Competency Approach to Human

Resource Management

What do we mean when

we say COMPETENCY
?

A Competency is an

underlying characteristic of a
person which enables him /her to
deliver superior performance
in a given job, role or a
situation.

Competencies are seen mainly as

inputs.

They consist of clusters of

knowledge, attitudes and

skills that affect an individuals
ability to perform.

Hayes (1979)
Competencies are generic

knowledge motive, trait, social

role or a skill of a person linked
to superior performance on
the job.

Albanese (1989)
Competencies are personal
characteristics that

contribute to effective
managerial performance.

UNIDO (2002)A Competency is a set of skills, related

knowledge and attributes that allow

an individual to successfully perform
a task or an activity within a specific
function or job.

What is Common in the definitions?

Competencies
underlying characteristic
of a persons inputs.
clusters of knowledge,
attitudes and skills
generic knowledge
motive, trait, social role
or a skill
personal characteristics
set of skills, related
knowledge and
attributes

Job
superior performance
in a given job, role or
a situation
individuals ability to
perform.
linked to superior
performance on the
job.
contribute to effective
managerial
performance
successfully perform a
task or an activity
within a specific

KNOWLEDGE
Relates to information
Cognitive Domain

Attribute

Set of
SKILLS

Relates to
qualitative
aspects

Relates to the
ability to do,
Physical
domain

COMPETENCY

Outstanding
Performance of
tasks or
activities

personal
Characteristi
cs or traits

Behaviour Indicators
A Competency is described in terms of key
behaviours that enables recognition of that
competency at the work place.

These behaviors are demonstrated by

excellent performers on-the-job much more
consistently than average or poor
performers. These characteristics generally
follow the 80-20 rule in that they include
the key behaviors that primarily drive
excellent performance.

Example of a
Competency

Analytical
Thinking
The ability to break problems into
component parts and consider or
organize parts in a systematic
way; the process of looking for
underlying causes or thinking
through the consequence of
different courses of action.

Key Behaviour
Indicators
Independently
researches for information and
solutions to issues

Ability to know what needs to be done or find out

(research) and take steps to get it done
Ask questions when not sure of what the problem
is or to gain more information.
Able to identify the underlying or main problem.
Shows willingness to experiment with new
things.
Develops a list of decision making guidelines to
help arrive at logical solutions.

What is
a
Competency
Model?

Competency
A competency
model is a valid,
Model

observable, and measurable list of the

knowledge, skills, and attributes
demonstrated through behavior that
results in outstanding performance in
a particular work context.

Typically A competency model includes

Competency titles
Definitions of those titles
Key Behaviour indicators

Competency - Broad
Categories
Generic Competencies
Competencies which are considered essential for all
employees regardless of their function or level. Communication, initiative, listening etc.

Managerial Competencies
Competencies which are considered essential for
employees with managerial or supervisory responsibility
in any functional area including directors and senior
posts.

Competency - Broad
Categories
Technical / Functional
Specific competencies which are considered
essential to perform any job in the organisation
within a defined technical or functional area of work.
e.g.: Finance, environmental management,etc

Competency modeling begins the process of building

tools to link employee performance to the mission and
goals of the organisation .

Why Competencies ?

Traditional Job Analysis Vs Competency Approach

Job Analysis leads to

long lists of tasks and the
skills / knowledge
required to perform each
of those tasks
Data generation from
subject matter experts;
job incumbents
Effective Performance

Competency model leads

to
A Distilled set of
underlying personal
characteristics
Data generation from
outstanding performers
in addition to subject
matter experts and
other job incumbents
Outstanding
Performance

Distinguish Superior From Merely Satisfactory

Performance

The approach allows executives and angers to

make a distinction between a person's ability to
do specific tasks at the minimum acceptable
level and the ability to do the whole job in an
outstanding fashion

Behaviour Indicators Based upon what outstanding individuals

actually do

The competency definitions are based upon

outstanding current performance in the organization.

These competencies do not reflect someone's

management theory or an academic idea of what it
takes to do the job well, but rather are based on what
works within the organization and most directly
contributes to top performance.

The Competencies are Behaviour

Specific
It is one thing, for example, to ask
whether an employee "takes
initiative," a very general concept,
open to interpretation, but it is quite
another to ask, "Was it typical of this
manager to carry out tasks without
your having to request that they be
done?," a question which has only
two answers, "Yes" and "No".

Holistic Application
Competencies
Help companies raise the bar of performance
expectations.
Help teams and individuals align their behaviours
with key organisational strategy.
Each employee understand how to
achieve expectations.

Alignment of HR systems
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Competen
cy Model

Competency based
recruitment
Competency based interviews reduce the
risk of making a costly hiring mistake and
increase the likelihood of identifying and
selecting the right person for the right job

Competency based Performance Appraisal

Competencies Enable
Establishment of clear high performance standards.
Collection and proper analysis of factual data against
the set standards.
Conduct of objective feedback meetings.
Direction with regard to specific areas of improvement.

Competency based Training

Competency based appraisal process leading to
effective identification of training needs.
Opportunity to identify/ develop specific
training programmes - Focused training
investment.
Focused Training enabling improvement in
specific technical and managerial competencies

Competency based Development

Competencies
Contribute to the understanding of what
development really mean, giving the
individual the tools to take responsibility for
their own development.
Give the line managers a tool to empower
them to develop people

Competency based Pay

Provide an incentive for employees to grow
and enhance their capabilities.

Methodology?

Steps in Model Building

Background information about the organisation
Decide on the Occupation / Job Position(s) that
require competency Model(s)
Discuss the application of the competency model
Select a data collection method and plan the
approach
Organize Data collected
Identify main themes or patterns
Build the model - Defining specific behaviour
Indicators
Review the model

Data Collection Methods

Resource / Expert Panels
Structured process to get the participants (Job holders,
managers HR / training staff) to think systematically
about the job, skills and personal characteristics needed
for success.
Critical Event Interviews
Structured interviews with superior
performers which involves in-depth probing
of a large number of events and experiences.

Data Collection Methods

Generic competency Dictionaries
Conceptual frameworks of commonly
encountered competencies and behaviour
indicators.
Serve as a starting point to the model building
team.
Can be used in resource panel by asking the
participants to select a set of generic
competencies related to the job and rate the
importance

Competency
model
building
A detailed
approach

COMPETENCY
MAPPING

Competency approach to job depends on

competency mapping. Competency Mapping
is a process to identify key competencies for an
organization and/or a job and
incorporating those competencies throughout the
various processes (i.e. job
evaluation, training, recruitment) of the
organization. A competency is defined as a
behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather
than a skill or ability.

Compiled by S.A.Shanthi Associate Professor

S.A.Shanthi Associate
Professor

The steps involved in competency mapping

are presented below:
a) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position
information questionnaire(PIQ). This can be provided for incumbents to
complete, or used as a basis for conducting one-on-one interviews using
the PIQ as a guide. The primary goal is to gather from incumbents what
they feel are the key behaviors necessary to perform their respective
jobs.
b) Using the results of the job analysis, a competency based job description
is developed. It is developed after carefully analyzing the input from
the represented group of incumbents and converting it to standard
competencies.
c) With a competency based job description, mapping the competencies can
be done. The competencies of the respective job description become
factors for assessment on the performance evaluation. Using
competencies will help to perform more objective evaluations based on
displayed or not displayed behaviors.
d) Taking the competency mapping one step further, one can use the results
of ones evaluation to identify in what competencies individuals need
additional development or training. This will help in focusing on training
needs required to achieve the goals of the position and company and help
the employees develop toward the ultimate success of the organization.

Compiled by S.A.Shanthi Associate Professor

S.A.Shanthi Associate
Professor

A Detailed
Approach
Info about
the company.
Decision on the job position(s) .
Discussion on the CM application.
Basic data collection on the job
responsibilities(using customized
menu)
Focus group

Review job description

understand performance criteria
Discuss specific behaviours
List top ten competencies

A Detailed Approach
Critical incident technique - interviewing top
performers

incidents that lead to effective performance

incidents that lead to in effective performance
Discuss specific behaviours
List behaviours
List competencies

A Detailed Approach
Content Analysis
Group behaviours
Match behaviours to competencies using
competency dictionary as a guideline
Evolve new set of competencies if any
Match behaviour indicators identified through
CIT to the top 10 competencies identified by the
focus group
Review the model and make corrections

Some of the advantages of critical incident technique

are presented below:
a) Some of the human errors that are unconsciously committed can be traced and
rectified by these methods. For example, a case study on pilots obtained detailed
factual information about pilot error experiences in reading and interpreting
aircraft instruments from people not trained in the critical incident technique (i.e.,
eyewitness or the pilot who made the error)
b) Users with no background in software engineering or human computer
interaction, and with the barest minimum of training in critical incident
identification, can identify, report, and rate the severity level of their own critical
incidents. This result is important because successful use of the reported critical
incident method depends on the ability of typical users to recognise and report
critical incidents effectively.
Compiled by S.A.Shanthi Associate Professor

S.A.Shanthi Associate
Professor

Some of the disadvantages of critical incidents

method are presented below:

a) It focuses on critical incidents therefore routine incidents will not be reported.

It
is therefore poor as a tool for routine task analysis.
b) Respondents may still reply with stereotypes, not actual events. Using more
structure in the form improves this but not always.
c) Success of the user reported critical incident method depends on the ability of
typical end users to recognise and report critical incidents effectively, but there is
no reason to believe that all users have this ability naturally.

Compiled by S.A.Shanthi Associate Professor

S.A.Shanthi Associate
Professor

COMPETENCY MAPPING MODEL

ORGANISATION
ORGANISATIONDIRECTION
DIRECTION
VISION
VISION
MISSION
MISSION
SHORT
SHORTTERM
TERM&&LONG
LONGTERM
TERMGOAL
GOAL
STRATEGIES
STRATEGIES
VALUES
VALUES

TRANSLATING THEM INTO ACTIONS FOR

ACTUALISATION
THROUGH
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
ROLES, POSITIONS, JOBS
CORE COMPETENCY OF THE
ORGANISATION

ROLE COMPETENCY

COMPETENCY MAPPING PROCESS

1.0 DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

While designing the questionnaire

following factors are to be taken into
consideration:
1.1 Part - I
1.1.1 Purpose of the job.
1.1.2 Critical Success Factors
1.1.3 Key Result Areas
1.1.4 Key Activities

JOB
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
CSF - 1 CSF - 2 CSF - 3 CSF - 4 CSF - 5
KEY RESULT AREAS
KRA- 1 KRA - 2 KRA 3

KRA - 4 KRA 5

KEY ACTIVITIES
KA - 1

KA - 2

KA - 3

Each Critical Success Factor (CSF) is the end result of multiple Key Result Areas.
Each Key Result Area (KRA) is the end result of multiple Key Activities.

DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONTINUED

1.1.5

Relationship.

1.1.6

Organization Structure.

1.1.7

Empowerment of the position.

1.1.8

Challenges in the job.

1.1.9

Changes expected in the technology, product,

process etc in the next 2-3 years.

1.1.10 Budget and Controls.

1.1.11

Investment Plan.

DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

1.2 PART - II

1.2.1

Academics, Knowledge
Skills Sets
Experience

1.2.2

Competencies

2.0 DATA COLLECTION

2.1

Clarity of Organisation Direction

2.2

Clarity of Organisation Structure.

2.3

Interview Job Holder.

2.4

Interview Job Holder's Reporting Officer.

2.5

Discuss with the Focus Group if the job are

of the same family.

3.0 C0MPETENCY DRAFTING

3.1

Rank Order of the list of competencies .

- Guided / Unguided.

3.2

Comparing good performer and average performer

with select list of competencies.

3.3

Use research data and assign competencies

to positions.

4.0
4.0

FINALISE
FINALISE ROLE
ROLE DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
AND
AND
COMPETENCIES
COMPETENCIES -- JOB
JOB WISE
WISE

5.0 FINALISING CORE COMPETENCIES

FOR

Front Line Management

Middle Management
Senior Management / Top Management

6.0

PURPOSE OF COMPETENCY MAPPING

Competency Mapping
is a process to identify key competencies for an
organization and/or a job and incorporating those competencies
throughout the various processes (i.e. job evaluation, training,
recruitment) of the organization. A competency is defined as a
behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or ability.

"Effectiveness
"Effectivenessof
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organisationisisthe
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summationof
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competenciesininthe
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Gap
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Role
RoleClarity
Clarity
Selection,
Selection,Potential
PotentialIdentification,
Identification,Growth
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Plans.
Succession
SuccessionPlanning.
Planning.
Restructuring
Restructuring
Inventory
Inventoryof
ofcompetencies
competenciesfor
forfuture
futureplanning.
planning.