Competency

HR Articles - What is ?

“Competency is any knowledge, skills, attitude, motive or value or any other personal characteristic that is essential to perform the job.”

The level of competence can also be assessed against standards. Many organisations have used levels 1 to 5. Some have described it as Advanced, Intermediate and Basic similar to as Specialist, Expert and Novice

Competency is a much contested concept. Those who use it shape the meaning. Some have stated them, as behaviors for superior performance while others have strongly promoted them, as the minimum required performing a job to the required standards which is seen as a way to improve the link between training and workplace requirements.

Current performance management systems generally include an interview to plan the expected work outputs of a staff member. However, if the job profile has been written in an “outcomes” format this planning interview becomes more efficient and less arbitrary. Expected outcomes and required competencies (including training needs) are easily identified.

HRD Power system provides reports on Employee matching for a position based on Competencies. Similarly, if a manager has been trained as a competency assessor, the assessor skills are readily transferable to a performance appraisal scenario.

There are some advantages:

  • Provides clearer signposts to training and development needs.
  • Shortens and simplifies the performance management process
  • Competency assessment skills can be used when appraising performance and are in fact likely to be demonstrably fairer than the less structured approaches currently in use.
  • You can also assess potential and process 360-degree feedback.

Overall we can define a competency framework as one that covers the knowledge, skills behaviors and attributes required to successfully accomplishing a job. It focuses on how the job is performed by identifying those elements that contribute to achieving effective performance

 

 

Source: HR Concepts

Compiled and Edited by

Mr. S. Murugesan - Lecturer

Dr. P. N. Narayana Raja - Principal

Madurai Institute of Social Sciences

(Run by: DVR Foundation for HRD)

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India