competence 2.0- michigan state university case study

Case Studies

________________________________________________________________________ Food Safety Knowledge Network 1 5/19/2009

Food Safety Knowledge Network

Executive Summary As the food production market has become a truly global enterprise, food safety has become a major concern. This environment has led to the creation of various collaborative initiatives which have created numerous private and public standards to ensure food safety. While these standards have fostered a food safety system that has never been safer, they have also created a safety certification, auditing and governance system has become increasingly burdensome and costly and does not allow for easy mentoring of emerging markets for the best practices to meet these standards. In this climate, the harmonization of safety standards and the ability to cheaply and efficiently promote competencies among food safety professionals has become an increasingly important goal. With this in mind, Michigan State University (MSU) has positioned itself as a leader in food safety education programs with its commitment to the Food Safety and Sustainability Initiative. In their partnership with the Global Food Safety Initiative, Michigan State is developing the Food Safety Knowledge Network (FSKN), a program of food safety resources to efficiently and effectively meet competency in all levels of food safety. The FSKN will use Competence 2.0 technologies and techniques (social networking, and dynamic knowledge sharing and evaluation tools) to harmonize standards, practices, qualifications, and training criteria. The FSKN pilot platform will be in place in late 2009 and will be rolled out globally in 2010. Value Proposition. The FSKN program seeks to develop tools to quickly and efficiently raise and sustain the competencies of food safety professionals across the world and in all levels of the supply chain and will have the benefits of:

• Harmonization of practices and competences in the food safety industry;

• Dramatic cost reduction of competence building and expansion of its reach;

• Reduction of costs in the food supply chain, plus improvements in employee satisfaction and retention;

• Rapid proliferation of new perspectives and competences across the industry;

• Enabling of agribusinesses to deploy these techniques to significantly improve talent management and leadership development capacity; and

• Elevation of managerial and agricultural worker skills in emerging agricultural settings in the developing world.

Competence 2.0 in the food safety industry should attract substantial grant and investment funding. Description of Core Program/Source of Expertise. The FSKN will create a curriculum for food safety competency through partnerships with industry, government, academia, local/regional authorities, and other stakeholders. Coupled with a unique learning environment using face-to-face sessions, seminars,

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formal courses and on-line learning, it will present a cheap, fast and efficient way for professionals to reach competence qualifications across all sectors of the food safety industry. Michigan State University is a key source of expertise in C2.0 technologies and techniques, open learning and evaluation practices, content expertise in food safety, applied research and problem solving, and leadership development. These will be critical in attracting grant funding and investment. Competence 2.0 Elements. FSKN will use basic C2.0 tools and practices: social networking, technology-accelerated knowledge sharing, peer-to-peer learning, and open resources. FSKN could be enhanced with other C2.0 elements, such as competence repositories, competence observatories, signals of emerging threats, ePortfolios, new technology sharing tools, analytics and performance measurements, and new approaches to evaluation.

Faster, Smarter, Fresher

• The FKSN will utilize social networking dynamics and technology-accelerated knowledge sharing to assure speed, adaptability, and freshness in its competence building.

• The FKSN will share competence insights across the Food Safety Industry, reaching all individuals and enterprises.

Cheaper, Sharper, Clearer

• The FKSN is reinventing traditional “institutional” and “training” models for learning, assessment, and certification. It is preparing for unbundling so assessment and certification can be handled separately from learning.

• The FSKN will leverage peer-to-peer learning, and open resources to drive down the cost of competence building and enable perpetual re-skilling.

• This will reduce the cost of the supply chain and result in greater employee motivation and satisfaction, leading to improved retention.

• The FSKN will provide for achieving competences at any level of literacy and technology sophistication.

Deeper, Surer, Truer

• The FSKN will harmonize food safety systems and competences across the world and down into organizations.

Broader, Greener, Richer

• The FSKN will progressively expand food safety skills using the Network.

• The FSKN will capture emerging green skills and perspectives and embed them in the competence requirements for practitioners.

Grant and Commercialization Opportunities. Many opportunities for grant funding and/or commercial ventures are available in the food safety industry, including:

• Leveraging of Michigan State University’s competences and capacities as a leader in food safety training and knowledge maintenance for global investments and grants in a variety of projects;

• Supporting the development of a “Breadbasket for the Arab world”;

• Creating a talent, competence, and leadership development enterprise (a commercial venture or a not-for-profit enterprise), partnering with agribusiness companies;

• Exporting US food industry practices to other countries; and

• Creating a food safety green jobs career network.

These opportunities are discussed in greater length in the case study that follows.

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Food Safety Knowledge Network

I. Value Propositions

Over the past decades, the food procurement system has become truly globalized as the procurement systems of retailers, manufacturers and suppliers have reached every corner of the world to ensure consumers an uninterrupted and affordable supply of food. During this period, various collaborative initiatives have created numerous private and public standards (CODEX, BRC, SQF, GFSI, GlobalGAP, and others) to ensure food safety. As a result, our food, and food system, has never been safer. However, we are also observing an increasing propensity of food safety events occurring (numbers and severity) in both developed and emerging markets that are undermining consumers’ confidence in the integrity of the governance system. This has become a critical concern to all food system members (farmers, industry, government, donors, consumer advocacy groups and academia). A new global governance system is required to manage and ensure the integrity of our global food system. This system must be transparent, inclusive, market-driven, and cost effective.

To meet these goals, Competence 2.0 practices are being deployed in the Food Safety Knowledge Network, a partnership between Michigan State University and the CIES – Food Business Forum, to disseminate food safety competences and raise standards across the globe. Leveraging these practices can create the following valuable outcomes:

• Harmonization of practices and competences in the food safety industry;

• Dramatic cost reduction of competence building and expansion of its reach;

• Reduction of costs in the food supply chain, plus improvements in employee satisfaction and retention;

• Rapid proliferation of new perspectives and competences across the industry;

• Enabling of agribusinesses to deploy these techniques to significantly improve talent management and leadership development capacity; and

• Elevation of managerial and agricultural worker skills in emerging agricultural settings in the developing world.

These value propositions should be sufficient to attract significant investment in Competence 2.0-based initiatives and ventures by investors, nations, and agribusiness ventures.

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II. Core Program/Source of Expertise Michigan State University and the Food Safety Knowledge Network are core programs that provide the expertise and resources that can be leveraged to create Competence 2.0 practices in the food safety industry. Michigan State University’s Broad Capabilities. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at MSU is a key source of expertise in food safety learning and practice. CANR encompasses a broad view of agriculture and natural resources, including sustainable agriculture and natural resource systems; food and nutrition; community, family and youth development; technology and process management; and international programs. The College offers an array of expertise that reflects the breadth and diversity of the agricultural and natural resource studies through research, education and outreach that engages citizens in exploring solutions to problems in agriculture, urban and rural land use, food systems, the environment, tourism, wildlife management, and human and community development. MSU Global is the university’s e-learning enterprise and is a recognized leader in e-learning partnerships and the deployment of open resources. MSU provides a broad range of capabilities in agricultural extension, outreach, rural problem solving, and sustainability. MSU also boasts a substantial leadership development institute. Combined, these can be important ingredients in a competency, talent, and leadership development network that can serve existing and/or emerging workforces in the agriculture and food services industry. The Food Safety and Sustainability Initiative is a prime example of Michigan State University’s leadership in the field of food safety education and competency-building programs through partnerships with professional societies associations and other industry groups. This global certification program is aimed at improving the level of food safety across the globe. It will use open resources, a competency framework and repository of resources to reach people in a wide variety of modes. A marketplace of self-study and training resources and providers will emerge to support this initiative, dramatically driving down the price of competence building and refreshment. This program will provide “food safety for the masses of employees in the industry.” Different approaches will be developed for the 24 distinct food products covered by the initiative. Food Safety Knowledge Network. In June 2008 the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) decided to initiate the Food Safety Knowledge Network (FSKN), in recognition of ever longer, more global and distant sources of supply and of the varying levels of competency in the broad range of functions throughout the food supply chain.

The program is a joint initiative between the College of Agriculture at Michigan State University (MSU) and CIES – The Food Business Forum, an independent global food business network of around 400 retailer and manufacturer members of all sizes across 150 countries. FSKN seeks to develop internationally recognized competences in relation to food safety for individuals in all sectors of the food supply chain. The program aims to facilitate the collaborative and inclusive co-creation of a global food safety governance system designed to ensure safety, enable participation, and be owned by all of the relevant stakeholders (consumers, industry, producers, government, donors and academia). In so doing, the program will develop high-quality, low-cost training and education enabling individuals to aspire to and meet the defined competencies and will promote knowledge transfer within the food safety community.

The goal of the FSKN is to harmonize existing technical food safety training schemes through the development of the competencies of food safety professionals, recognized by international stakeholders, both from the public and the private sectors. In this way the network will develop and establish a global professional food safety system training and qualification program for all functions along the food value

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chain. This program will not replace or conflict with existing formal qualifications. It will not restrict the work of academia, professional institutions or training providers or inhibit the development of best practice standards or codes of practice in any sector of the food supply chain, but will actively promote and support these. Objectives of the FSKN. Development of this program will create a framework to:

• Facilitate the production of safer food on a global basis;

• Transfer knowledge throughout the supply chain on a global basis;

• Enable career development, education and enhanced mobility for food safety professionals;

• Enhance the competitiveness of small growers and producers and enable access to high value export markets for emerging countries;

• Ultimately achieve pragmatic cost reductions through the elimination of corrective actions and more efficient auditing;

• Secure the supplier base in terms of legality and food safety with improved conformity; and

• Reduce perceived barriers to trade through the development and application of competencies. Benefits of the FKSN. By using a system that relies heavily on Competence 2.0 elements this program will allow for:

• Identification of required food safety competencies;

• Ability to analyze what is available in a given location to train and assess these competencies;

• Transfer of knowledge leading to the reduction in perceived barriers to trade through the development of competencies throughout the supply chain on a global basis;

• Creation of awareness and a shared interest in optimising the level of food safety throughout the value chain through the aspirational membership of a truly global, responsible community;

• Enhancement of career development, education and enhanced mobility for food safety professionals;

• Enhancement of the competitiveness of small growers and producers and enable access to high value export markets for emerging countries; and

• Securing of the supplier base in terms of legality and food safety with improved conformity.

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FSKN Methodology. The network will create a curriculum for global food safety competency and unique learning environment by developing and promoting:

• Partnerships with industry, government, academia, local/regional authorities, and other stakeholders;

• An internationally recognised training syllabus and qualification for different sectors of the food industry;

• Effective and efficient training material through face to face sessions, seminars, formal courses and more importantly on line learning; and

• Program entry points for different levels of individual competency in relation to location and market.

The competency framework(s) are for different roles in the food industry and for different kinds of foods (of which there are over 20). The first basic-level food hygiene framework is nearly complete; others will be completed over time. While MSU is providing its own online, self-paced training to the FSKN, this is only meant as an initial effort. It will seed a genuine marketplace of providers - schools, vocational centers, certification bodies, and other enterprises - that will emerge to provide a full range of training experiences, in all kinds of formats, at all price points, including the FSKN’s own free, online, self-paced resources that are open for customization, localization, re-purposing, re-use, and re-distribution. The marketplace is being created to align with the competency frameworks that are industry-driven and industry maintained as part of the technical working groups of CIES/GFSI. The plan is to proceed a country at a time, starting this Fall in India in three food sectors, beginning with basic hygiene for quality assurance managers. Two events are being planned to build the marketplace around the first competency and assessment "toolkit" (Washington, DC June 1-2 and India in September).

The key principle for training is that the market will decide what kinds, types, formats of delivery the market needs and the price points it will bear in different regions in the world.

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The following figure summarizes the inputs, activities, output, and outcomes of the program. Clearly the network is catalyzed by the combination of CIES’ industry leadership and expertise in industry needs; the collaboration of MSU and a community of research, education, and training providers; and MSU’s eLearning, open educational resource (OER) and technical expertise. In the fullness of time, this program will increase the number and quality of food safety practitioners across the world.

Timeframe for the FSKN. Benchmarks have been planned for the implementation and development of the FSKN.

• Summer 2008. GFSI Board validation of concept and agreement to convene a Pilot Group to

scope out concept and selection of pilot location. Completed

• Fall 2008. Call for volunteers for a Technical Working Group (TWG) to identify necessary

components and competencies for the program; finalize business plan; external partners and

funding sources identified and engaged in program development process.

• 2009. TWG, educational entities and donors collaborate to create appropriate competency-based

pilot training programs for one region and one value chain;

• 2010. Critically review the pilot training program and where appropriate refine or amend. The

initiative’s long term strategic objective is to expand the pilot to all GFSI identified value chains

and functional areas.

The FSKN Model

Outcomes Output Activities Input

CIES industry leadership

MSU & Community of Research,

Education and Training Providers

Increased Number of

Food Safety Professionals

around the world

Training Product

Development

GFSI Qualification

Exam Development

OER and Social Network

Development

Phase I

MSU OER, eLearning and

Technical Expertise

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The following figure outlines the proposed timeframe for the program’s working group progress:

Research to Date. Crucial to the implementation of the FSKN is the collection and organization of existing schemes of competence qualifications and training and utilization of best practices in the field.

• Review of Existing Schemes. Harmonization of existing technical food safety training schemes

through the development of food safety professional competencies.

• Development Approach. Identify which training criteria and qualifications are appropriate to

include based on competency criteria identified by working group; review and assess the

availability of training of required competencies in pilot country; review the availability of potential

auditors/mentors in the pilot country.

• Technology Infrastructure. Create a shared conceptual framework for building an e-learning or

information, communication and technology (ICT) infrastructure for project resources and training,

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Model for Different Countries. In using the tools offered by the FSKN it is essential to take into account the different levels of competence and standards of practice used in countries throughout the developed and developing world. Understanding these differences and effectively using the capabilities of the network will enable practitioners to raise the level of food safety expertise in countries that may have lower safety levels, eventually helping to elevate their standards to meet those of developed countries, such as the United States, and allow them to enter these markets that may have previously been closed to them.

The following figure illustrates how companies will function in two countries with different minimal legal requirements in following paths to achieve compliance with GFSI recognized safety standards.

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III. Competence 2.0 Elements

A description of the elements of Competence 2.0 is contained in the White Paper, “Resilience in the Face of Recession: Education, Training, and Workforce Development for the Post-Recession Economy.” This can be found at http://tinyurl.com/cj8gbm. The FSKN will rely heavily on Competence 2.0 concepts to meet its goals for a broad reaching, dynamic and effective way of achieving competency training across a global market of practice. Through social networking, knowledge sharing tools, new approaches to evaluation and the establishment of the network as an open resource it creates a platform that will quickly, efficiently and cheaply disseminate information. This will ultimately allow for a harmonization of food safety systems in countries around the world in ways that will enhance competitiveness of small growers and producers.

Elements of Competence 2.0 in the Current Vision of the Food Knowledge Safety Network

Faster, Smarter, Fresher

• The FKSN will utilize social networking dynamics and technology-accelerated knowledge sharing to assure speed, adaptability, and freshness in its competence building.

• The FKSN will share competence insights across the Food Safety Industry, reaching all individuals and enterprises.

Cheaper, Sharper, Clearer

• The FKSN is reinventing traditional “institutional” and “training” models for learning, assessment, and certification. It is preparing for unbundling so assessment and certification can be handled separately from learning.

• The FSKN will leverage peer-to-peer learning, and open resources to drive down the cost of competence building and enable perpetual re-skilling.

• This will reduce the cost of the supply chain and result in greater employee motivation and satisfaction, leading to improved retention.

• The FSKN will provide for achieving competences at any level of literacy and technology sophistication.

Deeper, Surer, Truer • The FSKN will harmonize food safety systems

and competences across the world and down into organizations.

Broader, Greener, Richer

• The FSKN will progressively expand food safety skills using the Network.

• The FSKN will capture emerging green skills and perspectives and embed them in the competence requirements for practitioners.

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Potential Future Competence 2.0 Elements in the FSKN. The FSKN can be progressively improved with the next wave of Competence 2.0 tools and techniques that are emerging from other C2.0 initiatives such as Project Target, which is creating an open resource toolkit for competence building and sharing. Potential enhancements in the FSKN include:

• Competence repository is a searchable, shareable collection of resources that could evolve from the FSKN first generation tools, enabling broader access, sharing, repurposing, and combination of FSKN resources;

• Competence observatory is a mechanism for aggressively identifying emerging trends, threats, and competences in food safety and incorporating these competences and early warning devices into the toolkit of practicing food safety professionals;

• Trip wires and “weak signals” on emerging threats will be developed to guide the food safety professional in the global industry;

• ePortfolio is a mechanism for food safety employees to create and carry with then transportable records of their food safety competences; these may emerge through individual companies and/or the FSKN;

• New knowledge sharing tools will be emerging from Project Target and other ventures and can be incorporated in future iterations of the FSKN platforms;

• Analytics and performance measurements will be a key element of the FSKN and will be reflected in enterprise information systems in the food industry;

• New approaches to evaluation will evolve from the FSKN, including the possibility of a “Wikipedia approach” to assessment and evaluation;

• Open resources are a key to the FSKN’s concept and design and will be pursued even more aggressively as new capacities are developed; and

• Broader application of C2.0 competence and talent management principles in food industry enterprises. The capabilities developed as part of the FSKN will find broader application in the food industry. Many enterprises will embed C2.0 perspectives and practices in their human resource and talent management operations.

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IV. Grants and Commercialization Opportunities By leveraging the technologies, techniques, and practices that will emerge from the FSKN project, MSU and other participants are likely to encounter opportunities for grants and commercial ventures in the agriculture and natural resources industry. Leveraging Michigan State University’s Competences and Capacity. MSU has established its reputation as a leader in the food safety industry’s efforts to make training and knowledge maintenance efficient and easily accessed throughout the industry. The university is well positioned to leverage the organizational capacity that they have refined in the FSKN and other e-learning and capacity-building projects with their broad organizational capacities in applied research, problem solving, cooperative extension, and leadership development. Coupled with MSU’s vision to be the “World Grant University,” these factors make MSU a uniquely qualified partner for research and development grants and commercial ventures in the realm of food safety, sustainability, and development using C2.0 techniques. Supporting the Development of a “Breadbasket for the Arab World.” The Arab World is concerned that there is no “Middle East Bread Basket.” They consider this a strategic weakness over time. Consequently, Saudi sovereign wealth funds and others have been seeking to acquire agricultural rights to large parcels of unfarmed land (e.g., Madagascar, other locations) which will be developed using some indigenous workers and others from abroad. Such efforts could benefit immensely from Competence 2.0 principles and practices to support the competence needs of everyone from managers down to front-line food workers. Such efforts could also benefit from a sort of “global extension service” that could solve local problems and roll out these new enterprises sustainably. To support these efforts, the resources of MSU, the MSU Foundation, and other partners could be mobilized to commercialize a talent, competence, and leadership development enterprise. This enterprise could serve the companies that are being formed by the venture funds to develop the Breadbasket for the Arab World. Creating a Talent, Competence, and Leadership Development Enterprise, Possibly Partnering with Agribusiness Companies. Many of these same capacities and methods could be made available to agribusiness companies. They could create a framework to quickly, cheaply and efficiently ensure that their employees maintain their proficiencies in food safety and are active participants in the food safety industry as a whole. Other food industry competences could be addressed as well. These partnerships can also be used to help drive curriculum to suit specific needs of these agribusiness companies and serve as a recruiting tool for hiring of newly qualified employees who have used the network to reach their competence levels. Moreover, this enterprise could serve agribusiness companies more broadly. These C2.0 approaches to talent and performance management and leadership development could be embedded in the practices of individual companies, dealing more broadly with the issues of individual, team, and organizational competence and performance. Exporting US Food Industry Practices to Other Developed Countries (Field to Fork). US Food Safety Programs and Practices are envied globally. By creating tools that cheaply and efficiently offer gateways to a wealth of information to aid food safety professionals in meeting the standards of practice of developed nations, this program can be used to help raise the level of food safety in less developed countries and in developed countries that need to advance their efforts. The program can be used to bring the best practices and know-how of these developed nations to countries where they have never been known before, exporting food safety practices and raising standards. Using systems such as those used in the FSKN project, that evaluate the levels of

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competency and access to training in an individual’s region and allowing them to improve their competence regardless of literacy and technical proficiency, these tools can bring food safety concepts to a broad range of professionals that would otherwise have no access. If safety standards are easily raised in many of these nations they will help the safety within their own countries and be given the opportunity to enter international markets of food export that have thus far been closed to them. Creating a Food Safety Green Jobs Career Network. With the push to create environmentally friendly practices and jobs in industries across the board, the FSKN and other programs utilizing Competence 2.0 practices could be a major tool driving the establishment of green jobs in the food safety industry. These tools can create an efficient and easily accessed entrance point to the training of professionals in these emerging fields. Furthermore partnerships with employment specialists like Monster.com could create a valuable link between employers looking to expand the use of green initiatives in their production and those professionals newly qualified in the emerging practices in the field. Creating Workforce Solutions Targeted to Lifting Michigan Out of Recession. MSU can use the practices learned through this initiative and its broader training, workforce and leadership development to collaborate with a range of Michigan workforce and education agencies to provide workforce solutions for the state. These could include:

• Targeting Michigan workforce agencies and partner organizations that have access to workforce and stimulus funds;

• Identifying how Competence 2.0 practices can be used to help meet the needs of these organizations;

• Developing collaborative projects to lift out of recession, and pervasively realign the competences of the Michigan workforce to the post-recession economy; and

• Especially target the range of skills from lower-level to mid-level workers. The insights from these initiatives could be shared with other states.

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The Competence 2.0 Community of Practice Strategic Initiatives, Inc. has launched the Competence 2.0 Community of Practice, in order to:

• Raise the consciousness of leaders regarding the potential of community knowledge, intelligently exploited, to support the pervasive reinvention of policies and practices that will lift economies out of recession in a fashion that will position them for future competitive advantage;

• Build support around the imperative of sustaining, enhancing and leveraging the innovations in processes and practices necessary to thrive in the post-recession future;

• Attract leading-edge practitioners of each of the elements of Competence 2.0 from all over the globe who raise their capacity;

• Create, aggregate, and sustain a Competence 2.0 Body of Knowledge (BoK) as an open resource, which is freely available to practitioners all over the world;

• Attract sponsors, investors, and leaders who wish to support Competence 2.0 applications in their enterprises, organizations, and/or political jurisdictions;

• Raise and deploy funding to leverage, scale, and commercialize Competence 2.0 applications in appropriate settings; and

• Raise funding and conduct research to assess the impacts of Competence 2.0 initiatives and to disseminate results.

The concept of Competence 2.0 and the Community of Practice originated in the US and were discussed at a workshop on “Competing on Competence” at the Future Capitals Summit held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on January 13-15, 2009 and supported by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Donald M. Norris, President of Strategic Initiatives, who offered to organize and coordinate the Competence 2.0 Community of Practice. Strategic Initiatives, Inc, has made available the conceptual framework, case studies, and best practices that will catalyze the emerging Competence 2.0 Community of Practice. Dr. Norris will work with community members to develop an organizational structure and a code of operation for the Community. Dr. Ambjorn Naeve, head of the Knowledge Management Research Group at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden, is coordinating the collaborative environment and Body of Knowledge for the Community of Practice. A variety of practitioners are participating in the Competence 2.0 Community of Practice. A portfolio of open resources on Competence 2.0 and the

Community of Practice is available at http://tinyurl.com/cj8gbm.

Competence 2.0 ® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Strategic Initiatives, Inc., which has made it available to the Competence 2.0 Community of Practice.