COMPETENCY MODELING
- Competencies are individual performance behaviors that are observable, measurable, and critical to successful performance.
- Competency models are collections of competencies designed to provide a common language for a series of critical functions within an organization.
- Competencies can be customized to provide clear descriptions of behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform successfully at various levels in the organization.
Talent comes from fit and skills. Successful organizations develop and communicate competencies carefully so their people will know what high performance looks like and act accordingly.
Competency models can play many roles in HR systems. They can be used to:
- Hire new employees by using assessments and other selection tools that measure the competencies, especially since competencies attempt to distinguish the characteristics of high performers from those of average performers.
- Train employees by creating courses aimed at the development of certain competencies. Leadership development, coaching programs, and 360 surveys are often based on competency models.
- Measure performance by structuring the evaluation survey around the competencies and given levels of proficiency.
- Establish promotion criteria by outlining job grade or pay levels for each competency.
- Develop employee careers by guiding their choice of job assignments and other career choices on specific competencies.
- Compensate employees, structure pay differences or evaluate employees for pay increases based on proficiency levels and link of competencies to strategic goals.
- Manage retention of critical skills by identifying and measuring competencies linked to current and future organizational goals.
- Support organizational change efforts by developing broad systematic support of future-oriented competencies.
