Competency-Based Employee Development
Over
the years, human resource development (HRD) has become a very prominent activity within most organizations.
Whether the development is geared toward
entry-level employees, supervisors, middle managers or corporate executives,
virtually all organizations provide some type of training and education for
their staff. Businesses, government agencies and educational institutions
spend billions of dollars each year on employee development, and have high expectations regarding the results of
their investment.
In fact, the American Society for Training and Development states that the number
one trend in human resource development is the expectation that training and
education show a significant return on investment (2002 State of the Industry
Report). Because of this, the most important goal in any employee development
program is the enhancement of individual and organizational performance in ways
that contribute to the bottom-line of the organization.
One
of the most effective ways to facilitate performance improvement is through the Competency-based
Employee Development process. This type of development is
based on the idea that every position requires the job incumbent to possess
certain competencies in order to perform at his or her highest
level. Competency-based Employee Development involves the following key
activities:
-
Identification
of the core competencies needed for high level performance in a
specific position.
-
Assessment of the
extent to which a particular job incumbent possesses those core competencies.
-
Creation
of specific developmental opportunities based on identified needs.
Competency
A competency is a skill, capability or characteristic that
leads to success in a particular role. Within
an organizational context, it includes the knowledge, skills and attributes that
define exemplary performance in a specific work process.
Generally speaking, competencies can be divided into three categories:
managerial competencies, interpersonal competencies and technical
competencies. Managerial competencies consist of the skills and abilities
required for exemplary organizational leadership. Interpersonal
competencies include the skills needed to communicate effectively, and to build
positive relationships with others. Technical competencies consist of skills
related to a particular function which enable one to be proficient at a task or
a series of tasks. Examples of each type of competency include the
following:
I.
Managerial Competencies
-
Change
Management
-
Conflict
Resolution
-
Diversity Empowerment
-
Employee Coaching and Delegation
-
Employee Development
-
Employee Evaluation
-
Employee Goal Setting and Planning
-
Employee
Selection
-
Strategic Planning
-
Team Leadership
II.
Interpersonal Competencies
-
Active Listening/Empathy
-
Coalition/Network Building
-
Collaboration/Teamwork
-
Consulting
-
Customer Service
-
Multicultural Communication
-
Negotiation
-
Presentation
-
Selling
-
Verbal Communication
III.
Technical Competencies
-
Accounting/Finance
-
Budgeting
-
Computing
-
Computer Engineering
-
Computer Programming
-
Data Collection, Analysis and
Summary
-
Problem Solving and Decision Making
-
Process Improvement
-
Secretarial
-
Written Communication
Competency
Modeling
Competency
Modeling is the heart of Competency-based Employee Development. It consists of a systematic process for
identifying key competencies for various positions, and differentiating high
level performance from average and low levels of performance.
It helps an organization to identify the competencies associated with
high levels of performance in a given job; to assess the extent to which a job
incumbent possesses these competencies; to identify gaps between desired and
current competency level; and to create development plans for all employees.
Competency Modeling enables any organization to recruit, select, retain,
develop, evaluate and reward employees in ways that maximize performance, and
have a positive impact on the bottom-line. Using Competency Modeling to
facilitate improvements in individual and organizational performance
consists of six primary steps:
-
IDENTIFY THE
POSITIONS TO BE MODELED - Step one involves the identification of the
positions to be analyzed during the Competency Modeling process. If
the organization is not going to model all positions (and in many cases, it
may not be expedient to do so), then the focus should be on those positions
that have the greatest direct impact on achieving institutional goals and
objectives.
-
SELECT THE
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (SME) - The most important aspect of the Competency
Modeling process is the selection of employees who will be responsible for identifying the
specific competencies and success factors associated with high level performance.
Subject matter experts typically consist of people who are top performers in
the positions to be modeled. In addition, supervisors and customers of
people in those positions can be very helpful in the process. The key
is to make sure each SME has a clear understanding of the nature and content
of the work, and what is needed for high level performance in that position.
-
IMPLEMENT
THE COMPETENCY IDENTIFICATION PROCESS - The primary purpose of the
competency identification process is the creation of a Success Profile.
A Success Profile is a concise, hierarchical listing of the competencies
needed for high level performance (along with a brief description of each
competency). Subject matter experts come together in a series of focus
group sessions to make decisions about which managerial, interpersonal and
technical competencies are absolutely necessary for exemplary performance in
the identified position. The resulting Success Profile can then be
used to facilitate a variety of human resource activities, including
employee development (NOTE: As a consultant, I utilize several tools to
facilitate this process with SMEs including "The Competency Modeling
Questionnaire", and "Success Profile Sheets".
For more information on these tools or the Competency Modeling process
offered by my company, please feel free to contact me at tyrone@doctorholmes.net).
-
FACILITATE
A GAP ANALYSIS - The Gap Analysis process helps you identify the extent to
which a particular job incumbent possesses the desired competencies for his
or her job. Using the completed Success Profile, an employee (working
with his or her manager) can identify competency areas that are both
strengths and weaknesses (NOTE: I utilize the "Employee Competency
Assessment Form" to facilitate this process. The form lists
the competencies identified on the Success Profile, and respondents use a
four point Likert scale to assess themselves or their employees. For
more information on this tool or the 360-degree feedback process utilized by
my company, please feel free to contact me at tyrone@doctorholmes.net).
-
CREATE
DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR EMPLOYEES - Based on the
strengths and weaknesses identified during the Gap Analysis process, create specific development opportunities for
employees. An effective,
Competency-based Employee Development
system geared toward enhancing performance incorporates a variety of educational
activities. The primary activities
include: skills-based training (e.g.,
classroom-based workshops); feedback intensive programs (e.g.,
360-degree feedback programs); developmental assignments (e.g.,
on-the-job training and learning activities);
developmental relationships (e.g.,
structured mentoring and coaching); and
self-directed learning activities (e.g., CD-ROM training programs).
-
APPLY
COMPETENCY MODELS TO OTHER HR ACTIVITIES - The Success Profiles that are
created from the Competency Modeling process can be used for a wide variety
of activities. Specifically, they can be used to enhance the
organization's Human Performance System (HPS). The HPS consists of ten
primary areas that have the greatest impact on performance within an
organization. They include: Employee Recruitment; Employee Selection;
Employee Retention; Performance Planning, Goal Setting and Coaching;
Performance Assessment; Performance Reward; Employee & Leadership
Development; Career Planning and Development; Organization Development; and
Diversity Empowerment.