but areas that demand improvement.

The BRM Competency Model evaluates proficiency across four discernable levels which are:

• Awareness (Explorer): where individuals recognise there is a new behavioural model that is being adopted.
• Comprehension (Beginner): the level where individuals gain an understanding of how they must behave differently within the organisation’s new practices.
• Application (Practitioner): individuals are able to create new ways of doing things and optimise those practices.
• Influence (Master): the highest level, individuals demonstrate the ability to shape the culture of the larger organisation, driving results directly aligned with the strategic direction.

In addition to these levels, the model includes knowledge, skills and mindset as exhibited behaviours to each proficiency level.

• Knowledge: is the element that focuses on facts and concepts relating to a particular competency.
• Skills: considers an individual’s expertise or aptitude for a given competency.
• Mindset: is the element that heavily considers the human condition by acknowledging an individual’s feelings and/or motivations behind each competency.

While a traditional organisation leaves relationship-building to chance, a relationship-centered organisation treats work relationships with the same level of respect as every other core capability within the organisation. This tool provides consistency for measuring relationship capabilities, but more importantly, the competency model helps with identifying areas for individual improvement; the stronger the competency, the stronger the capability, and thus the stronger and more resilient the organisation.

If you’re someone who considers the ‘who’ before considering the ‘what,’ then you could be exercising Business Relationship Management without even realising it. While the accreditation is fairly new, the BRM practice has existed for decades. More and more organisations are recognising the impact BRM has on growth and sustainability, often when it’s too late. Imagine a culture that’s adaptable to any strategic shift, prepared to embrace new directives from the Board or Executive team, and resilient in the face of unforeseen challenges thrown your way. Such a culture thrives on relationship-centered thinking. It’s a culture that recognises the importance of our everyday behaviors, and how our interactions with one another create a larger ripple effect that can either have a positive or negative impact on the entire organisation. If there’s one takeaway from this article, let it be this: at the end of the day, it’s skill, not will, that ultimately hinders the continuous growth of an organisation.

Please see below for more information about BRM certification and courses developed in collaboration with the Business Relationship Management Institute:

This entry-level certification is typically delivered over three days. It provides a comprehensive overview of Business Relationship Management concepts, the BRM role, and the BRM capabilities.

The CBRM certification builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in the BRMP course. It is designed to further develop individuals into Strategic Business Relationship Managers. This course, typically delivered over five days, requires participants to already hold the BRMP certificate before enrolling.

[1] Sull, Donald, et al. “When It Comes to Culture, Does Your Company Walk the Talk?” MIT Sloan Management Review, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 21 July 2020, sloanreview.mit.edu/article/when-it-comes-to-culture-does-your-company-walk-the-talk/#ref2.