New Book “Leverages Competency Model” for CPA Firms
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) August 20, 2014 -- The CPA Center of Excellence®, established earlier this year, is already gaining momentum among not only Indiana CPAs but CPAs and human resource experts around the nation. The CPA Center of Excellence®s is powered by the Indiana CPA Society.
One of the Center’s first products, a book titled CPA Excellence: A Quick Start Guide to Defining and Mastering Vital Skills for Success, is a smash hit just three months after its release. Authored by knowledge management and complexity expert David Griffiths, Ph.D., of Wales in the U.K., who has been an advisor to INCPAS since 2011, the book provides a strategy to take CPAs and CPA firms on a path toward mastering vital success skills identified in the CPA Horizons 2025 project sponsored by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Perhaps just as valuable are the core competency descriptors that appear as appendices in the book. The descriptors, developed by three INCPAS task forces and Griffiths, define each competency, discuss why it is important, provide both positive and negative characteristics, and then go into great detail with five levels of proficiency that tells CPAs and CPA firm HR managers exactly what they need to do to advance through the levels.
The book contains four chapters. The first chapter takes readers through the evolution of the CPA core competencies, from the original CPA Vision Project in the late 1990s to CPA Horizons, and through the process of developing the competency descriptors. Chapter two defines competencies and the competency-based approach, and provides frameworks and checklists for putting them to work for yourself and your firm.
Chapter three is the meat of the book as it guides readers on the journey of the human resource pathway – from strategy and job design, to recruitment and selection, and continuing on through performance appraisal, reward and recognition, and succession planning. All along the way it describes how to assess and enhance the core competencies. Finally, chapter four gives suggestions for learning opportunities, assessment tools, and implementation.
The book is available for just $19.95, or only $15.95 per book if purchasing five or more. An e-book version of the Quick Start Guide will also be available soon.
The CPA Center of Excellence® is the result of four years of planning. The Center is built on the foundation of advancing the CPA profession’s critical success skills and offers a variety of tools, resources and creative educational opportunities to improve those competencies in order to meet future client, employer and environmental needs and demands. It emphasizes a competency-based learning model and intelligent collaboration.
The CPA Center of Excellence® has five main components. The book described above, a series of online interactive courses based on the core competencies, live simulation events to be offered this fall, a multi-featured online community, and a benchmark competency assessment survey being completed by CPAs nationwide. The website, http://cpacoe.com, provides more information, registration and ordering information.
The components are designed to tie together as a complete package. The assessment survey measures where an individual or firm staff are in terms of competency level. The book provides a planning guide and framework for advancing those competencies. The online and live courses are new learning opportunities that develop competencies. The online community enables members to share knowledge and further develop their competencies.
The CPA Center of Excellence, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indiana CPA Society. Its products and services are relevant to CPAs not only in Indiana, but throughout the United States, as well as to accounting professionals globally.
What They’re Saying About CPA Excellence: A Quick Start Guide to Defining and Mastering Vital Skills for Success
CPAs in Indiana
“The most beneficial part of the quick start guide is the overall concept. The book identifies the CPA core competencies and gives you a step-by-step plan to apply them to yourself and your staff. It’s a quick read and a great reference guide.”
Lorita Bill, CPA, CGMA
Shareholder/Director of Audit and Accounting
Girardot, Strauch & Co.
Lafayette, Ind.
CPAs from Other States
“I read the book about how to implement competency-based learning and knowledge management in CPA firms and loved it. The book does a great job of laying out the competency model concepts and application very concisely. I really liked that it told us how to actually leverage the competency model in our firms. I’ve already adapted two of the core competency areas to align with the way my firm uses competency models.”
Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Founder and Managing Director
IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC
Honolulu, Hawaii
Human Resource Professionals
“Do not invest in this resource if you are looking to enjoy your current challenges over and over again. This book is chock full of practical information and checklists for competencies often overlooked. I highly recommend it for every CPA interested in furthering their own development, and that of their organization.”
Judy Hissong, CLM, PCC
President
Nesso Strategies
San Diego, Calif.
Elise LeBlanc, CPA Center of Excellence, http://www.cpacoe.com, +1 (317) 726-5012, [email protected]
Share this article