23-08-2013, 02:39 PM
Competency Management - A Practitioner's Guide
Competency Management.pdf (Size: 892.6 KB / Downloads: 29)
Introduction
What are competencies?
The terms 'competencies,' 'competence,' and 'competent' refer to a state or
quality of being able and fit. The English dictionary describes the word
'competence' as the state of being suitable, sufficient, or fit. The workplace
definition of 'competency' refers to a person's fitness with reference to his
or her job. In the work context, however, competence has two variations
that differ in their meaning, depending on organisational frames of
reference.
Confusion
People using these terms shape their meaning to fit their own convenience.
Ronald Zemke's comments on these terms in 1982 remain valid even
today:
'Competency, competencies, competency models and competency-
based training are Humpty Dumpty words meaning only what the
definer wants them to mean. The problem comes not from malice,
stupidity, or marketing avarice, but instead 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 effort.'
Causal relationships indicate that the presence of a competency
and its demonstration predicts or causes superior performance.
Motives, traits, and self-concept competencies predict skill and
actions. These, in turn, predict job performance outcomes.
Competencies always include intent. It is the motive that causes an
action (behaviour) to lead to outcomes. For example, knowledge
and skill competencies always are driven by motive, trait, or self-
concept competencies. This can be explained using the example of
'management by walking about.' Unless we know the intent of a
manager, i.e., why a manager is walking about, we cannot know if
a competency is being demonstrated. The manager could be
walking around to monitor the quality of work, out of a desire to
coach and lead, or just because of leg cramps.
Acquiring or developing competency
What the iceberg model implies to HR management is this: competencies
differ in the extent to which they can be taught. Skills and knowledge are
usually denoted as surface competencies that are visible. These are
relatively easy to develop and it is cost effective to train employees to
secure these abilities.
Self concept, traits, and motive competencies are hidden and therefore
more difficult to develop or assess. While changing motives and traits is
possible, the process is lengthy, difficult, and expensive. A cost effective
way is to select for these characteristics. This prompted a human resource
practitioner to say, 'You can teach a turkey to climb a tree, but is often
easier to hire a squirrel.
Performance to industry standards
Competence is defined as an individual's ability to demonstrate knowledge
and skills to provide a product or service to the required standards, in a
given context; and the ability to transfer the knowledge and skills to a new
and differing context. Put more simply, competence refers to the skill,
knowledge, and attitudes necessary to perform a particular work to a
standard required within industry.
To understand competence, we need to appreciate these standards
carefully. These occupational standards are endorsed either by the national
industry body or the organisation. They explain what jobholders need to
do, what they need to know and how best to achieve standards that are
nationally recognised. They specify the knowledge, understanding, and
skills that are essential for effective performance.
Why competencies?
We need competent people to achieve results efficiently and effectively. In
a world that is dominated by the service sector, the importance of human
capital cannot be overlooked. We depend on the competency of people to
generate a return on investment on the use of physical and technological
resources. To a large extent, human capital defined as the skill, dexterity,
and knowledge of the population, has become the critical input in
determining economic growth today. Organisations need to systematically
pursue competency acquisition and development.