Assignment

On

“COMPETENCY MAPPING”
OVERVIEW
Over the past 10 years, human resource and organizational development
professionals have generated a lot of interest in the notion of competencies as a
key element and measure of human performance. Competencies are becoming a
frequently-used and written-about vehicle for organizational applications such as:

• Defining the factors for success in jobs (i.e., work) and work roles within
the organization
• Assessing the current performance and future development needs of
persons holding jobs and roles
• Mapping succession possibilities for employees within the organization
• Assigning compensation grades and levels to particular jobs and roles
• Selecting applicants for open positions, using competency-based
interviewing techniques

Competencies include the collection of success factors necessary for achieving

important results in a specific job or work role in a particular organization.
Success factors are combinations of knowledge, skills, and attributes (more
historically called “KSA’s”) that are described in terms of specific behaviors, and
are demonstrated by superior performers in those jobs or work roles. Attributes
include: personal characteristics, traits, motives, values or ways of thinking that
impact an individual’s behavior.

ALSO COMPETENCY IS…..

Competency describes a cluster of knowledge, skill, ability, or attitude an
individual must possess or obtain (or circumstances that must exist) in order
to perform one or more tasks in a particular job context.

KSAA
• Knowledge describes a body of information, usually of a factual or
procedural nature, applied directly to the performance of a function/task.
• Skill describes a present, observable competence to perform a learned act
(could be motor, psycho-motor, and/or cognitive).
• Ability describes a general more enduring capability an individual
possesses at the time when he/she begins to perform a task.
• Attitude describes an internal state that influences an individual’s choices
or decisions to act in a certain way under particular circumstances
COMPETENCIES IN ORGANIZATIONS TEND TO FALL INTO TWO BROAD
CATEGORIES:

- Personal Functioning Competencies. These competencies include broad

success factors not tied to a specific work function or industry (often
focusing on leadership or emotional intelligence behaviors).
- Functional/Technical Competencies. These competencies include
specific success factors within a given work function or industry.

The emphasis of this article will be on how both types of competencies impact
the ways career professionals can advise their clients to use competencies in
their personal career management efforts. In this article, however, the
predominant focus will be on practitioners’ and clients’ work on personal
functioning competencies, since they tend to differentiate success over time
more often than do workers’ functional/technical competencies.

Three other definitions are needed:

• Competency Map. A competency map is a list of an individual’s competencies

that represent the factors most critical to success in given jobs, departments,
organizations, or industries that are part of the individual’s current career plan.

• Competency Mapping. Competency mapping is a process an individual uses

to identify and describe competencies that are the most critical to success in a
work situation or work role.

• Top Competencies. Top competencies are the vital few competencies (four to
seven, on average) that are the most important to an individual in their ongoing
career management process. “Importance to the individual” is an intuitive
decision based on a combination of three factors: past demonstrated excellence
in using the competency, inner passion for using the competency, and the
current or likely future demand for the competency in the individual’s current
position or targeted career field.
COMPETENCY MAPPING IS THE SOLUTION FOR MEASUREMENT

Competency mapping is the process in which valid and reliable measurement

tools are mapped to your competency framework to provide evidence of the
abilities, motivational facets, personality traits and cultural fit essential to on the
job success.

Many tools can be used as measurement tools including mental abilities tools,
scenario based specific competency indicators, special aptitudes measures such
as mechanical reasoning and personality profiles.

Valid and reliable tools are tools which not only have a performance component
which is the same for all participants, but they also report performance against a
relevant comparison group. In a classic competency mapping process, your high
performers would provide the comparison group.

COMPETENCY MAPPING MODEL

O
• VISIO
• MISSI
• SHOR
• STRAT
• VALU
THE COMPETENCY MAPPING PROCESS
The process is the same irrespective of the tool or tools being mapped.

Step One: Purpose and content

You decide the purpose of competency mapping-recruitment or development. If
for recruitment.

You provide us with your competency framework and the levels of performance
expected.

Step Two: Evidence

You:
_ Designate a group of core managers
_ Designate a group of core high performers in all relevant levels of performance
_ Managers and high performers complete the relevant tools
_ Managers attend a stakeholder’s interpretation day so that they can understand
How the
Profiles relate to the competency framework.

Step Three: Mapping

Test Grid’s experts assess
_ Organization benchmarks for high performance at the appropriate levels.
_ The correlation of the tools’ output to your competencies
_ if the purpose is recruitment, the cutoff scores for screening out participants.

Step Four: Scoping report development

Once the mapping has been accomplished, a report format that meets your
needs will be designed and the development work scoped and quoted for. (You
can choose to have additional narrative written, behavioral interview questions or
to link the results into your own development offerings).

Step Five: Report Delivery

You receive the beta version of the report, test with a pilot group, and confirm
contents. Final touches to the report are programmed.
COMPETENCY MAPPING
COMPETENCY CHARACTERISTICS

• Declarative knowledge
• Procedural skills
• Operant & respondent traits
å Motives
å Self concept
å Attitudes
å Values
å Occupational choices
TYPES OF COMPETENCIES
 Generic or specific:

 Threshold or performance:
 Basic competencies required to do the job, which do not
differentiate between high and low performers
 Performance competencies are those that differentiate between
high and low performers

 Differentiating Competencies:
 Behavioral characteristics that high performers display

MACR

STRATEGIC FRAM E WO

Organizational Strategy
Vision, Mission, Values, Strat
Intent, Corporate Governance,
Corporate Social Responsibili
HOW ARE COMPETENCIES IDENTIFIED

Role set based Competency mapping (RSBCM)

1. Decide the Roles

2. Identify location of Roles in the organizational structure

3. Identify Role set members – the Role Holder

4. Identify the objectives of the function or the department

5. Identify objectives of the Role

1. Why does the Role exist
2. Purpose of the Role

6. Collect KPAs / KRAs (past 2-3 years)

7. Interview Role Holder

1. List task / activities to be performed
2. Group them into set of tasks
3. List the actual knowledge, attitudes & skills required to
perform the tasks effectively

8. Repeat the process with all Role set members

9. Consolidate the list of all competencies from all the Role set members for
each task

10. Edit & Finalize selection of competencies

11. Present to successful holders to assess relative importance of

Competencies

12. Identify BIs for each competency

13. Define level of competency by identifying the level of indicators of each

competency

 Level 1 is familiarity

 Level 2 Detailed knowledge

 Level 3 Expert level

Human Resources Competency Model – An Overview of Clusters

BUSINESS
BUSINESS PARTNER
MASTERY
knows business
and can be a
business partner …
prerequisite to join
business team

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
lives the GE
HR Values, and
MASTER demonstrates
fulfills Y
the HR personal CHANGE +
roles and is an expert integrity, PROCESS
in HR technology and credibility, MASTERY
judgment and
practice; knows and is
able courage … applying the tools
to deliver HR best a GE leader of change … adding
practices … ADDED
value
establishes functional VALUE
credibility
FUNCTIONAL III-1

EXPERTISE

How to examine your competency clusters and highlight those you want to
use or you want to develop in you at your workplace if you want to be a
competent worker/employee.

A workplace is an office or a factory or a structured organization, where people

are employed. Generally speaking, the workplace is the chief of social
organization through which economic functions are performed. Granted, an
industry is a profit making organization; it is a functional community, which
includes workers, supervisors, and managers who share some common interest
but also feelings, attitudes and values. In point of fact, business and industrial
organizations are not foreign bodies but rather mainstream institutions in the life
of our society. As a social system, every workplace has three elements namely
activities, interactions and sentiments which inter-play with one another. When
people at work perform activities, interactions between people occur and as they
begin to interact, sentiments are developed between individuals and within
groups. Obviously enough, a work related behavior is generated which demands
certain basic workplace competencies in order to meet both individual and
organizational goals.

The 21st century workplace requires a new breed of ‘knowledge workers’ who
have to work more with their brains instead of their backs. To be a successful
worker, he/she must have acquired ‘21st century literacy’ namely the ability to
read, write, and compute with competence, think analytically, adapt to change,
work in teams and use technology. Most importantly, every entry-level worker
needs to meet certain basic workplace competencies. Mike Rush, Administrator,
Idaho Division of professional-Technical Education, Idaho, (2000) has listed 51
workplace competencies, which represent what individuals need to know and be
able to do to be successful in further education, in a career and in life. These
competencies are very much pronounced for professional-Technical programs.

If you are a professionally or technically qualified candidate about to take up a

job position then you should explore the basic elements of self-awareness which
may help you decide what competencies you have acquired during the process
of academic learning and what skills you may want to develop in you before
knocking on the doors of employers? Are you clear and comfortable about your
job objective when you intend to apply for a job position? How do you assess
whether you are a ‘qualified graduate’ or a ‘competent candidate’ to be fitted to a
job in an organization? Have you ever made an attempt to make a self-
assessment as to whether my qualifications do really dovetail with the basic
workplace competencies that I ought to possess and develop while taking up job
positions?

Although excellent you might be in the academic sphere, your proficiency is

contingent on the competencies you might demonstrate at workplace at the entry
level and during and in the process of job performance. You should also examine
whether the institution of higher learning where you studied has deigned to
orientate you to the workplace competencies you are required to possess?

To assess the basic competencies you have, look at the following clusters. You
ought to highlight or develop your abilities and skills you have or you want to
acquire and enjoy using them at the workplace.

1. Problem solving and critical thinking: It means that you can think critically
and solve problems affecting at the workplace regardless of your career choice.
You need to be able to initiate action on your own, and direct and modify your
own according to the task at hand. These competencies particularize the
knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the development of your capacity to
assess problems and situations, foresee what might happen next, and continually
search for creative solutions. The competencies you can acquire include solving
problems and making decisions in work related situations, reading information
and understanding using your observation skills to analyze work-related
situations, applying mathematical processes, measurement and spatial skills,
applying statistical skills, analyzing critical data to guide work activities, utilizing
scheduling to ensure that jobs are completed within the stipulated time and date,
demonstrating knowledge of the economy and how does it function as a whole
and demonstrating knowledge of the economy as a framework which decisions
are made by individuals and groups.

2. Effective communication-An equally essential requirement of you is to

develop one-on-one and one-on-group communication skills at workplace. In
point of fact, as an employee you are to be skillful in communication, which
contributes to organizational productivity, enhance interpersonal relationships
with your coworkers and clients and create opportunities for promotion and
advancement. You are required to apply basic oral, written, technical and
listening skills at workplace. Most importantly, you must be able to apply
demonstration/presentation, graphic, artistic skills, convey information through
multimedia presentations, and create graphs and charts. Another skill component
you ought to build is interpersonal relationship, wherein many new entrants fail to
maintain and sustain at workplace nor the employers seem to pay more and
genuine attention for developing this soft skill for building effective interpersonal
communication.

3. Applying Technology- According to Mike Rush ‘to be effective in today’s

workplace individuals must be able to use the tools of technology to improve
productivity and efficiency. Employers expect you to have developed
technological skills and stayed abreast of the continuously changing
technological environment. Demonstrating technical literacy and computer
literacy, accessing/transmitting information using electronic communications
systems, use of database software in work-related situations, spreadsheet
software and word-processing in work-related situations are some of the most
essential technology skills that you need to acquire and apply at workplace.

4. Building work ethics- One of most important competencies to be built within

you but often disregarded is the work ethics at workplace. As a matter of fact,
organizations value employees who possess the ability to work with diverse
groups of people and who are able to lead people towards achieving common
goals. As a young worker/employee you must be a leader in your work
environment and demonstrate positive work ethic-exhibiting honesty, initiative
and dependability. As a member of the work organization, you should
demonstrate leadership, contribute to teamwork, establish a personal code of
ethics, which is in consistent with the professional ethics, demonstrate work
ethic, and adhere to the workplace policies and procedures. An in-depth
understanding of the roles and importance of ethical conduct will make you work.
5.Career planning and managing- This cluster means that you need to be
guided and actively engaged in seeking a career that matches your interests,
abilities, aptitudes and skills. You have to do a career mapping, which will lead to
success and satisfaction in work.” Employers seek individuals who know what
they want from work and can effectively present their qualifications and skills
through the job search process, including job applications and interviews”(Mike
Rush, 2000). Identification of personal interests, abilities and skills relate to
choosing a career, investigating career options, charting career using career-
planning skills, demonstrating skills needed to enter or re-enter the workforce
and job keeping skills, upgrading skills and exploring opportunities to create a
business are some of the basic workplace competencies you must develop in
your pursuits of jobs.

6. Resources management- In work situations, you are required to learn to

manage a variety of resources namely personal, financial and environmental.
Managing yourself is more important but difficult than managing things of
production and humanity at workplace. You must develop the competencies to
apply self management processes in the workplace, maintain/promote wellness,
contribute to a safe work environment, handle varied tasks and manage time,
which will not only enhance your well-being but also fosters a desirable
organizational climate.
EAMPLE: COMPETENCY MAPPING IN GE

Competency Framework

Theme / Basis: Designing

•· Linking competencies to
Competency Framework
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•· Various approaches
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•· Challenges of design &
Financial Analys
CompetencyFramewor

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 GE Values

Competencies to demonstrate
CURIOUS
• Generates newandcreativeideas.
• Fosters anenvironmentwherequestions andideas
arevalued.
• Seeks feedback, continuouslylearns, anddevelops
• Learns as muchormorefromfailures as successes.

PASSIONATE
• Demonstrates enthusiasmfor whathe/shedoes.
• Willingtotakerisks.
• Empowers others toquestionthestatus quo.
• Creates excitement andinspires others to