COMPETENCY BASED APPROACH TO human capital management

 HOW ARE COMPETENCIES IDENTIFIED

today we do not believe in magical theories of corporate success...Building human capital is largely about identifying competencies  & developing them into a resource for the next level of business excellence....

 Competencies are developed based on information collected by studying what top performers do in the defined job context.  Competencies focus on the attributes that separate the high performers from the rest of the workforce.  Information can be gathered in a variety of ways, including employee questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews with managers and employees.

 

 Two key elements in identifying competencies are:

1.           Workforce skill analysis, which describes the skills, required for today’s work.  Conducting workforce skill analysis requires the leaders of an organization to anticipate how the nature of the organization’s work will change, and then to identify future human resource requirements.  (This process spans the supply and demand analysis aspects of workforce planning.)

 

 2.           Job Analysis, which collects information describing successful job performance.  Job analysis focuses on tasks, responsibilities, knowledge and skill requirements as well as other criteria that contribute to successful job performance.  Information obtained from employees in this process is used to identify competencies.

 

Workforce planners can use competency analysis as a method of analyzing workforce gaps.  Competency analysis is a process that identifies the current competency levels of the workforce, as well as the competencies required by the jobs of the future.  As a part of competency analysis, planners can distribute a questionnaire  to employees at large or in positions that are subject to significant change in order to collect skills and education data and to assess their qualifications.

 

The competency analysis will help planners to determine if it is possible to retrain these employees so that they may develop the competencies that the organization will require in the future.  Timing and presentation of such a questionnaire is critical.

STEPS FOR CONDUCTING COMPETENCY ANALYSIS

1.        Identify the job competencies that will be required for future positions in the organization.

 A competency matrix can be used as a tool for identifying the competencies that are or will be required for specific positions.  This step will probably have been conducted during the strategic planning and preliminary data gathering step in the workforce planning processes.

 

2.        Determine whether current employees possess the competencies that will be required by the identified positions.

This is the data that will probably be missing or available only in anecdotal methods or based on assumptions related to current series and grade.  A skill assessment tool can be used to measure individual employee competencies.

 

3.        Analyze the difference (if any) between current employee competencies and future organizational needs.

The results of the competency analysis will help identify potential retraining needs that employees in certain “excess” or “surplus” positions may require in order to transition into other positions within the organization.  Employees may also want to know the results of the analysis for their own career development purposes.  This may be helpful for retention if well-qualified current staff believe there are growth and learning opportunities for them within the organization.

 

If the organization determines that current employees will not have the ability to attain the competencies that will be required in the future, workforce planners will then need to identify the most appropriate recruitment strategies for filling the skill gap.

 

 PROCESS OF COMPETENCY MAPPING 

Step 1.        Developing Core Competencies

In this step, the leadership of the organization meets to brainstorm which core competencies the organization will require in order to achieve the objectives of the strategic plan (the strategic plan consists of the Mission, Vision, Objectives, Goals, and Tactics).  Examples of core competencies are problem solving; teambuilding; decision making; and communications skills.

Step 2.        Assessing Competency Levels Required Across Positions

After the leaders decide which critical competencies are required throughout the organization, it's necessary to determine the degree to which, and manner in which, these competencies are required in each type of position (such as Sales Manager, Secretary to Sales Manager, and Account Representative).  This assessment can be made through individual interviews with incumbents in established positions, using a Position Information Questionnaire (PIQ) as a guide.  A sample PIQ is attached.

Step 3.        Developing Competency-Based Job Descriptions

Following the interview process, job descriptions can be developed that include not only duties and reporting relationships but the core competency descriptions that are tailored to each position.  The same competencies are included in each employee's performance appraisal instrument so that he/she is evaluated on the same criteria that are described in the job description.

 

Step 4.        Competency-Based Career Matrix

For career development purposes, new or prospective employees will be interested in career progression options available once they master different competency levels.  A matrix contains each core competency and a brief description of those competencies at increasing career levels.  As career options become more complex and sophisticated, the core competencies also become more complex.

 

With best compliments

Dr Wilfred Monteiro

 

www.synergymanager.net