Implementing competency units
Implementing competency units
Competency is the capability to apply a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform "critical work functions" in a defined work setting.
Strategic competency management enables organisations to identify exemplary employees and discover their secrets to success. Competency models spotlight stellar individual performance and use it as a yardstick against which all performance is evaluated.
Strategic competency management starts with setting-up of "competency development unit" and its scope/ impact applies to most positions across the organisation. The primary mandate is to ensure a solid foundation for each job by defining key accountabilities and related competencies that are critical to deliver on those accountabilities.
Once that is accomplished, this unit should put in place hiring/training systems to design, deliver and manage competency development on a continual basis. It also, seeks to find the right "competency mix" through "hiring talent" and "training internal expertise".
While the competency unit initiates this process, it is critical that it be owned by line management. Creating a competency development unit might be considered a huge undertaking requiring a large budget. However, research has proved by creating a dedicated unit that uses best-practice methodologies, facilitate in revealing key accountabilities and required competencies in a far more cost effective and reliable manner. This unit empowers line management to use results effectively and nurture an internal talent pool that operates at high levels of effectiveness.
A competency development unit creates an organisation specific "competency model". This model is a collection of competencies that together define successful performance levels and lays the foundations for important HR functions like recruitment, training and development, and performance management. A competency model includes defining competency names and detailed descriptions of activities associated with each competency of the model.
Typically, the model is presented as a visually appealing graphic as it helps user to quickly grasp key features. Some models go a step ahead and define different levels of mastery required for each competency.
To summarise, for successful implementation it is critical to set-up a competency development unit that will:
- Communicate to stakeholders a strategy for developing and documenting key accountabilities of each job.
- Design job-talent assessment tools that identify gaps in competencies and implement work processes that assess applicants early in the hiring process to reveal "best fit" candidates.
- For most popular competencies, such as a set of management or leadership competencies -develop internally delivered training programmes (purchase off-the-shelf programs where possible) or contract with training firms to deliver the programme on a regular basis.
- For unique or not-so-popular competencies, provide guidance to line management on the most cost-effective training alternatives. Many times, strategic competency management requires nothing more than identifying the most critical competency, assessing level of the competency and providing basic strategies for developing skills in the competency.
- The writers are managing director and principal consultant of Cedar Management Consulting.
