A

DISSERTATION REPORT
On
COMPETENCY MAPPING OF JUNIOR EXECUTIVE HR
EMPLOYEES -A STUDY IN RELATION TO THE
READYMADE GARMENTS OUTLETS IN RETAIL SECTOR

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of

Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Amity University Haryana, Manesar

Under the Guidance of: Submitted By:

Name: Mrs Shraddha Awasthi Name:Abhishek Yadav
Assistant professor MBA: 4th Semester
Roll. No. A50002315006

Amity University Haryana

Amity Business School
Gurgaon (Manesar)
Batch (2015 2017)

1
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this project work done on Competency Mapping Of

Junior Executive HR Employees- In Relation To Readymade Garments
Outlets in Retail Sector is my work, carried out under the guidance of my
faculty guide Mrs. SHRADDHA AWASTHI. The results reported in this
study are genuine, original and the script is written by me.

ABHISHEK YADAV

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It gives me immense gratification to place on records my profound

gratitude and sincere appreciation to each and everyone of those who
have helped me in this endeavor..
I extend my sincere thanks to Mrs Shraddha Awasthi for her cooperation
and valuable suggestions to initiate the study.
I extend my gratitude to Amity University for giving me this opportunity.
On a personal note I would like to thank all my batch mates for their
support. Any omission in this brief acknowledgement does not mean lack
of gratitude.

___________________
_
Signature of the student
Name: Abhishek Yadav

CONTENTS

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S NO TOPIC Pg No

CHAPTER-1 Introduction
Overview
Brief about the global Retail Industry
Emerging trends in the retail industry
Technology impact 5-15
Indian Retail: Unorganized Sector
Changes in the Retail Sector
Core competencies for Retail industry
CHAPTER-2 Objective and Scope 16

CHAPTER-3 Methodology
2.1. Research Design
2.2 Sampling 17-19
2.3 Data collection methods

CHAPTER-4 Literature Review 20-23

CHAPTER-5 Data Analysis
4.1 Competency mapping of Pantaloons
4.2 Competency mapping of Arrow 24-46
4.3 Competency mapping of Lewis
4.4 Questionnaire data analysis
4.5 Tools
CHAPTER-6 Findings and Recommendations 47-49
CHAPTER-7 Bibliography 50

Chapter-1

INTRODUCTION

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1.1 Overview
With changing business scenario and new challenges emerging in the competitive world,
successful performance in any job/task has taken a critical place, for organizational success.
Competency mapping is one such process that helps in identifying and mapping
competencies required for successful performance in a particular role. Competency
mapping and assessment has gained paramount importance in organizations, for keeping
people development strategies and processes in sync with organizational growth &
objectives and maximizing the utilization of human potential.

Creating competency based culture and systems in organizations are the need of the hour.
This creates a demand for HR professionals to have specialized skills and have a
continuous up-gradation of knowledge.
Working on solutions to help the Retail Industry in addressing the front-line staff
Challenges around Hiring, Training, and Retention.

Solutions should be developed based on the retail industrys priorities to address issues
such as:
Recruitment and Retention: Retail employers struggle to attract and retain the best and
brightest employees because of the misperception that jobs are low-wage and lack growth
potential. In reality, todays retail industry is dynamic with diverse career ladders covering
a wide range of fields including: information technology, marketing, communications, loss
prevention, finance, and merchandise sourcing.
Competency Models: Though the retail industry has started work on initial training
models and skills certifications, they are not yet used consistently across the industry to
build skills competency requirements for positions at all levels and to encourage career
growth. Retailers are struggling to attract qualified individuals, train them, and have them
advance their careers.
Diversity: In an increasingly diverse society, multilingual employees are desirable.
Retailers are customer service driven and need workers to speak the languages of their
customer base. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is a problem as workers may speak the
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 language of customers, but lack basic English language and literacy skills to perform all job
functions.
Competency is a standardized requirement for an individual to properly perform specific
job. It encompasses a combination of knowledge, skills and behavior utilized to improve
performance. More generally, competency is the state or quality of being adequately or well
qualified, having the ability to perform a specific role. For instance, management
competency includes the traits of systems thinking and emotional intelligence, and skills in
influence and negotiation.
Competence is also used to work with more general descriptions of the requirements of
human beings in organizations and communities. Examples are educations and other
organizations who want to have a general language to tell what a graduate of an education
must be able to do in order to graduate or what a member of an organization is required to
be able to do in order to be considered competent. An important detail of this approach is
that all competencies have to be action competencies, which means you show in action, that
you are competent. In the military the training systems for this kind of competence is called
Artificial Experience, which is the basis for all simulators.

1.2 Brief about the Global Retail Industry

Retail, with total sales of $6.6 trillion, is the worlds largest private industry ahead of
industries $5.1 trillion. It is also home to a number of the worlds largest enterprises. Over 50
of the fortune 500 companies, and around 25of the Asian top 500 companies, are retailers. The
industry accounts for over 8% of the GDP in western economies. The level of consolidation
within each country has increased significantly over the last few decades. This is most marked
in the grocery, where large chains have leveraged superior scales of operations and souring to
capture share from the unorganized players, while offering consumers the best price. This trend
has led to organized networks capturing up to 80% of the groceries market in the developed
economies.

Traditionally, most retailers have had very localized operations. This localized nature of the
industry is changing as retailers face low rates of growth and threatened profitability at home.
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 New geographies will help them sustain top-line growth as well as permit global sourcing.
Further, global markets will progressively get easier to tap as product market barriers relaxed
and as taste converge.

Profits in retail have steadily been rising and have generated 18% shareholder returns between
1994 and 1999. Significantly, retail is one of the largest employers, accounting for instance
16% of the U.S workforce. Factors such as scale in sourcing, merchandising, operational
effectiveness and ambience have driven the spread of organized retail. Groceries, electronics
are examples of categories that compete on the strength of better pricing, which in turn is
driven by superior sourcing and merchandising and cost-efficient operations. Wal-Mart, Home
Depot and Kingfisher are benchmark retailers in these fields.

In apparel, home furnishings and furniture, the advantage is driven by the marketers ability to
provide better products in a comfortable ambience at affordable prices. In these cases sourcing
capabilities has to be backed by strong design capability and store management. IKEA and
GAP are good examples of this model of retailing. Over the last few decades, retail formats
have changed radically. The basic department stores and co-operatives of the early 20 th
century have given way to mass merchandisers, hypermarkets, warehouses clubs, category
killers, discounters and convenience stores. Each of these formats has been driven by the
markets need to offer relevant, distinctive and economic propositions to an evolving consumer
base.

Global retailers have also reached a position of strength that enables their brand to be leveraged
across a wide range of services. Many of them have expanded their offering, over the years to
include fuel retail, car retail, convenience services and personal finance services. This has put
them in a position where they are not only beginning to capture growth from geographical
expansion, but are also entering large new areas of business. The recent evolution of the
internet has helped further broaden the scope of operations of large retailers. Further, a large
number of retailers are pursuing innovative aggregation and supply chain-streamlining
initiatives using B2B technology.

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The emerging sector
For a long time, the corner grocery store was the only choice available to the consumers,
especially in the urban areas. The traditional food and grocery segment has seen the emergence
of supermarkets/grocery chains (Food world, Nilgiries, Apna Bazaar), convenience stores and
fast food chains (McDonalds, Dominos)

The lifestyles/fashions segments (Shoppers stop, Globus, Lifestyle, Westside), apparels

/accessories (Pantaloon, Levis, Reebok), books/music/gifts (Archies, Music world,
Crosswords, Landmark) appliances and consumer durables (Vibes, Jenisons, Vacant & Co),
drugs and pharmacy (Health and Glow, Apollo)
First, the modern retailer is yet to feel the saturation effect in the urban market and has,
therefore, probably not looked at the other markets seriously. Second the modern retailing
trend, despite its cost-effectiveness, has come to be identified with lifestyles.

In order to appeal to all classes of the society, retail stores would have to identify with different
lifestyles. In a sense, this trend is already visible with the emergence of stores with an
essentially value for money.

1.3 Emerging trends in Retail industry

The single most important evolution that took place along with the retailing revolution was the
rise and fall of the dotcom companies. A sudden concept of non store shopping emerged,
which threatened to take away the potential of the store. More importantly, the very nature of
the customer segment being addressed was almost the same. The computer savvy
individuals was also a sub segment of the store frequenting traffic.

Internationally, the concept of net shopping is yet to be proven. And the poor financial
performance of most of the companies offering virtual shopping has resulted in store-based
retailing regaining the upper hand. Other forms of non-store shopping including various
formats such as catalogue/mail order shopping, direct selling and so on are growing rapidly.
However the size of the direct market industry is too limited to deter the retailers. For all the
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conveniences that it offers , electronic retailing does not suit the products where look and see
attributes are of importance, as in apparel or where the value is very high, such as in jewellery
or where the performance has to be tested, as of consumer durables. The most critical issue in
electronic retailing, especially in a country such as ours, relates to payments and the various
security issues involved.

1.4 Technology Impact

The other aspects of retailing relates to technology. It is widely felt that the key differentiator
between the successful and not so successful retailers is primarily in the area of technology.
Simultaneously it will be technology that will help the organized retailers score over the
unorganized players, giving both cost and service advantages.

Retailing is a technology-intensive industry- Successfully retailers today work closely with their
vendors to predict consumer demands , shorten lead times, reduce inventory holding and
thereby, save cost. Today, online systems link point of sales terminals to the main office where
detailed analyses on sales by item, classification, stores or vendors are carried out online.
Besides vendors, the focus of the retailing sector is to develop the link with the consumers.

Data Warehousing is an established concept in the advanced nations-With the help of the
database retailing, information on existing and potential customers is tracked. Besides knowing
what was purchased and by whom, information on softer issues such as demographics and
psychographics is captured. With differentiating strategies-value for money, shopping
experience, variety, quality, discounts and advanced systems and technology in the back-end,
change in the equilibrium with the manufacturers and a thorough understanding of the
consumer behavior, the ground is all set for the organized retailers.

It would be important to note, however, that the retailing industry in India is still a protected
industry-It is one of the few sectors, which still has restrictions on FDI.

1.5 Indian Retail: A Large and unorganized Sector

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The Indian retail market is in sharp contrast to the global situations .Like the rest of the world, it
is large, with the sales amounting to $180 bn and accounting for 10-11% of the GDP.
However, it is also exceptionally fragmented and unorganized.
India has the largest retail outlet density in the world. However most of these retail outlets have
very basic offerings, fixed prices, zero usage of technology and little or no ambience. These are
highly competitive outlets, drawing on free land (unregistered kiosks or traditional property),
unpaid/cheap labor (family members or village children paid below minimum wages) and zero
taxes. Many of them also leverage the low or no cost of family labor to provide services like
home delivery that would be uneconomic to any organized retailer.

There are multiple causes for this low level of modernization in Indian retail. Primary among
them are the stringent restrictions on consumer goods and consumerism that existed till the
1990s.The inability to offer a wide range of products was further worsened by the marketers
inability to create economies of scale in sourcing. The high fragmentation in supplies and the
supply chain, the restriction on inter-state movement and on stocking prevented development
of scale. Further the limited set of organized options prevented retailers from negotiating better
terms with the suppliers.

The lack of consumers culture, along with low incomes, prevented the development of formats
such as department stores that work on superior ambience and design to capture customers.
Limited products put consumers perpetually on the back foot. The high tax regime and savings
biased government programs stressed thrift denial over indulgence. Further the country was
effectively isolated from the rest of the world through a tightly controlled radio and television
media and did not share in the growing consumer oriented culture sweeping the west and other
parts of Asia.
Together with this was also the limited access to capital, land or people available to aspirant
retailers.
Very few banks were willing to invest in retail, while real estate restrictions made it impossibl to
access land of reasonable size. The lack of retail oriented education made it difficult to get the
trained people.

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 Traditionally three factors have plagued the retail industry
Unorganized: Vast majority of the twelve million stores are small "father and son" outlets
Fragmented: Mostly small individually owned businesses, average size of outlet equals 50
s.q. ft. Though India has the highest number of retail outlets per capita in the world, the
retail space per capita at 2 s.q. ft per person is amongst the lowest.
Rural bias: Nearly two thirds of the stores are located in rural areas. Rural retail industry
has typically two forms: "Haats" and Melas". Haats are the weekly markets: serve
groups of 10-50 villages and sell day-to-day necessities. Melas are larger in size and
more sophisticated in terms of the goods sold (like TVs)

Retailing Formats in India

Malls:-The largest form of organized retailing today. Located mainly in metro
cities, in proximity to urban outskirts. Ranges from 60,000 sq ft to 7,00,000 sq ft and
above. They lend an ideal shopping experience with an amalgamation of product,
service and entertainment, all under a common roof. Examples include Shoppers Stop,
Piramyd, Pantaloon.
Specialty Stores:
Chains such as the Bangalore based Kids Kemp, the Mumbai books retailer Crossword,
RPG's Music World and the Times Group's music chain Planet M, ITCs Wills lifestyle
are focusing on specific market segments and have established themselves strongly in
their sectors.
Discount Stores:
As the name suggests, discount stores or factory outlets, offer discounts on the MRP
through selling in bulk reaching economies of scale or excess stock left over at the
season. The product category can range from a variety of perishable/ non perishable
goods
Department Stores:
Large stores ranging from 20000-50000 sq. ft, catering to a variety of consumer needs.
Further classified into localized departments such as clothing, toys, home, groceries,

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 etc. Departmental Stores are expected to take over the apparel business from exclusive
brand showrooms. Among these, the biggest success is K Raheja's Shoppers Stop,
which started in Mumbai and now has more than seven large stores (over 30,000 sq. ft)
across India and even has its own in store brand for clothes called Stop!.
Hyper marts/Supermarkets:
Large self service outlets, catering to varied shopper needs are termed as Supermarkets.
These are located in or near residential high streets. These stores today contribute to
30% of all food & grocery organized retail sales. Super Markets can further be
classified in to mini supermarkets typically 1,000 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft and large
supermarkets ranging from of 3,500 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft. having a strong focus on food
& grocery and personal sales.
Convenience Stores:
These are relatively small stores 400-2,000 sq. feet located near residential areas. They
stock a limited range of high-turnover convenience products and are usually open for
extended periods during the day, seven days a week. Prices are slightly higher due to
the convenience premium.
MBOs :
Multi Brand outlets, also known as Category Killers, offer several brands across a
single product these usually do well in busy market places and Metros

1.6 Changes in the Retail Sector

Experimentation with formats:

Retailing in India is still evolving and the sector is witnessing a series of experiments across
the country with new formats being tested out. Ex. Quasi-mall, sub-urban discount stores, Cash
and carry etc.
Store design:
Biggest challenge for organized retailing to create a customer-pull environment that

12
increases the amount of impulse shopping. Research shows that the chances of senses dictating
sales are upto 10-15%. Retail chains like Music World, Baristas, Piramyd and Globus are
laying major emphasis & investing heavily in store design.
Emergence of discount stores:
They are expected to spearhead the organized retailing revolution. Stores trying to emulate the
model of Wal-Mart. Ex. Big Bazaar, Bombay Bazaar, RPGs.

Unorganized retailing is getting organized:

To meet the challenges of organized retailing such as large Cineplexs, and malls, which are
backed by the corporate house such as 'Ansals' and 'PVR the unorganized sector is getting
organized. 25 stores in Delhi under the banner of Provision mart are joining hands to combine
monthly buying. Bombay Bazaar and food mart formed which are aggregations of Kiranas.

Multiple drivers leading to a consumption boom:

Favorable demographics
Growth in income
Increasing population of women
Raising aspirations : Value added goods sales
Food and apparel retailing key drivers of growth
Organized retailing in India has been largely an urban phenomenon with affluent
classes
and growing number of double-income households.
More successful in cities in the south and west of India. Reasons range from
differences in consumer buying behavior to cost of real estate and taxation laws.
Rural markets emerging as a huge opportunity for retailers reflected in the share
of the rural market across most categories of consumption
ITC is experimenting with retailing through its e-Choupal and Choupal Sagar rural
hypermarkets.
HLL is using its Project Shakti initiative leveraging women self-help groups to explore the
rural market.

13
Mahamaza is leveraging technology and network marketing concepts to act as an aggregator
and serve the rural markets.
IT is a tool that has been used by retailers ranging from Amazon.com to eBay to radically
change buying behavior across the globe.
e-retailing slowly making its presence felt.
Companies using their own web portal or tie-sups with horizontal players like
Rediff.com and Indiatimes.com to offer products on the web.

1.7 Core competencies for Retail industry

A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three
conditions:-
It provides consumer benefits
It is not easy for competitors to imitate
It can be leveraged widely to many products and markets.

A core competency can take various forms, including technical/subject matter know how, a
reliable process, and/or close relationships with customers and suppliers. It may also
include product development or culture such as employee dedication. Modern business
theories suggest that most activities that are not part of a company's core competency
should be outsourced.

If a core competency yields a long term advantage to the company, it is said to be a

sustainable competitive advantage.

Characteristics of Core Competencies: There are three tests for Core Competencies
Potential access to a wide variety of markets - the core competency must be
capable of developing new products and services
A core competency must make a significant contribution to the perceived benefits
of the end product.

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 Core Competencies should be difficult for competitors to imitate. In many
industries, such competencies are likely to be unique.

Chapter-2

OBJECTIVE

15
PROBLEMS OF THE ORGANISATION
Understanding Sales Manager in terms of knowledge, skill, attributes and to design exercise
for testing competencies.

OBJECTIVES

To create a competency matrix by using Focused Group Discussion tools for people
development
To find out the Competencies Mapping Method used by different retail oulets in
Readymade Garments Outlet.
To find out the competencies required by Junior HR Executive Employees in retail
outlets.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is to bring out the importance of Competency Mapping

It also helps to find the different tools and method adopted to find out the competencies.
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
Assigning compensation grades and levels to particular jobs and roles
Selecting applicants for open positions, using competency-based interviewing techniques

Chapter-3

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 Research Methodology

2.1 Research Methodology

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be

understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. Thus it is the various
steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem with the logic
behind them. It has many dimensions and methods which constitute a part of the research and
widens the scope of the research.

2.2 Research Design

According to Green &Toll a research design is the specification of methods and Procedures
for acquiring the information needs. It is the overall operational pattern of frame work.
Theproject tells what information is to be collected from which sources by what procedures.
The design consists of using both the exploratory research as well as to use Conclusive
research so as to bring about the relationship that competency mapping has and its effect on the
performance effectiveness.

Exploratory Research Experience Survey carried out to obtain an insight and ideas about the
topic through depth interviews so as to probe deep into the competency mapping system of the
company.

2.3. Sampling:
Simple Random sampling was done for the study.
Various players of Readymade Garment shops like Louis Philippe, Pantaloon, Color plus,
Zodiac, Arrow were identified and the sample was selected at random from each Garment
outlet.
Total Garment Outlets in Delhi NCR region are 64 which includes of:
Louis Philippe -13
Pantaloons -4
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Color plus -24
Zodiac -16
Arrow - 7

The respondents were from HR and front-line departments of the companies

Population= 64
Sample: Random Sampling

3.3. Data collection methods

Data collection is a term used to describe a process of preparing and collecting data.
The purpose of data collection is to obtain information to keep on record, to make
decisions about important issues, to pass information on to others.
The data and information is collected through following methods:

Primary Data
Primary data consist of original information collected for specific purpose.
Primary data was collected with the help of questionnaires which were filled and answered by
the employees who were selected randomly.

Focus group discussion

It would be done to identify the behavior of customer associates and sales managers which
will tell are they satisfied with the behavior of the Junior HR Executive . It will consist of a
panel of approx. (8-10) people.

Secondary Data
Secondary data consist of information that already exists somewhere, which has been
collected for specific purpose in this study. Secondary data was collected from a number of
books, newspaper articles, and websites.

Chapter-4

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Literature Review

Review of Literature refers to the collection of the results of the various researches to
the present study. It takes into consideration the research of the previous researchers
which is related to the present research in any way. Here are the reviews of the previous
researches relatedwith the present study:

DR. Y. NAGARAJU (2012)

The study for the purpose of gaining in-depth insight into the employee competency
mapping in organizations has reviewed global leading articles on the topic.
It has also identified research gap and that justified the present research program.
Among the other objectives, the study embarked upon the following:To Identify company
specific Competencies in select organization,To know how competencies are Identified,
Defined, Assessed, Monitored and Measured in select organizations,To analyze how the
Competencies are Linked to Strategies, Business Performance and Results,To examine
the competency mapping strategies with jobs and attainment of individuals and
organization objective,To Analyze the Impact of Competency Mapping in Relation to
Individual and Corporate Objectives.
Analysis found that Competencies are forceful trigger and strong determinant for
achieving individual and corporate goals and objectives. The respondent executives
ranging from
75 to 85 percent agreed that employee competencies are linked to business strategies
performance and results. The linkage produced positive results in the
areas of productivity, profitability and overall growth. The results are minimum and
moderate on the variables such as diversification, expansion, interpersonal
relations and change management from employee competencies linkages with business
strategies.
In the sample organizations, it was found that the mere linkage between employee
competencies and business strategies is not enough, what is important is

19
 quality of linkages between competencies and business strategies to achieve the pre-
determined individual and organizational performance. A majority of
learning organizations under the study strategically linked competencies with goal
achievements.
Findings from the project was that the researcher after selecting the research problem
through meticulous review of literature and interactions with HR practitioners including
the research supervisors collected the data on employee competency mapping in select
organizations of Bangalore. The entire research program dwells on the linkage of
employee competencies with business strategies and at the same time the linkage
outcomes in terms of individual employee performance and organization performance.
The major findings are enumerated below.
From the study it was found that over the last thirty years, competency management
evolved and applied at various levels in the sample automobile,software, and
electronics firms to a great extent. The extent of competency management prevailing in
pharma firm under the study is to moderate extent.
It was found that competency is a key behaviour of employees in the sample
organizations that enables the superior performance of the organizations as a whole. It
is more pronounced in sample information technology and foreign bank.

Rock (2006)

To provide a definitive roadmap to understanding, designing and implementing

competency models in organizations.
The conceptual foundations of competencies and how they work both in people and in
organizations.
How competency frameworks can be designed, developed and implemented.
The role of competencies in an organization as a vital tool for recruitment, selection and
retention.
How to develop customized competency models based on the management philosophy,
customer needs, and existing processes of the organization.

20
 Potential Mapping through Assessment Centre.

Md.Ishtiak Uddin[2012]

His study Competency Mapping: A Tool for HR Excellence has explained various tools
for implementing Competency Model including Job Analysis, JobDescription, Job
Specification,
Competency Matrix, 360 degree Feedback etc. He is of the view that Competency
mapping can also be used for coaching and succession planning,
Considering the significance of Competency Mapping for individual and organizational
growth, the present study was undertaken.
In this study, efforts have been made to elaborate the various competencies with minute
parameters and to correlate them with the managerial competence level.

Vikram Singh Chouhan (2013)

Vikarm conducted a study and interpreted that-

Competency models are a natural fit for human resources. They are position models at
the heart of every competency-based HR application. Thus, competencies and
competency models are a viable tool that can be utilized to prepare the current and
future workforce and retain skilled incumbent workers to meet the job requirements and
other needs of employers.
There is a strong and positive relationship between possession of competencies
and successful job performance. This can be explained by the fact that HR jobs have
different role to play and each role requires different dimensions of behavior. Thus,
competencies and competency models are a viable tool that can be utilized to prepare the
current and future workforce and retain skilled incumbent workers to meet the job
requirements and other needs of employers.

21
 Scope for further research for his study was Future research may examine
different factors of competency model for different needs of the industry and can find out
that is there any consensus for the factors of competency model that we can arrive for the
same industry.

Dr. Maran K. (2002)

He suggested that
At the all levels competency management identifies and acquires or builds the
competencies needed immediately to manage the routine day to day work of
organization.
The study conclusively reveals the positive relationship between male and female
employees in all the fifteen aspects also there is a positive relationship.
Innovation, Customer service, Analytical thinking and Motivation , which could
be contracted by means of giving training and personal development classes to the
employees so that they can bridge the gap and excel in their job by giving
outstanding performance which is very much essential for the employee and the
organization.

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 Chapter-4
REPORT OF DATA COLLECTION

Competency Mapping in Different Retail Sectors-

4.1 Competency mapping of Pantaloon

Pantaloons priority test

The Priorities process consists of 5 Simple Steps, which will be expanded on through the
balance of this document. The 5 Simple Steps are:

Clarify Purpose and Key Accountabilities - Employees and managers understand the
expectations of the employee's role, how it adds value to the business and the key
accountabilities of the position.
Esta 2. Establish Operating Objectives and Behavioral Expectations - Employees and managers
together set the specific, tangible and measurable operating objectives that must be
accomplished within the scope of the employee's role accountabilities.

Emp employees also understand how they are expected to achieve their deliverables through
23
 behavioral expectations that are based on Core Values.

Crea3. Create a Development Plan and Facilitate an Individual Value Proposition Discussion -
Employees and their managers together should establish a development plan focused on
enhancing employees' skills, experience and overall contribution to company and, at their
option, have further discussions regarding what interests and motivates the employee.

Com 4. Complete Regular Progress Reviews - Employees receive feedback, from their manager,
throughout the performance period on how they are doing relative to both the operating
objectives that were established and the behavioral expectations based on companys Core
Values. Feedback should be documented by the manager and retained by both the manager and
employee.
Co 5. Complete a Contribution Assessment - Employees' contributions will be assessed
based upon the degree of achievement against their operating objectives and whether they have
demonstrated the behavioral expectations based on Core Values. Contribution assessment will also reflect
each employee's contribution relative to peers in similar roles based upon role type, scope and
complexity, in order to ensure greater accuracy and consistency in application. Managers will also be
provided with guidelines, which establish an expected distribution curve across the four contribution
indicators. The guidelines are intended to reinforce the differentiation the company expects to see at an
overall business unit and lower level when the contribution assessment process is completed and results
are rolled up for these larger groups of employees.

How Priorities Works - Five Simple Steps

Step 1. Establishing Role Purpose and Accountabilities:

24
 Role purpose defines what an employee is expected to do and should support the
business priorities.

Accountabilities define the major outcomes expected from a role.

Step 2. Establishing Operating Objectives & Behavioral Expectations

Operating Objectives:

Operating objectives are:

"Deliverables" that the employee must achieve during the 1st and 2nd half year
performance cycles.
Aligned to the employee's role and accountabilities; as well as Vision, Strategy and key
business priorities.

Step 3. Development Planning:

The manager and employee are expected to jointly create the employee's development
plan, which should, to the extent possible, be a blend of the employee's professional
/career interests along with the knowledge, skills, training and experience necessary for
the employee to meet the immediate and future needs . Identifying key motivators,
interests, professional and career development goals and opportunities should take
place in conjunction with the development planning discussions.

Step 4. Progress Reviews:

Managers are expected to have on-going discussions with employees to ensure progress
is being made relative to the operating objectives, behavioral expectations and the
Individual Development Plan. At a minimum, the review is expected to occur at mid-
year and / or more frequently as required due to role or business priorities.
Progress reviews also help ensure that both role accountabilities and operating objectives
in particular continue to align to the business priorities.

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 Input and feedback can also be solicited by managers or employees from additional
sources who have knowledge of the employee's performance. Additional sources of
input may include team or project leaders, customers and/or clients.

Step 5 Contribution Assessment Process:

Managers are ultimately accountable for assessing an employee's overall contribution and
documenting and communicating the overall contribution assessment and indicator to
the employee

Input and feedback can also be solicited by managers or employees from additional
sources who have knowledge of the employee's performance. Additional sources of
input may include team or leaders, customers .

4.2 The competency mapping of ARROW goes as follows

Their chain is
Sales manager retail associates
Name of their assessment exam is DAT
Exercises are

Written test
In basket exercise
Average billing system
One to one session
Store performance is important than individual performance

The employee can sit in the exam after one year. For one year the company observes his/her
on the job behavior.

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4.3 Competency mapping of Levis

Customer facilitators- floor manager- sales staff- sales manager

There is no appraisal system as such in Levis as they dont believe in paper work. The criteria
for their evaluation are:
Interest of the employee
If he/ she is their from some references
Internal promotions
Knowledge
On the job behavior
Work Experience

In all there are 30 employees working in levis.

There are no exams only promotion is done through observation and their behavior.

The same goes with Color plus and Zodiac.

Employees are expected to work harder in order to meet its targets. However, driving
performance is not all about pushing employees to make figures but equally important is
for them to know how to meet their targets. Many leaders concentrate on what needs to
be done instead of how to get there. Refocusing on how goals are achieved becomes more
essential because it facilitates learning and initiating action in the employee. It also
provides support in terms of enhancing an employees capabilities, preparing them to
meet future challenges. However, an effective performance management system is
necessary. Results indicate that a good performance management system enables
employees to attain all their performance goals, which leads to successful business
outcomes. Depending on the type of outcome, such as hard results like revenue growth,
productivity and profitability, or soft results like customer or employee satisfaction,
organizations with effective performance management systems are more likely to
outperform their competitors. To the respondents, these qualities made their performance

27
 plan more meaningful and valuable to them, influencing a positive impact on business
outcomes, employee productivity and satisfaction.
However, one of the biggest challenges that leaders face is how to effectively motivate,
initiate change and sustain improved performance among employees. Not all employees
have the same sources of motivation or can they be influenced to initiate action and
change behavior by the considering the same factors. Factors that contribute to an
employees performance are can be specific and vary per individual. It then becomes
imperative for leaders to determine what organizational factors contribute to effective
outcome and must be able to enhance and maintain them, both on an individual and group
level.

4.4 QUESTIONNAIRE DATA ANALYSIS

1. My role is important in this organization; I feel central here
a) Strongly disagree b) Slightly disagree c) Strongly agree d) Slightly agree

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 It is aimed at understanding the employees role. How do they perceive their role, performed
in the organization .Do they feel that the respective role performed by them adds any value to
the organization. .The results were: 70% of the respondents felt that their role holds a great
importance. Whereas 10% of them slightly agree with the statement, 17% of them slightly
disagree with the statement questioned and 3% of them did not have much of an opinion to
voice.

Role importance

10% 3%
17%

Strongly disagree
Slightly disagree
strongly agree
Slightly agree

70%

It was found that there is a very clear understanding of the reason for the existence of the
process from the percentage of people who feel their role being important. 70% of the
employees felt that there is a definite contribution of their role in the organization. On average
combining the respondents who felt it important i.e. 10%, it is determined that the employees
of the organization feel that the role play a somewhat importance in the organization.This is
also to find the link that the competencies had in relation to the critical success factors of the
job that they were performing. Like the front-line staff felt that the main purpose of their job
was, delighting the customer by performing on time deliver, effective communication and
meeting targets on time and if possible under promise.
2. My training and expertise are not fully utilized in my present role.

Strongly disagree b) Slightly disagree c) Strongly agree d) Slightly agree

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 This question helps to analyze that how important the training program is and are they able to
utilize the training and expertise in the role performed by them. This is to understand whether
the organization has proactively planned system to handle employees who were low on
competencies and whether proper expertise and training is provided. No system or process is
effective without an immediate feedback as well as traning.It not only tell the individual his
current position, but also help to understand the individuals problems and reasons for not
exhibiting that kind of behavior.
It will also help the organization from bringing in more clarity to the system and how the
individual understand the training system. It helps in identifying the right training needs.

0%5%0%

Strongly disagree
Slightly disagree
strongly agree
Slightly agree

95%

95% of the respondents confirmed that there is an effective training provided to them soon after
their evaluation and appraisals. Just about 5% felt that they are not able to make the effective
use of training and expertise given to them and they do not have solid reasons to support the
same.
3. In my role I am able to use my creativity and do something new

Strongly disagree b) Slightly disagree c) Strongly agree d) Slightly agree

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 The purpose of asking this question was to know is there any value addition done by the
employees to enhance their role. Are they able to add any creativity to their role?

5%
15%
15%

Strongly disagree
Slightly disagree
strongly agree
Slightly agree

65%

Since front-line staff have direct interaction with customers and their main job is to satisfy
customers. Customers like to inquire about many things, and front-line staff have to attend their
inquiries, so this question help us to analyze how much value do they add, and how they use
new tactics to satisfy customers. The result shows that 65% strongly agree that they are able to
do some new things in their role,whereas15% slightly agree, as the job structure is very
rigid.15% of them slightly disagree and 5% of them didnt raise any voice.

31
 4. I have tremendous opportunities for professional growth in my role
a) Strongly disagree b) Slightly disagree c) Strongly agree d) Slightly agree

This is an important question which aimed at understanding the perception of the respondents
on the opportunities given for the improvement of performance. Only if the employees feel that
opportunities given through competency mapping can improve performance, its only then they
can actually feel that they show a considerable improvement in the performance.
Usually organization develops system to make sure they provide opportunities which are
aimed at improving the overall performance of the employees as well as the organization.

0%
13%
0%

Strongly disagree
Slightly disagree
strongly agree
Slightly agree

87%

So majority of the respondents do strongly agree that they are given opportunities to enhance
their growth in career.. 87% of the respondents believed that the competency mapping process
helps in doing this. Most of them agreed that the have seen a considerable increase in the
improvement of their performance over years.
Only about 13% felt that they do not get enough opportunities. They felt competency mapping
is another tool to evaluate them along with the performance evaluation and it only aimed at
their behavioral aspects.
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 So with an 87% majority of respondents in favour of the question,. Competency Mapping
helps an individual to understand his capabilities, his strength and weakness better, thus
helping him to work more on his capabilities and strengths and minimize his weaknesses.

33
5. In the question performance improvements signifies the process of competency
mapping
Company focuses on performance improvements rather than
Just evaluation of individuals.
a) Yes b) No

This question was aimed at finding out whether the respondents think that company focuses on
improving performance of the employees rather than just evaluation. In the present scenario
many organization follow a competency based performance management system. This is the
same in case of retail industry. This question gives clear picture on whether the employees
think that competency mapping plays an important role in performance evaluation. Do they
think whether competency mapping should be given importance along with performance
evaluation, and whether it should be linked with the performance management system?

13%

yes
no

87%

34
The chart shows a large percentage of 87 % of respondents do think that Competency Mapping
does have an important role in Performance Evaluation. About 13% of them feel it is not
important. They feel competency mapping has its own importance and so does performance
evaluation. They are not sure about the importance when it is linked with performance
evaluation. But the chart clearly shows that a majority of the employees strongly give
importance to both the process and system and strongly feel that competency does play an
important role in the performance evaluation and feel that it should always be linked with the
performance management system.The question was also aimed at knowing whether they
appreciate the companies system of linking it with the performance evaluation. So the
inference from this chart is that majority of the respondents do prefer do have the system linked
and find it really important, that competency mapping plays a key role in performance
evaluation.

35
6. Is the performance appraisal system linked with the identification of
developmental needs?

a) Strongly disagree b) Slightly disagree c) Strongly agree d) Slightly agree

40%

strongly agree
Slightly agree

60%

This question helps to analyze why is Performance Measured? Is it helps in identification

of developmental needs? Or not.
Reasons for emphasizing the development of personnel include-:
Creating a pool of readily available and adequate replacements for personnel who
may leave or move up in the organization
Enhancing the company's ability to adopt and use advances in technology because
of a sufficiently knowledgeable staff
Building a more efficient, effective and highly motivated team, which enhances
the company's competitive position and improves employee morale
36
 Ensuring adequate human resources for expansion into new programs
The result obtained shows 60% of companys measure performance for
identifying developmental needs and some of these
Developmental reasons are:-
Identifying strengths
Identifying areas of growth
Developmental planning
Coaching and career planning
How might a performance appraisal contribute to an individuals development
40% companies still link the performance appraisal with administrative factors like
Compensation
Promotion dismissal
Downsizing layoffs

37
7. Are you satisfied with the assessment methods used by the company?

a) Yes b) No

This is to know the views of the respondents, whether are they really satisfied with the
competency framework developed by the organization as well as the framework on which
they are being evaluated. For any system to be implemented and carried out effectively it
requires the acceptance and willingness to adapt to the system with interest, commitment
and a level of satisfaction that the individual is benefited from the same.

15%

yes
no

85%

85% of the respondents are satisfied with assessment methods, whereas about 15% of
the. The respondents were dissatisfied about the entire framework.
The satisfied respondents felt that the assessment framework on which they were
evaluated and assessed was effective in terms of analyzing their competencies in relation
38
to their job and believed that the system is good enough to assess them and link it with
their performance evaluation. The dissatisfied respondents felt that the framework needs
to be revamped and cannot be generalized for all, as even the behavioral and soft skills
differ from person to person and it cannot be changed with a help of a common
assessment module.
8. Would you like to make some improvements in current performance appraisal
system?

a) Yes b) No

40%

yes
no

60%

Various suggestions were given by the respondents on the methods for competency
development. Some suggestion provided by the respondents is as follows

Competency Assessment methods

Continual Competency enhancement program
Role description
Continuous feedback from employees, exposure to different environment
Focused training
Competency Maps
39
Thus these are some the general methods that the respondents felt was best for the
employees performance.

4.1 Identified Competencies for Sales Manager

40
 Skilled Learners Begginers

Team Ability to work in a Actively involves others Is focused on individual goals

Work group, supporting Shows sensitivity to team Does not cooperate with other
and involving team members team members
members, Seeks and shares information Does not listen shoots down
integrating opinions without
Listens to contribution from
contributions and evaluation
others
working towards
Focuses team efforts towards Does not seek others
the team objective
the goals involvement /opinion
Seeks to gain the
Asks questions to gain Creates decibels without
cooperation of
interest and involvement impact on the objective
others & to develop
from others Insensitive to the needs of
a good team spirit
Actively confronts barriers to others
when working in a
team effectiveness
team
Proactively encourages
others to participate
Empathizes with team
members
Builds on team members
points

Analytical Analyses issues Develops and uses clear Gets bogged down in detail
Reasoning / and breaks criteria for guiding decisions Has difficulty in analyzing and
Problem information down Identifies cause and effect evaluating information
Solving into component relationships Is not able to recognize what is
parts; makes Thinks through the relevant
systematic and consequences of different Judgments based on gut
rational judgments courses of action feeling rather than a
based on relevant
41
 information Evaluates information rational interpretation of data
effectively and Judgments based on part
systematically identifying information
relevant and irrelevant issues
Arrives at logical
conclusions using
information available to
good effect
Performs calculations and
combines quantitative
information to diagnose and
solve a problem

Resilience- Resourceful in seeking Loses sight of objective easily

Resilience/ maintaining own alternative approaches Confused by external
Managing effectiveness when Maintains focus on influences
Change objectives/ objectives despite setbacks Is unable to adapt to changed
rules/procedurs are Shows initiative in circumstances in
changed by others modifying approach with meeting objectives
(People/ resources, alternative methods
etc.)
Flexibility
Modifies approach to
gain the same
objective

Initiative Engaging in Demonstrates positive Plays a passive role in the

proactive energy group
behavior; Takes the lead for a task Is not able to identify
seizing Questions the way things are opportunities
opportunity Brings the group to focus on
done

42
 Sees an opportunity and the whats not
takes action there/not fair/sees the gloomy
Proactively scans the side of the picture/does not

environment for new ideas, think of possible options

trends, etc.
Brings the group to focus on
the available options, whats
there, actions to minimize
the damage

Result Focusing attention Demonstrates a clear concept Has difficulty in identifying

Orientation on key objective; of goal objectives / goals
wanting effective Can develop realistic Does not break task into
outcomes objectives to achieve the goal activities
Readily identifies priorities Is unable to prioritize
Is conscious of time lines Has no concept of urgency or
Plans and schedules dead lines
activities to achieve Is overwhelmed by information
objectives
Monitors progress vis-a- vis
resources / constraints

The value of competency mapping and identifying emotional strengths is that many
employers now purposefully screen employees to hire people with specific
competencies. They may need to hire someone who can be an effective time leader or
who has demonstrated great active listening skills. Alternately, they may need someone
who enjoys taking initiative or someone who is very good at taking direction. When
43
 individuals must seek new jobs, knowing ones competencies can give one a
competitive edge in the job market.

4.5 Tools of competency mapping

Group Discussion
Case Studies
Extempore
Presentation
Psychometric Exercises
Dream Tea
How to test these Exercise

Group Discussion

Dont speak for the sake of speaking - weigh what you are saying
You would only be heard when you have a reasonable/logical thought
DONT GET AGGRESSIVE or PERSONAL
POSITIVE LANGUAGE e.g use however not but, we not I
10 People . 10 Mins you have only ONE MINUTE to be heard
LISTEN.
Be Proactive and not Reactive..think before you speak.
Dont be the only one talking, give others a fair chance
Acknowledge and appreciate your peers if you agree with them..

Case Study/Presentation

Get your self to present at least one Case Study and speak for the Team.

44
 Approach - Think of Solutions and dont get stuck with the problem
Keep an Open Mind - try and think OUT OF THE BOX
DONT GET AGGRESSIVE or PERSONAL
Convince or be Convinced, be a TEAM PLAYER
Dont digress from the Point of Discussion
Acknowledge and appreciate your peers if you agree with them..

Extempore

You would get time to prepare Get your thoughts together

Dont use Slangs/ Jargons
Use simple words
Use your time well
Believe in what you say it shows in your body language
Have an open Body Language
Dont get conscious of the observers
Look at all the Team Members maintain eye contact with all

Psychometric Exercises

Relax
Your being Natural would help the most
Think POSITIVE and be consistent
Dont contradict yourself. Be Clear in your thoughts
Time your self well, you may not get too much time to respond
Believe in what you say and dont pretend
Dont get conscious of the observers

Dream Team

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 Think Diverse, what qualities do you want your team to possess
Dont get your favorites in the team just because like them
Get the right mix of qualities/people in your team
If a person is not in the team, have a reason - WHY NOT and not a personal one.
YOUR DREAM TEAM STARTS WITH YOU include your name and what Value
Add you bring to the Team

Response of the front-line staff about Competency mapping

Opportunity to express own views

Opportunity to find out about own S/W
Opportunity to discuss own objectives/company/dept. objectives
Identification/clarification of own role
Improved working relationships
Increased job satisfaction/self-confidence
Find out reasons for salary
See relationship to training provided/development plans

Chapter-6
Findings and Recommendations

46
FINDINGS

FINAL TOP COMPETENCIES

LEVELS Junior Executive HR Employees

Team Work
COMPETENCY

Problem Solving

Managing Change

Initiative

Result Orientation

The competency levels are 3 and they are Beginners, Learners, Skilled .

According to the result Team Work is the most important competency which a
Junior Executive HR must have.

For each competency the 3 levels are defined according to the functions of
the Levels of production business vertical

The value of competency mapping has helped in identifying emotional strengths

of many employees .

47
 They may need to hire someone for Junior HR Executive who can be an effective
time leader, who enjoys taking initiative or someone who is very good at taking
direction.

When individuals must seek new jobs, knowing ones competencies can give one
a competitive edge in the job market.

Preparing of competency framework highlights all the competencies of a person.

SUGGESTIONS

48
 Actively involving a broad-base of employees in the development of competency
mapping actions and initiatives for driving strategy execution..
Employees response in a mixed way to any kind of modifications on policies.
Proper communication results in conveying the vision of competency mapping in
an effective way.
Regular feedback improves the performance of employees and makes them
connected to the organization.
Training and socialization play a crucial role as training improves their lacking
skills, ability and knowledge and socialization helps in improving inter-personal
relations, expand business and explore new opportunities.
The competency evaluation and the performance evaluation are done on yearly
basis. Competency Evaluation can be more effective if it carried out at least twice
a year, so that it keeps reminding the employees where they stand and what they
have to achieve the required objectives.
The organization can also focus on providing regular counseling and feedback
every month or quarter. This can be done by the superior or the boss who can act
as a mentor and guide him to do better. This will help the individual to correct and
change accordingly. This will yield better results in the time of appraisal making it
easier to judge the individuals progress.
HRD function is to ensure competencies in each role, if there is inadequate role
competencies then either develop the competencies within a timeframe or quit the
role.
Training on competency framework to generate awareness among employees to
participate and contribute in this initiative.
Periodic review of competency mapping by employees to remain current with the
organizations business needs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Books:

1. Competency Based HRM, by Ganesh Shermon, TATA McGraw Hill Publishing

Company.
2. Competency Mapping, by Spencer & Spencer
3. Performance management by TV rao and Udai Pareek

Website:
1. http:// wikipedia.org/wiki/Competence_(human_resources)

2. http:// citehr.com/83771-pantaloon-retail-manager-hr-competency-mapping.html

3. http://indianresearchjournals.com/pdf/IJMFSMR/2012/June/12.pdf

4. http://www.managementparadise.com/rajeshsekar/documents/9103/hr-
competency-mapp-retail-sector-thesis/

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