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
Competencies are seen mainly as inputs.
They consist of
clusters of knowledge,
attitudes and skills
that affect an
Hayes (1979) –
Competencies are
generic knowledge
motive, trait, social role or a skill
of a
person
linked to superior performance
Albanese (1989) –
Competencies are
personal
characteristics
that
contribute to
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 person’s 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
• individual’s ability to perform.
• linked to superior
performance on the job.
• contribute to effective managerial performance
• successfully perform a task or an activity within a
Set of SKILLS Relates to the ability to do, Physical domain Attribute Relates to qualitative aspects personal Characteristics or traits KNOWLEDGE Relates to information Cognitive Domain COMPETENCY Outstanding Performance of tasks or activities
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.
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
•
A competency model is a valid, 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 .
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
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
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,
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
Competency 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.
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
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.
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
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
• 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
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
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
COMPETENCY MAPPING MODEL
ORGANISATION DIRECTION
•VISION
•MISSION
•SHORT TERM & LONG TERM GOAL
•STRATEGIES
•VALUES
TRANSLATING THEM INTO ACTIONS FOR ACTUALISATION
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE ROLES, POSITIONS, JOBS
THROUGH
CORE COMPETENCY OF THE
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
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 JOB
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
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.
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
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 FINALISE ROLE DESCRIPTION
AND
5.0 FINALISING CORE COMPETENCIES FOR
• Front Line Management
• Middle Management
6.0 PURPOSE OF COMPETENCY MAPPING
"Effectiveness of an organisation is the summation of the required competencies in the organisation".
Gap Analysis Role Clarity
Selection, Potential Identification, Growth Plans. Succession Planning.
Restructuring
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