Title Page

(i) Title of submission: Competancy Mapping

(ii) Name of the author: Prof. R Ramakrishnan

(iii) Designation with department: Professor and Head,

Department of Management Studies

(iv) Mailing address:

College: Muthayammal Engineering College,

Rasipuram 637408

Residence: Suri Illam, 10A Swami Sivanadam Salai,

Rasipuram 637408

(v) e-mail address: ramakrish54@gmail.com

(vi) Phone number(s) College : 04287-220837 and 226837

Residence : 04287-225837
Mobile : 9865812476

(vii) Fax number: 04287- 226537

Based on the paper submitted to

National Conference

On

Emerging Trends in Business Research

Organized by

Easwari Engineering College, Chennai

On

31 March 2006

Page 1 of 15
 Competency Mapping
Abstract
Businesses carried out for profit or not, are facing change like never before. The many
driving forces to this change includes

A rapidly expanding marketplace (globalization),

Increasing competition,

Diversity among consumers, and

Availability to new forms of technology.
Organizations are under tremendous pressure to improve their performance through reduction
of cost and in quality up-gradation with increasing global competition.
Organizations irrespective of their type and size must employ competent and motivated
workers. It has been now well recognized that human resource is the most important asset of any
organization. An organization is only as good as its people.
A skilled and committed workforce is required to compete in today’s fast, global
marketplace. Only those organizations that are able to engage such manpower will win the race.
It has been seen that Learning is at the core of all HRD efforts. HRD programs must respond
to job changes and integrate the long-term plans and strategies of the organization to ensure the
efficient and effective use of resources.
HRD is neither a concept nor a tool, but is an approach using different personnel systems,
depending upon the needs and priorities of the organization. The basic assumption is the belief in
human potential and its development by providing a suitable and congenial environment.
To compete and thrive, many organizations are including employee education, training,
and development as an important and effective part of their organizational strategy.
Organizations need to be dynamic and growth-oriented to sustain in the competitive
environment. This is possible only through the competence of the human resources.
Today’s workforce is better educated and more affluent. They have already met the most
basic needs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the standard of living has improved over the
years. They have the luxury to think and seek meaningfulness and purpose of life.

It has been known from many research studies that the number one reason that people
quit their jobs is dissatisfaction with their supervisors and not their paychecks. It has also been

Page 2 of 15
seen that unhappy people are four times more likely to leave their jobs than those having nice
bosses. There is a link between the opportunities extended by the organization for employees’
professional development and employees’ commitment.
Competency mapping is an important resource in this environment, and is an addition to
knowledge management and learning organization initiatives. Competency refers to the
intellectual, managerial, social and emotional competency. Competencies are derived from
specific job families within the organization and are often grouped around categories such as
strategy, relationships, innovation, leadership, risk-taking, decision making, emotional
intelligence, etc.
Competency mapping identifies an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in order to help
them better understand themselves and to show them where career development efforts need to
be directed. Lifelong learning will surely be one of the most important pieces in the set that
employees will turn to again and again on their path to meaningfulness and purpose.

Change is the order of the day. As Karl max said “Theory without Practice is futile and Practice
without Theory is sterile”. This article would look at the new concept of competency mapping
and its relevance to the future as more research is being put in this field.

*******************

Page 3 of 15
 Full Article: Competency Mapping

Businesses carried out for profit or not, are facing change like never before. The many

driving forces to this change includes

A rapidly expanding marketplace (globalization),

Increasing competition,

Diversity among consumers, and

Availability to new forms of technology.

Organizations need to be dynamic and growth-oriented to sustain in the competitive

environment. This is possible only through the competence of the human resources. They are

under tremendous pressure to improve their performance through reduction of cost and in quality

up-gradation with increasing global competition.

Organizations irrespective of their type and size must employ competent and motivated

workers. It has been now well recognized that human resource is the most important asset of any

organization. An organization is only as good as its people.

A skilled and committed workforce is required to compete in today’s fast, global

marketplace. Only those organizations that are able to engage such manpower will win the race.

Learning is at the core of all HRD efforts. HRD programs must respond to job changes and

integrate the long-term plans and strategies of the organization to ensure the efficient and

effective use of resources.

The new production technology, automation and application of electronic control systems

have changed the ratio of skilled and unskilled jobs. New systems require new skills and certain

minimum educational qualifications. They need continuous up gradation of skills. Thus,

development of people, decentralizations of decision making, flatter and different management

Page 4 of 15
practices than those followed in the past have become necessary for survival of business. HRD

initiatives meet the need of these business imperatives.

HRD is neither a concept nor a tool, but is an approach using different personnel systems,

depending upon the needs and priorities of the organization. The basic assumption is the belief in

human potential and its development by providing a suitable and congenial environment.

The basic principle of HRD philosophy is the belief in -

Human potential and its development;

Optimum utilization of human resources; and

A harmonious balance between business strategy and

HRD strategy, i.e., strategic planning and HRD should go hand in hand. According to

Udai Pareek and TV Rao(1981) the four basic partners of development are

The self (the individual);

The immediate superior (boss);

HRD department and

The organisation.

They also observed that the six units concerned with HRD in an organisation are.

Person (employee);

Role;

Dyad;

Team;

Inter-team &

The organisation.

Page 5 of 15
 The effectiveness of one unit (foci) will contribute to the effectiveness of others as HRD

are an integrated process and cannot be thought of in isolation.

Human Resources Management adds value when it helps individuals and organizations

do better than their present level of performance. Both functional and behavioral Competencies

have acquired major significance in achieving exemplary job performance within an individual's

roles, responsibilities and relationship in an organization and its internal and external

environment. Competency Model is one around which the process of selection, placement,

redeployment, development and separation can be knit.

To compete and thrive, many organizations are including employee education, training,

and development as an important and effective part of their organizational strategy. It has been

known from many research studies that the number one reason that people quit their jobs is

dissatisfaction with their supervisors and not their paychecks. It has also been seen that unhappy

people are four times more likely to leave their jobs than those having nice bosses. There is a

link between the opportunities extended by the organization for employees’ professional

development and employees’ commitment.

Today’s workforce is better educated and more affluent. They have already met the most

basic needs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the standard of living has improved over the

years. They have the luxury to think and seek meaningfulness and purpose of life. Organizations

need to be dynamic and growth-oriented to sustain in the competitive environment. This is

possible only through the competence of the human resources.

A Competency is something that describes how a job might be done, excellently; a

Competence only describes what has to be done, not how. Competency refers to the intellectual,

managerial, social and emotional competency. It is a capacity of an individual that leads to the

Page 6 of 15
behavior, which meets the job demands within the parameters of the organizational environment

and in turn brings about desired results.

Competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that is related to effective or

superior performance in a job or situation. They are derived from specific job families within the

organization and are often grouped around categories such as strategy, relationships, innovation,

leadership, risk-taking, decision-making, emotional intelligence, etc.

Competence is of fundamental importance to every company and institution to cope with

new markets and new requirements from the customers and clients. It is important to have an

understanding of the fact that the knowledge of each worker and a common knowledge for the

whole company are of greatest importance to reach the strategic goals and to carry out the

strategic plans.

The competence of the workers is as important as the means of production, the products,

the economy and the market, and here we talk about new competence adapted to what the

company produces now and will produce in the future.

Increased competition between companies leads to higher demands for quality, shorter

delivery time and better guarantee for delivery in time. All these requirements assume that

workers have better knowledge and a better understanding of the company's activities.

According to Guy Le Boterf (1998), a French expert on competence, “Competence is the

combination of relevant resources that the individual mobilizes to reach a particular result”

According to him , competence combines the three aspects of Knowledge, Know-How, and

Attributes and Resources as depicted in the figure below

Page 7 of 15
 According to Le Boterf Competence is a Kaleidoscope of resources that changes

continuously shape and colour. For example, a violin maker’s result, her or his performance (a

wonderful violin with a perfect and harmonious sound) is the result of the ability, the

competence to perform a series of key activities by combining and mobilizing in the best

possible way the wealth of individual (personal) and network (external) resources. Similar

examples of the relation between resources, competence and results may be imagined for any

other position.

For example, competences that describe the duties of a sales manager can be

How to manage the sales office and staff attached to it,

Preparation of quotations

Process of sales order

Management of key accounts and

Motivating, co-coordinating and supervising the field sales force.

The Competencies that might determine excellence in this role could include

Inter personal Skills,

Page 8 of 15

Problem Solving Skills

Determination and Drive

Judgment;

Commercial Awareness etc.,

These may further be described by behavioral indicators relating specifically to that post

in that organisation.

Competency mapping is a process of identifying key competencies for a particular

position in an organisation, and then using it for job-evaluation, recruitment, training and

development, performance management, succession planning, etc. It is an important resource in

this environment, and is an addition to knowledge management and learning organization

initiatives. It is designed to consistently measure and assess individual and group performance as

it relates to the expectations of the organization and its customers.

Page 9 of 15
 Competency Mapping is a process of identifying 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. It identifies an individual’s strengths and

weaknesses in order to help them better understand themselves and to show them where career

development efforts need to be directed. It is used to identify key attributes required to perform

effectively in a job classification or an identified process.

Competency maps are important to many of the key human resources management

functions. They are essential for proper hiring, evaluation, succession planning and for guiding

training and development.

Competencies lie at the heart of every successful activity. Organizations across the world

are trying to understand and integrate competencies in their organizational processes.

Competencies can be drawn from a number of sources depending on the focus and context

identified by the client and can include:

National Training Packages,

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP),

Position Descriptions,

Overseas Competency Sets, and

Enterprise Safe Work Method Statements.

Competence is not only an important issue at manufacturing companies that make a product,

but also at service institutions, both private and public. A social security office or an employment

office produces services to the public that must be delivered in time and of good quality.

Competence is people's ability, alone or in a community, to solve situational and targeted

tasks. Learning gives new competence. Attitude and knowledge (both practical and theoretical)

controls our actions. In a changing world we will also question if already learned skills and
Page 10 of 15
attitudes are the correct ones to succeed in the future. Established procedures can be complete

wrong compared to new challenges.

Competence mapping is to make a connection between what the company needs and

what the worker can perform and eventually detect a gap. One assumption that must be present

to uncover this gap is that current status of the competence can be documented. The company

also has to define what is needed now and in the future. With this knowledge one can be able to

uncover a competence gap and prescribe what to do next

Effective organizations recognize that helping employees manage their own careers and

providing professional development are critical components of retention. A direct relationship

exists between providing learning and development opportunities for employees and the

organization’s success and prosperity. People get hired for what they know but fired for how

they behave!

Before an organization embarks on this journey it has to be very clear about the business

goals, capability-building imperatives and core competencies of the organisation. The

competency mapping process needs to be strongly integrated with these aspects. It must be

remembered that competency-mapping process does not fit the one-size-fits all formula. It has to

be specific to the user organisation.

All the HR processes like talent induction, management development, appraisals and

training yield much better results as a result of competency mapping, As it gives a more accurate

analysis of the job requirements, the candidate's capability, gaps between the required and actual

skills as well as training & development needs to bridge these gaps, it can play a significant role

in recruiting and retaining people

Competency mapping helps identify the success criteria (i.e. behavioral standards of

performance excellence) required for individuals to be successful in their roles. It helps to:
Page 11 of 15

Support specific and objective assessment of their strengths, and specify

targeted areas for professional development.

Provide development tools and methods for enhancing their skills.

Provide the basis for a more objective dialogue with their manager or team

about performance, development, and career-related issues

Competency mapping demonstrates what type of knowledge and skills are required

and/or found within the human capital of the organization. An organization could use these

personal competency maps to build a 'yellow pages' directory, match people to jobs or positions

or determine what training programs are needed to fill skill gaps.

Competency maps take on a wide variety of forms. While there is no one correct way of

depicting them, they can generally be described as a formal, top-down effort to identify, list,

label, track, and measure competency descriptors. The competencies might be called knowledge

areas, skills, attributes, attitudes, components, tasks, traits, or simply competencies. Once

identified, numbered, and listed, they are usually broken down into sub-components, which are

also numbered, so they might be associated with the broader competency area or cluster of

competencies.

Steps involved in the process:

First: A job analysis is carried out by asking employees to fill in a questionnaire that asks them

to describe what they are doing, and what skills, attitudes and abilities they need to have to

perform it well. There would be a bit that requests them to list down attributes needed to make it

up to the next level, thus making it behavioral as well as skill-based.

Second: Having discovered the similarities in the questionnaires, a competency-based job

description is crafted and presented to the personnel department for their agreement and

additions if any.
Page 12 of 15
Third: Having agreed on the job requirements and the skills and attitudes needed to progress

within it and become more productive; one starts mapping the capability of the employees to the

benchmarks. There are several index points within the responsibility level. An almost (but not

quite) arbitrary level of attainment is noted against each benchmark indicating the areas where

the assessee is in terms of personal development and achievement.

These give an adept HR manager a fairly good picture of the employee to see whether he

(or she) needs to perform better or to move up a notch on the scale. Once the employee `tops'

every indicator at his level, he moves on to the next and begins there at the bottom - in short, he

is promoted.

This reasonably simple though initially (the first year only) tedious method helps

everybody to know what the real state of preparedness of an organisation to handle new business

(or its old one) because it has a clear picture of every incumbent in the organisation. It helps in

determining the training and development needs and importantly it helps to encourage the best

and develop the rest making a win-win situation for everyone.

The greatest challenge for organisations today is creating a vibrant workplace that

attracts, retains and promotes talented employees, manages expectations and at the same time

discourages non-performance.

The steps involved in competency mapping with an end result of job evaluation include the

following:

1) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a Position Information

Questionnaire (PIQ). Either the incumbents could be asked to completer the

Questionnaire conducting a one to one interviews using the PIQ as a guide. The idea is to

Page 13 of 15
 collect from incumbents what they feel are the key behaviors necessary to perform their

respective jobs.

2) From the above job analysis, a competency based job description can be developed

after analyzing carefully the inputs from the represented group of incumbents and

converting it to standard competencies.

3) Once the competency based job description is ready, mapping the competencies

throughout the human resources processes can be done. The competencies of the

respective job description become the factors for assessment on the performance

evaluation. Using competencies will help to perform more objective evaluations based on

displayed or not displayed behaviors.

4) Taking the competency mapping one step further, the results of these evaluations can

be used to identify in the competencies that individuals need for additional development

or training. This will help to focus the training needs on the goals of the position and

company and help the employees to develop toward the ultimate success of the

organization.

Advocacy of competency mapping appears to be spreading. Its goal is to develop a

blueprint, map, or matrix of desired skills, knowledge, attributes, and attitudes at various levels

of the organization. The map is then used to channel recruiting, hiring, and training decisions.

Competency mapping has gained a following in the human resources community and

spawned a cottage industry of business consultants and vendors who profess expertise in its

application. It is often advertised as a means to save time and resources in the hiring of new

personnel and to document the occupational training needs of employees.

Page 14 of 15
 At the heart of list-based approaches like competency mapping is an assumption that

certain attributes such as motives, values, and skills can be identified and reproduced through

training and education, resulting in effectively led organizations. Although research has shown

no relationship between individual traits and effectiveness, this approach still finds modern

expression.

Problems with Competence Mapping

Competence mapping should focus more on what the organisations as a whole can

manage than looking at the formal knowledge that each individual worker has. But of course, we

need to start with each individual, to fulfill that each individual has the wanted formal knowledge

and the necessary skills and know-how to do a god job for the company. The problem is that it is

here the gap comes It's between what can be measured and what is known about each individual

on one side and what is required or needed by the organization on the other side.

Select Bibliography:

Ganesh Sherman (2004), Competency Based HRM,(Tata McGraw-Hill , New Delhi

Gary Yukl (2002), Leadership in Organization (5th ed.Prentice Hall,).
Garcia, Marie L. ( 1997) “Introduction to Technology Road mapping: The Semiconductor
Industry Association's Technology Road mapping Process”, SAND97-0666. Sandia
National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM.
Pareek, U and Rao, T V (1982). Designing and Managing Human Resource Systems, New Delhi:
Oxford & IBH.
R. N. Kostoff, R. R. Schaller (2001), “ Science and Technology Roadmaps” IEEE Transactions
on Engineering Management, Vol. 48, No. 2(2001), pp.132

Select websites:
http://www.knowmap.com http://www.brint.com http://promo.kompetens.net
http://www.entovation.com http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/
http://competence.eucluster.net http://www.fsm.ac.in
http://riskresponse.com.au/services/competency-mapping
www2.tisip.no/engelsk/ec/FinalProducts/wp3-CompetenceGap.doc

Page 15 of 15