Over the last 15 years, thousands of private and public sector organizations have joined the quest for Competencies and Competency Development. They usually invest a year or so developing competency profiles – identifying clusters of knowledge, along with attributes and skills needed to perform various jobs.
The Competencies identified then become the basis for effective decisions about hiring, learning and development, performance management and other human resources issues.
In today’s globally competitive environment, organizations are increasingly viewing Human Resources as a set of integrated processes, not as a collection of unrelated functions. HR processes need to connect with, and support business strategy and they need to be flexible enough to adjust and align with shifting priorities. An integrated approach to human resources that connects staffing, learning& development and performance management can enable an organization to make the most effective use of Competencies for successful performance.
Competencies are now attracting considerable attention because they represent a method to focus human resources systems on those factors that contribute directly to organizational success.
Where did this start?
The idea of testing for competence rather than intelligence was first proposed in the early 1970s by David McClelland, a former Harvard psychologist. He was asked by the U.S. Foreign Service to find a new approach to predict human performance that would replace traditional IQ and aptitude tests, which were deemed poor predictors of competency. By observing Foreign Service Officers who were deemed successful in their roles, he was able to establish a profile of behaviours that were required to perform successfully as a Foreign Service Officer. Hence, the notion of competency measurement was born. Since then, the use of competencies has grown from the evolution of his original ideas.
What are Competencies?
The words “competence,” “competency”, and “competency model” are problematic. Many definitions and conceptual frameworks have been advanced over the past several years in an attempt to reduce the confusion and, consequently, to improve the state-of-the-practice regarding their use (Folley, 1980; Blank, 1982; Boyatzis, 1982; Zemke, 1982; Marlowe & Weinberg, 1985; McLagan, 1990; and Kolodziejski, 1991).
A first step toward developing a “competency perspective” is to review Ron Zemke's research findings in this difficult area, and then try to clarify “competency”
Zemke (1982) interviewed several experts in the field to determine “precisely what makes a competency”. He concluded that there was no unified agreement about what makes a competency and what does not:
Competency, competencies, competency models, and competency-based training are Humpty Dumpty words meaning only what the definer wants them to mean. This comes from some basic procedural and philosophical differences among those racing to define and develop the concept and to set the model for the way the rest of us will use competencies in our day-to-day learning and development.
It is easiest to think of “competencies” as behaviours that encompass skills, knowledge and attributes that are required to perform successfully in a given job or business role. Variations in this definition are influenced or determined by its application, context, procedural and philosophical differences.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
To be effective, senior management must project an assumptive attitude about competency-based projects. There is no “if”, just “how”. Putting competencies into HR processes cannot be a tryout effort. Competency must be at the same strategic level as quality or service
It is the same with workforce competence.
- The organization must go into the project with an attitude of “whatever it takes” to make the competency-based applications work.
- Competency then becomes a condition of employment issue for managers and supervisors.
- They will complete competence-related leadership activities with subordinates.
- HR will utilize competency concepts in its training and development processes.
- Information technology (IT) will build competency data into its knowledge management data architecture. Frontline workers will be responsible for completing assessment in an accurate and timely fashion.
- THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE.