COMPETENCY Meaning & Defination

Competency refers to the dimensions of behavior. It describes how people behave when they carry out their roles.
According to Mansfield Competency is an underlying characteristic

of a person that results in effective or superior performance.

Rankin defines Competencies as definitions of skills & behaviors

that organizations expect their staff to practice in their work.

Boyatzis defined Competency as capacity that exist in a person that

leads to behavior that meets the job demands within the parameters of organization environment, that in turn brings about desired results.

Compe

Intent

Reasons For Using Competences

It helps to increase the performance of employee by linking competencies to appraisal, performance management, recruitment and selection, employee development, employee reward etc. The competencies provide a means of articulating corporate values. It provides means for achieving cultural change, raising skill levels.

Types of competencies
1. Behavioural Competencies: - It defines behavioral expectations i.e. the type of behavior required to deliver results. 2. Technical Competencies:-It defines what people have to know and be able to do in order to carry out their tasks effectively. 3. NVQ/SNVQ Competencies:-It specifies minimum standards for the achievement of set tasks and activities for certification purpose. NVQ system assesses people as competent or not.

Difference between Competency & Competence

Competency is a dimension of behavior; it describes how people behave when they carry out their roles. Competencies are characteristics of a person. Competence describes what people need to be able to perform job well.

Use of Competencies
1) Performance management:Competencies in performance management are used to ensure that performance reviews dont focus on outcomes but also consider behavioral aspects.

2) Training & Development:Competencies can be used to identify T & D needs.

3) Recruitment & Selection:Competence helps to identify selection technique.

4) Reward Management:People are rewarded for results they achieve and their level of competence.

Competency Analysis
Competency analysis is concerned with the behavioral dimensions of role. The results of competency analysis are used to improve the processes of performance management, recruitment, selection, employee development & employee reward.

Approaches to Competency Analysis

There are seven approaches to competency analysis1) Expert Opinion 2) Structured Interview 3) 4) Workshops Functional Analysis

5) Critical Incident Method 6) Job Competency Assessment 7) Repertory Grid Analysis

1.Expert Opinion Method

In this method an expert member of H.R department held discussion with other experts from the same department. After discussion they draw a list on the basis of their understanding

2. Structured Interview
Expert draw a list of competences & a structured interview of job holders is conducted. They identify the key result areas of the role & analyze the behavioral characteristics. Examples of key Result Areas:

Creative thinking Team management & Leadership Interpersonal skills Communication skills Ability to plan Ability to adopt & cope up with change

3. Workshops
Workshops bring together group of people have expert knowledge, experienced Managers, job holders, facilitators. It begins by defining the job-related competence areas (key result areas). Using these competence areas managers develops examples of effective & non effective behavior. It is recorded on flipchart.

Example:- one of the competence area for H.R manager can be H.R.P. Effective behavior in competence area Contribution to business planning. Suggest practical ways to improve use of H.R. Less effective behavior in competence area Takes a narrow view of H.R.P Fails to anticipate requirements of line managers. Some of the competence dimensions drawn from list are1. Strategic capability 2. Achievement motivation 3. Interpersonal skills 4. Communication

4.Functional Analysis

It is used when main objective when main objective is to develop NVQ standards.

5. Critical Incident Method

It is a method of collecting effective or non effective behavior on the basis of actual events. Group of job holders, managers, experts take part in the process. Steps in the process1) Explain the technique & its uses. 2) List the key result areas 3). Take each area of job and ask the group for example of critical incident. 4). Collect information about the critical incident (what were the circumstances, what individual did, the outcomes.) 5). Information is recorded on flipchart. 6).Continue this process for each area of responsibility 7).Refer flipchart & analyze incident by obtaining rating behavior as 1(less effective),5(most effective). of recorded

8).Discuss rating to get definitions of effective & ineffective performance. 9).Refine definitions after meeting. 10).Produce the final analysis by listing the competences required & standard performance.

6.Job Competency Assessment

A panel of expert managers expresses their vision of the job & nominates jobholders to be outstanding & satisfactory. Trained interviewer conduct a behavioral event interview with the nominated job holders. Information is collected on the basis of actual behavior. This analysis differentiates between superior and average performer. Information is collected on the basis of actual behavior. This analysis differentiates between superior and average performer.

7. Repertory Grid
It is used to identify the dimensions that distinguish good or poor standard of performance. Process takes place in the presence of skilled expert. Identify the tasks of the job by interviewing. List the tasks on cards. Randomly draw 3 cards from the pack & ask members to nominate the task for which they dont have qualities and characteristics. Probe to obtain more specific definitions of qualities or characteristics in form of expected job behavior. Draw 3 more cards & repeat process Repeat until all cards have been realized. List the conducts & ask the group members to rate each task on 6-7 point scale. Collect & analyze score.

Competency Mapping

Competency mapping is a process an individual uses to identify & describe competencies that are the most critical to success in a work situation. Competency mapping is a process of identifying key competencies for a particular position in an organization & using these competencies to the various processes ( job description job evaluation, training, performance management, succession planning, recruitment).

Objectives of competency mapping

It helps to identify key competency for an organization.

It is designed for attainment of specific objectives i.e. skills, knowledge, attitude development, personality development. It provides development tools & methods for enhancing skills. It helps to identify success criteria required for individual to be successful in their role.

Competency mapping process

It is continuous & planned process. It could be inside or outside the organization. Top management, H.O.D, H.R.D department, supervisors and employees of organizations are responsible for successful completion of this process.

Competency mapping process

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1) Job Analysis:The process starts with job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position information questionnaire (PIQ). It helps to know views of employee about their job.

2) Competency based job description:Using the results of job analysis, competency based job description is formed. Filled questionnaire helps to check employees views about job with existing competencies & then compared with standard competencies.

3) Assessment of competencies:

Prepared job description for each competency helps in assessment of competencies.

4) Evaluation of competencies: It helps to check whether existing competencies are sufficient or not. It helps to know deviation between existing and desirable competencies. Example - Competencies in H.R competency model. Few Competencies required by H.R professional1) Know mission & understands the purpose of organization. 2) Understands organization culture. 3) Creative 4) Know H.R laws & policies. Example- Companies like Zensar tech,Larsen & Tubro,Infotech are using competency mapping.

Competency Framework
A competency framework contains definations of all the behavioral competencies used in the whole or part of an organization. It provides the basis for the use of competencies in areas as recruitment employee development & reward.

Examples of competencies Team orientation Communication Problem solving Interpersonal skills Imitativeness Creativity Decision making

Developing a competency framework

The steps required are as follows:1) Programme launchIt is used for making out a business case & setting out benefits to organization in areas like improved performance, better selection outcome, more focused performance management, employee development, and reward. 2) Involvement & CommunicationInvolve line mangers and employees in the design of framework. And Communicate objective to staff. 3) Framework Design (competency list)Task force develops a list of core competencies & values of the business. It provides a foundation for analysis of competencies of competencies required by people of organization. 4) Framework design (definition of competency)In this step competencies are defined. Definition should be clear, unambiguous, serve the intended purpose. 5) Define uses of competency frameworkIt conveys application of competency framework as performance management, recruitment, learning and development etc.