Competency Approach to Human

Resource Management

Vinay Ravindran
 What do we mean when we
say COMPETENCY ?

Vinay Ravindran
 A Competency is an underlying
characteristic of a person which enables
him /her to deliver superior performance
in a given job, role or a situation.

Vinay Ravindran
 Competencies are seen mainly as inputs.

They consist of clusters of knowledge,

attitudes and skills that affect an
individuals ability to perform.

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 Hayes (1979)

Competencies are generic knowledge

motive, trait, social role or a skill of a
person linked to superior performance
on the job.

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 Albanese (1989)

Competencies are personal

characteristics that contribute to
effective managerial performance.

Vinay Ravindran
 UNIDO (2002)-
A Competency is a set of skills, related
knowledge and attributes that allow
an individual to successfully perform a
task or an activity within a specific
function or job.

Vinay Ravindran
 What is Common in the definitions?

Competencies
underlying characteristic of
a persons inputs.
clusters of knowledge,
attitudes and skills
generic knowledge motive,
trait, social role or a skill
personal characteristics
set of skills, related
knowledge and attributes
Job
superior performance in a
given job, role or a situation
individuals ability to
perform.
linked to superior
performance on the job.
contribute to effective
managerial performance
successfully perform a task
or an activity within a
specific function or job

Vinay Ravindran
 KNOWLEDGE
Relates to information
Cognitive Domain

Set of Attribute
SKILLS Relates to
qualitative
Relates to the aspects
ability to do,
personal
Physical Characteristics
domain COMPETENCY or traits

Outstanding
Performance of
tasks or activities

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 Behaviour Indicators
A Competency is described in terms of key
behaviours that enables recognition of that
competency at the work place.

These behaviors are demonstrated by excellent

performers on-the-job much more consistently
than average or poor performers. These
characteristics generally follow the 80-20 rule in
that they include the key behaviors that primarily
drive excellent performance.
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 Example of a Competency

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 Analytical Thinking

The ability to break problems into

component parts and consider or
organize parts in a systematic way; the
process of looking for underlying causes
or thinking through the consequence of
different courses of action.

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 Key Behaviour Indicators
Independently researches for information and solutions to
issues

Ability to know what needs to be done or find out

(research) and take steps to get it done

Ask questions when not sure of what the problem is or to

gain more information.

Able to identify the underlying or main problem.

Shows willingness to experiment with new things.

Develops a list of decision making guidelines to help arrive

at logical solutions.
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 What is
a
Competency Model?

Vinay Ravindran
 Competency Model
A competency model is a valid, observable,
and measurable list of the knowledge,
skills, and attributes demonstrated
through behavior that results in
outstanding performance in a particular
work context.

Typically A competency model includes

Competency titles
Definitions of those titles
Key Behaviour indicators
Vinay Ravindran
 Competency - Broad Categories

Generic Competencies
Competencies which are considered essential
for all employees regardless of their function or
level. - Communication, initiative, listening etc.

Managerial Competencies
Competencies which are considered essential
for employees with managerial or supervisory
responsibility in any functional area including
directors and senior posts.
 Competency - Broad Categories

Technical / Functional

Specific competencies which are considered essential

to perform any job in the organisation within a
defined technical or functional area of work.

e.g.: Finance, environmental management,etc

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 Competency modeling begins the process of building
tools to link employee performance to the mission and
goals of the organisation .

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 Why Competencies ?

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 Traditional Job Analysis Vs Competency Approach
Job Analysis leads to
long lists of tasks and the
skills / knowledge
required to perform each
of those tasks
Data generation from
subject matter experts; job
incumbents
Effective Performance
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Competency model leads to
A Distilled set of underlying
personal characteristics
Data generation from
outstanding performers in
addition to subject matter
experts and other job
incumbents
Outstanding Performance
 Distinguish Superior From Merely Satisfactory Performance

The approach allows executives and angers to

make a distinction between a person's ability to
do specific tasks at the minimum acceptable
level and the ability to do the whole job in an
outstanding fashion

Vinay Ravindran
 Behaviour Indicators Based upon what outstanding individuals
actually do

The competency definitions are based upon

outstanding current performance in the organization.

These competencies do not reflect someone's

management theory or an academic idea of what it
takes to do the job well, but rather are based on what
works within the organization and most directly
contributes to top performance.

Vinay Ravindran
 The Competencies are Behaviour Specific

It is one thing, for example, to ask whether

an employee "takes initiative," a very
general concept, open to interpretation, but
it is quite another to ask, "Was it typical of
this manager to carry out tasks without
your having to request that they be done?,"
a question which has only two answers,
"Yes" and "No".

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 Holistic Application
Competencies

Help companies raise the bar of performance

expectations.

Help teams and individuals align their behaviours

with key organisational strategy.

Each employee understand how to achieve

expectations.

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 Alignment of HR systems

nd

Pe ana
a
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M
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rm e
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an nt
cr ele

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R s

Competency
Model
t
g & en

Co
i pm

m
o
Tr evel

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i

a
a

ti on

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 Competency based recruitment

Competency based interviews reduce the

risk of making a costly hiring mistake and
increase the likelihood of identifying and
selecting the right person for the right job

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 Competency based Performance Appraisal

Competencies Enable

Establishment of clear high performance standards.

Collection and proper analysis of factual data against

the set standards.

Conduct of objective feedback meetings.

Direction with regard to specific areas of improvement.

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 Competency based Training

Competency based appraisal process leading to

effective identification of training needs.

Opportunity to identify/ develop specific

training programmes - Focused training
investment.

Focused Training enabling improvement in

specific technical and managerial competencies

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 Competency based Development

Competencies

Contribute to the understanding of what

development really mean, giving the
individual the tools to take responsibility for
their own development.

Give the line managers a tool to empower

them to develop people

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 Competency based Pay

Provide an incentive for employees to grow

and enhance their capabilities.

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 Methodology?

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 Steps in Model Building
Background information about the organisation
Decide on the Occupation / Job Position(s) that
require competency Model(s)
Discuss the application of the competency model
Select a data collection method and plan the
approach
Organize Data collected
Identify main themes or patterns
Build the model - Defining specific behaviour
Indicators
Review the model
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 Data Collection Methods
Resource / Expert Panels

Structured process to get the participants (Job holders,

managers HR / training staff) to think systematically
about the job, skills and personal characteristics
needed for success.

Critical Event Interviews

Structured interviews with superior performers which

involves in-depth probing of a large number of events
and experiences.

Vinay Ravindran
 Data Collection Methods
Generic competency Dictionaries
Conceptual frameworks of commonly
encountered competencies and behaviour
indicators.
Serve as a starting point to the model building
team.
Can be used in resource panel by asking the
participants to select a set of generic
competencies related to the job and rate the
importance

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 Competency
model building

A detailed approach

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 A Detailed Approach
Info about the company.
Decision on the job position(s) .
Discussion on the CM application.
Basic data collection on the job
responsibilities(using customized menu)
Focus group
Review job description
understand performance criteria
Discuss specific behaviours
List top ten competencies

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 A Detailed Approach
Critical incident technique - interviewing top
performers

incidents that lead to effective performance

incidents that lead to in effective performance
Discuss specific behaviours
List behaviours
List competencies

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 A Detailed Approach
Content Analysis

Group behaviours
Match behaviours to competencies using
competency dictionary as a guideline
Evolve new set of competencies if any
Match behaviour indicators identified through
CIT to the top 10 competencies identified by the
focus group
Review the model and make corrections

Vinay Ravindran
 COMPETENCY MAPPING MODEL
ORGANISATION
ORGANISATIONDIRECTION
DIRECTION
VISION
VISION
MISSION
MISSION
SHORT
SHORTTERM
TERM&&LONG
LONGTERM
TERMGOAL
GOAL
STRATEGIES
STRATEGIES
VALUES
VALUES

TRANSLATING THEM INTO ACTIONS FOR

ACTUALISATION

THROUGH

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
ROLES, POSITIONS, JOBS

CORE COMPETENCY OF THE ROLE COMPETENCY

ORGANISATION

Vinay Ravindran
 COMPETENCY MAPPING PROCESS

1.0 DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

While designing the questionnaire

following factors are to be taken into
consideration:
1.1 Part - I

1.1.1 Purpose of the job.

1.1.2 Critical Success Factors
1.1.3 Key Result Areas
1.1.4 Key Activities

Vinay Ravindran
 JOB

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

CSF - 1 CSF - 2 CSF - 3 CSF - 4 CSF - 5

KEY RESULT AREAS

KRA- 1 KRA - 2 KRA - 3 KRA - 4 KRA - 5

KEY ACTIVITIES

KA - 1 KA - 2 KA - 3
Each Critical Success Factor (CSF) is the end result of multiple Key Result Areas.
Each Key Result Area (KRA) is the end result of multiple Key Activities.
Vinay Ravindran
 DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONTINUED

1.1.5 Relationship.
1.1.6 Organization Structure.
1.1.7 Empowerment of the position.
1.1.8 Challenges in the job.
1.1.9 Changes expected in the technology, product,
process etc in the next 2-3 years.
1.1.10 Budget and Controls.
1.1.11 Investment Plan.

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 DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

1.2 PART - II

1.2.1 Academics, Knowledge

Skills Sets
Experience
1.2.2 Competencies

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 2.0 DATA COLLECTION

2.1 Clarity of Organisation Direction

2.2 Clarity of Organisation Structure.
2.3 Interview Job Holder.
2.4 Interview Job Holder's Reporting Officer.
2.5 Discuss with the Focus Group if the job are
of the same family.

Vinay Ravindran
 3.0 C0MPETENCY DRAFTING

3.1 Rank Order of the list of competencies .

- Guided / Unguided.

3.2 Comparing good performer and average performer

with select list of competencies.

3.3 Use research data and assign competencies

to positions.

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 4.0 FINALISE ROLE DESCRIPTION
AND
COMPETENCIES - JOB WISE

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 5.0 FINALISING CORE COMPETENCIES FOR

Front Line Management

Middle Management
Senior Management / Top Management

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 6.0 PURPOSE OF COMPETENCY MAPPING

"Effectiveness
"Effectivenessof
ofan
anorganisation
organisationisisthe
thesummation
summationof
ofthe
the
required
requiredcompetencies
competenciesininthe
theorganisation".
organisation".
Gap
GapAnalysis
Analysis
Role
RoleClarity
Clarity
Selection,
Selection,Potential
PotentialIdentification,
Identification,Growth
GrowthPlans.
Plans.
Succession
SuccessionPlanning.
Planning.
Restructuring
Restructuring
Inventory
Inventoryof
ofcompetencies
competenciesfor
forfuture
futureplanning.
planning.

Vinay Ravindran
 Any Questions ???

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Vinay Ravindran 9866254387 Vinaykumar07@yahoo.com