Competency- Definitons

Competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual which is causally related to effective/superior performance.

Competencies include the collection of success factors necessary for achieving important results in a specific job or work role in a particular organization. Success factors are a combination of knowledge, skills and attributes(personal characteristics, traits, motives) called KSA’s. They are described in terms of specific behaviours and are demonstrated by superior performers in those jobs or work roles.

Competency Mapping

Competency mapping is a process of identification of competencies required to perform successfully a given job or role or set of tasks, at a given point of time. The process consists of breaking down the job or role into it’s constituent elements or activities and identify the competencies essentially required to perform job successfully.

Top competencies are the vital few competencies (generally four to seven on an average) that are most important to an individual in his/her ongoing career management process.

Core competencies represent the enduring strength of a company that cannot be easily copied. It is a bundle of skills and technologies that enables a company to provide a particular benefit to the customers.

Types of competency sets:

Intellectual competencies: data reduction skill, information search skill, intellectual versatility, model building skill, observation skill, self knowledge, visioning skill.

Technical competencies: competency identification skill, computer competencies, career development theories and techniques understanding, electronic system skill, facilities selection skill, objectives preparation skill, performance observation skill.

Business competencies: business understanding skill, cost benefit skill, delegation skill, organization behaviour understanding, organization understanding.

Interpersonal competencies: coaching skill, feedback skill, group process skill, negotiation skill, presentation skill, questioning skill, relationship building skill, writing skill, impact, persuasiveness.

Communication competencies: reading, written communication, listening, oral expression, oral presentation.

Leadership competencies: organizing, empowering, appraising, motivating others, developing others, leading.

Result oriented competencies: Risk taking, decisiveness, business sense, energy, concern for excellence, tenacity, initiative, customer oriented.

Competency Mapping Methods

Assessment Centre: It is strictly a procedure and not location to evaluate employees for manpower planning and decisions. The procedure uses a situational test to observe specific job behaviour. It consists of a no: of exercises such as:

1. Group discussions: A team is formed with the candidates and they are given one or more agendas on which to make recommendations. The discussion allows the members to share and exchange ideas and information based on their knowledge and experience. The discussion enables the management to draw on the ideas and expertise of the members and make decisions.

2. In tray: Assessors undertake this kind of exercise individually . This technique is generally used when a person is required to replace somebody else. The requirement of positioning may be for replacing the predecessor, assuming new assignments at short notice. The new candidate has to deal with pending papers and correspondence received by the candidate by post or through courier or electronic media like e-mail.

3. Interview, simulation/role plays: In these exercises a resource person executes a vital role. Each member individually meets the resource person. The discussion with the resource person is held on some specific aspect or issue of dispute. Finally the candidates have to take part in a meeting. They are provided a short and general brief about the meeting and are allowed to prepare for the meeting within a short time of 15-30 minutes.

4. Case studies/analysis exercises: The main task of managers is decision making. The success of an organization depends on the strategy, structure, system and the style of the managers. Cases are prepared reflecting the status of an organization, covering some functional areas. Candidates generally do the case analysis independently. They are asked to submit a brief report or to communicate the findings or decisions by way of a presentation.

Critical Incidents Technique: This technique was developed by Flanagan. In the literal sense, critical means serious, vital, crucial, derogatory, and precarious. It is difficult to define critical incidents. The critical incidents technique uses a set of procedures to systematically identify behaviours that contribute to the success or failure of individuals or the organizations in specific situations. It requires observers who are frequently doing the job, such as supervisors, clients, peers, or subordinates. Observers are interrogated to describe the incidents of effective and noneffective behaviour of a person over a long period of time. The help of a panel of experts is sought to rate how good or bad the behaviours are, then a checklist of the good or bad behaviour is prepared.

Interview Technique: The interview technique as a method of competency mapping is unique as a direct interaction takes place between the interviewer and interviewee. The interviewer can observe the body language of the interviewee from which he/she can record his/her readings. It is the most commonly used personal contact method and is used for competency mapping by many organizations.

Questionnaire: Job analysis is a process to establish and document the job relatedness of employment procedures such as training, selection, compensation, and performance appraisal. A questionnaire is a research instrument comprising a series of questions used for the purpose of gathering information from the respondents.

Questionnaire includes:1. Common metric questionnaire2. Functional Job Analysis3. Multipurpose occupational system analysis inventory4. Occupational analysis inventory5. Positional Analysis inventory6. Work Profiling System(WPS)

Psychometric Tests: The British Psychological Society has defined a psychometric test as’ an instrument designed to produce a quantitative assessment of some psychological attribute or attributes”. A psychometric test talks about a capacity, propensity, or liability to act, react, experience, or to structure or order thoughts or behaviour in a particular ways. It tends to relate to two distinct kinds of performance- maximum performance and habitual performance. It is a standardized objective measure of a sample of behaviour. It measures the individual differences in an unbiased scientific method without the interference of human factors.