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Functional Competencies Support Increased Transparency in Career Pathing, Performance Management, and Learning & Development: New Research From McLean & Company

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Global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company’s new resource explains that functional competencies provide the greatest possible return when developed to address specific functional and organizational needs.

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – As HR’s role within organizations becomes increasingly diverse and strategic, survey data from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company suggests that although 59% of HR organizations believe competency frameworks are highly important to successfully meeting organizational and HR goals, fewer than one-fifth of organizations’ HR departments feel their competency framework is adequate. In response, the new research explains that a comprehensive competency framework comprises core, leadership, and functional competencies.

The competency framework is a formal structure that lists a collection of competencies, where each competency defines one aspect of behavior an employee must exhibit to perform well in their job. To guide HR leaders through strategically investing resources to develop functional competencies that will best support long-term organizational success, the firm has published its new blueprint, Create Functional Competencies.

“Functional competencies are part of a broader competency framework and are often seen as the next logical step after the development of core and leadership competencies,” says Grace Ewles, director of HR Research and Advisory Services at McLean & Company. “However, functional competencies will not be part of every organization’s competency framework. Functional competencies deliver the best return on investment when developed to address specific functional and organizational needs, such as increased hiring within a particular function, to justify the time and energy required.”

McLean & Company explains that there is often confusion in differentiating technical skills and functional competencies. Technical skills are a demonstrated ability to perform a specific task with proficiency and often require the use of equipment, machinery, tools, or automated systems. Functional competencies, on the other hand, are based on observable behaviors demonstrated across various job responsibilities within a specified function and comprise a set of knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs).

To build out functional competencies to include in a competency framework, HR leaders can follow McLean & Company’s three-step process for developing and integrating functional competencies. The approach is outlined below:

Step one: Identify the need for functional competencies. 
Define key project roles and responsibilities, assess the capacity to develop functional competencies for each function under consideration to create a shortlist, and conduct an internal and external needs analysis for shortlisted functions. Next, prioritize functions and explore alternative solutions to make an informed decision about proceeding with functional competency development.

Step two: Define functional competencies.
Collect required data to create functional competencies, select a method for competency development, and draft competencies and behavior-based proficiency statements. Additionally, HR leaders can assign proficiency levels based on roles, conduct a sensitivity and accessibility review, and validate competencies with functional leaders and a cross-section of managers and employees.

Step three: Integrate and communicate functional competencies.
Create a plan for functional competency integration across HR program areas then plan the necessary communications to manage resistance and increase buy-in with functional leaders, managers, and employees. Finally, develop a plan to sustain and update functional competencies as required.

McLean & Company reminds HR leaders that while functional competencies are often associated with performance management, the application of functional competencies goes beyond performance and can target functional-specific needs across HR program areas, such as learning and development, career pathing, employee development, succession planning, and talent acquisition.

To access the full blueprint, please visit Create Functional Competencies.

Additional McLean & Company resources to support functional competency framework initiatives are available below:

Develop a Comprehensive Competency FrameworkCompetency Implementation GuideDevelop a Job Architecture FrameworkReconceptualize Job Descriptions

To register for upcoming free webinars on a variety of topics or to explore the publicly available archive of recorded sessions, please visit mcleanco.com/workshops. Please note that a selection of McLean & Company’s research-based webinars are now offering professional development credits for recertification with SHRM, HRCI, and HRPA.  

Media interested in connecting with McLean & Company analysts for exclusive, research-backed insights and commentary on leadership diversity, DEI, generative AI in HR, HR trends in 2024, the future of work, and more can contact Senior Communications Manager Kelsey King at kking@mcleanco.com

About McLean & Company

Through data-driven insights and proven best-practice methodologies, McLean & Company offers comprehensive resources and full-service assessments, action plans, and training to position organizations to meet today’s needs and prepare for the future.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact kking@mcleanco.com.

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SOURCE McLean & Company

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Society of Robotic Surgery and Puma Venture Capital Announce Winners of SRS Shark Tank 2026

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Drive Medical claimed the top prize at the third annual SRS Shark Tank 2026, held during the Society of Robotic Surgery’s annual conference at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. The event, a collaboration between SRS and Puma Venture Capital, once again showcased cutting-edge innovations in the digital and robotic surgery ecosystem and featured early-stage companies poised to transform minimally invasive care.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Drive Medical claimed the top prize at the third annual SRS Shark Tank 2026, held during the Society of Robotic Surgery’s annual conference at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. The event, a collaboration between SRS and Puma Venture Capital, once again showcased cutting-edge innovations in the digital and robotic surgery ecosystem and featured early-stage companies poised to transform minimally invasive care.

SRS Shark Tank 2026 featured presentations from nine innovative companies. Each had five minutes to pitch their technology and five minutes to engage in a Q&A session with a panel of esteemed judges, including top surgeons, investors, and medical device experts. Companies were evaluated on innovation, impact on healthcare, market potential, business model, and presentation.

Drive Medical earned the top honor for the Pollywog System, the first easy-to-use robotic endoscope integrated with artificial intelligence. The platform is designed to give physicians faster, safer access to the small bowel, allowing diagnosis and treatment to be completed in a single session rather than across multiple procedures.

DeepQure secured second place with HyperQure, the world’s first extravascular renal denervation system for resistant hypertension. Delivered laparoscopically, the device wraps the renal artery from the outside to achieve complete denervation while avoiding the vessel lining.

Microsure came in third with MUSA-3, a microsurgical robot that downscales and stabilizes a surgeon’s hand movements during open super-microsurgical procedures, including free flap, lymphatic, and peripheral nerve surgery. The system received CE mark approval earlier this year.

The strength of the 2026 field extended well beyond the podium: every one of the nine presenting companies was placed in the top three by at least one judge. Reveal Surgical presented optical imaging technology that characterizes tissue for tumor assessment during surgery, and Symphera demonstrated a laparoscopic system that lets surgeons switch instrument tips at the push of a button. Tioga Cardiovascular showed its transcatheter approach to mitral and tricuspid valve replacement.

CardioSentry presented an AI platform for autonomous cardiac ultrasound, and Nina Medical showcased a completely non-invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. LITLab rounded out the slate with mobile, high-fidelity surgical training labs that travel to health systems and medtech companies to train clinical teams onsite. Together the group reflected an unusually broad and competitive slate, spanning robotics, imaging, structural heart, urology, and surgical education.

The 2026 judging panel included Steve Bell, Rob Morgan, Dr. Santiago Horgan, Dr. Erik B. Wilson, Scott Zinober, and Babak Tehranchi, and the event was co-chaired by Amit Hazan and Dr. Vipul Patel.

Participating companies included:

Microsure, Symphera, LITLab, Reveal Surgical, DeepQure, Drive Medical, Nina Medical, CardioSentry, and Tioga Cardiovascular.

About the Society of Robotic Surgery:

Founded in 2012, the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) is guided by the fundamental principles of education and collaboration as a means to tackle the complex issues of robotic surgery. The SRS’ membership includes more than 20,000 physicians of all disciplines from around the world whose mission is to share information related to multi-centric studies, database collection, fellowship training and funding support related to robotic surgery. The SRS is the only multi-specialty robotic surgery society in the world with an annual meeting that includes updates in more than a dozen medical sub-specialties along with state-of-the-art plenary sessions and hot topic courses.

About Puma Venture Capital:

Puma Venture Capital is an investment firm seeking to leverage its surgeon venture partners to invest in all aspects of physical intelligence across every medical procedure — to improve patient outcomes, lift labor productivity, and lower system costs.

Media Contact

Ryan Julison, Society of Robotic Surgery, 1 3213776877, ryanjulison@gmail.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/society-of-robotic-surgery-and-puma-venture-capital-announce-winners-of-srs-shark-tank-2026-302869733.html

SOURCE Society of Robotic Surgery

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LG ELECTRONICS SHOWCASES COMPLETE PREMIUM RGB LINEUP WITH TÜV RHEINLAND CERTIFICATION FOR HIGH PURITY COLOR AT IFA 2026

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Powered by the α11 AI Processor, LG Micro RGB evo Sets a New Standard for High-Purity RGB Spectrum Display

News Summary:

LG Electronics showcases Micro RGB evo, an ultra-large LCD TV delivering high-purity RGB color performance, certified by TÜV Rheinland with its ‘High Purity RGB Spectrum Display’ certification, at IFA 2026.LG’s award-winning α11 AI Processor[1], recognized for enhancing picture and audio quality, is featured not only in flagship OLED models but also in Micro RGB evo.LG expands its RGB display lineup, now extending to Mini RGB evo models for a wider range of customer choice.

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics (LG) is showcasing LG Micro RGB evo (model MRGB95), a premium ultra-large-screen LCD TV featuring exceptional color purity, at IFA 2026, taking place in Berlin, Germany, from September 4-8. Leveraging LG’s proprietary Micro RGB technology and the α (Alpha) 11 AI Processor Gen3, the advanced TV delivers high-purity red, green, and blue separation, earning TÜV Rheinland’s High Purity RGB Spectrum Display certification.

Premium LCD Color with Independently Verified RGB Purity

LG Micro RGB evo and Mini RGB evo leverage LG’s proprietary high-purity RGB spectrum display technology, enhancing the purity of red, green and blue to deliver more natural and expressive color reproduction. Featuring clear color separation between red, green and blue colors and high purity of each color, the TVs deliver remarkably pure and lifelike colors.

This outstanding color performance has been independently certified by TÜV Rheinland, which has awarded its High Purity RGB Spectrum Display certification to LG’s Micro RGB evo MRGB95 and Mini RGB evo MRGB9M and MRGB85 models.[2]

Highlighting the significance of the certification, Hüseyin Derman, Regional Sales Manager of Products Europe at TÜV Rheinland, stated, “The TÜV Rheinland  certification confirms that LG’s Micro RGB evo has passed a rigorous evaluation of its capacity to deliver physically and optically high-purity colors by completely preventing the intermixing of RGB wavelengths.”

Award-winning AI Processing for Pure Color and Precise Contrast

At the heart of Micro RGB evo is the α11 AI Processor Gen3, LG’s most advanced smart TV processor and the same platform used in the company’s flagship OLED models. The processor’s Dual AI Engine analyzes texture and edge simultaneously to produce more cohesive and lifelike images across movies, shows and games.

Precision Color Enhancer, also enabled by the powerful α11 Gen3, preserves the purity of each primary color while enacting fine control over gradation and tonal transitions. Complementing this is Micro Dimming Ultra, which precisely manages brightness across thousands of dimming zones to reveal subtle detail in both deep shadows and bright highlights. These technologies, combined with the immense scale of the Micro RGB evo’s screen, create an immersive and impactful viewing experience.

As part of its premium LCD lineup strategy, LG offers the industry-leading level of color with the ultra-large Micro RGB evo, alongside the new Mini RGB evo. These TVs leverage LG’s unique light source technology to precisely implement red, green, and blue, earning the ‘High Purity RGB Spectrum Display’ certification from TÜV Rheinland and expanding consumer choice.

“LG Micro RGB evo brings together the exceptional color purity of our proprietary Micro RGB technology and the advanced intelligence of the α11 AI Processor Gen3 to deliver an ultra-large viewing experience like no other,” said Park Hyoung‑sei, president of the LG Media Entertainment Solution Company. “Its independently validated, high-purity RGB color performance reflects our dedication to setting new standards in premium LCD picture quality. By completing our RGB display lineup with Mini RGB evo, we are proud to broaden the range of high-performance choices available to our customers.”

LG Micro RGB evo will be on display at the LG booth in Hall 18 at Messe Berlin throughout IFA 2026.

[1] Tom’s Guide’s AI Awards 2026 Winner 
[2] LG RGB TVs have been certified as “High Purity RGB Spectrum Display” by TÜV Rheinland.

About LG Electronics Media Entertainment Solution Company

The LG Media Entertainment Solution Company (MS) is a recognized innovator in televisions, audio, displays and smart TV platforms. The MS Company enhances the media entertainment experience with its OLED TVs, renowned for perfect black and perfect color, the newest Micro RGB TVs and Mini-LED QNED TVs, all powered by the personalized webOS smart TV platform. The MS Company also offers Information Technology solutions (gaming monitors, business monitors, laptops, projectors, cloud devices and medical displays) as well as Signage solutions (Micro LED signage, digital signage, hospitality displays and signage software solutions) that are designed to maximize customers’ work efficiency and deliver strong value. For more news on LG, visit www.LG.com/global/newsroom/.

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Rally and the American Team Pickleball League Announce National Growth Partnership Focused on Team-based Pickleball

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Partnership pairs ATPL’s national affiliate network with Rally’s pickleball league management software to standardize team-based pickleball leagues across the country.

CHICAGO, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Rally and the American Team Pickleball League (ATPL) today announced a national growth partnership to expand standardized, team-based pickleball leagues across the United States. Rally’s pickleball league management software for league admins and pickleball league management app for players power several of the largest pickleball leagues in North America on a platform trusted for 28 years. Under the partnership, ATPL affiliates nationwide will run on that platform, and the two organizations will co-invest in marketing, onboarding, and league infrastructure to support ATPL’s national expansion.

“The American Team Pickleball League has spent years building the infrastructure, format, and community that make team pickleball work at a local level. Rally’s team pickleball app helps that model scale nationally.” — Ross Freedman, Founder and CEO, Rally

ATPL has built one of the fastest-growing team-based pickleball networks in the country, offering local affiliates a proven format, a structured competitive pathway, and a national championship. Rally acquired Pickleballscores in July 2026 as part of its acquisition of the Tenniscores platform, and brings modern technology, national marketing capabilities, and investment to fuel ATPL’s growth.

“ATPL has spent years building the infrastructure, format, and community that make team pickleball work at a local level. Rally’s team pickleball app helps that model scale nationally. Every new affiliate ATPL brings on strengthens the network for everyone in it.”

— Ross Freedman, Founder and CEO, Rally

“We’ve always believed team-based pickleball needed the same kind of national structure that tennis has had for decades. Partnering with Rally gives our affiliates a pickleball team app built for exactly that, and gives us the resources to bring more leagues into the fold.”

— Greg Mather, Founder, American Team Pickleball League

As part of the partnership, Rally will serve as the title sponsor for the ATPL National Championship. The event is scheduled for November 5-8, 2026, hosted at Pictona at Holly Hill in Holly Hill, Florida. ATPL will continue to lead affiliate recruitment, league format, and the national championship pathway, while standardizing on Rally’s pickleball league management platform across its network.

Pickleball has become the fastest-growing sport in the country, with participation reaching 24.3 million players in 2025, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Despite that growth, team-based league play remains fragmented, with no single national organization providing the standardized format, ratings structure, and championship pathway that sports like tennis have relied on for decades. ATPL was built to close that gap, giving local affiliates a proven format and a clear path from community play to a national championship. This partnership gives ATPL the platform and resources to bring that structure to leagues nationwide as the sport continues to scale.

About Rally

Rally is the leading pickleball league management software and team pickleball app, trusted by pickleball leagues nationwide. Serving over 800 racquet sports leagues and over 1M players in North America, Rally brings scores, standings, schedules, lineups, and messaging into one place for admins, captains, and players. The Rally platform turns pickleball, tennis, platform tennis, and padel leagues into vibrant communities. Learn more at lovetorally.com.

About ATPL

The American Team Pickleball League (ATPL) is a national network of independent, team-based pickleball affiliates, offering a standardized competitive format, training and onboarding support, and a pathway to the ATPL National Championship. Learn more at atplnation.org.

Media Contact

Ross Freedman, Rally LLC — hello@lovetorally.com 

Media Contact

Ross Freedman, Rally LLC, 1 7732138911, ross@lovetorally.com, https://www.lovetorally.com/ 

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/rally-and-the-american-team-pickleball-league-announce-national-growth-partnership-focused-on-team-based-pickleball-302869744.html

SOURCE Rally LLC

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