Competency Mapping: A Tool for HR ExcellenceMd.Ishtiak
UddinDepartment of Business Administration, University of Asia
Pacific, Dhaka-BangladeshCell: +88-017-55000013;
e-mail:[email protected] Rahman TanchiDepartment of
Business Administration, Daffodil International University,
Dhaka-BangladeshCell: +88-017-38773134;
e-mail:[email protected] AlamDepartment of Business
Administration, University of Asia Pacific, Dhaka-BangladeshCell:
+88-019-12562337; e-mail:[email protected]
mapping is important and is an essential exercise. Every well
managed firm should have well defined roles and list of
competencies required to perform each role effectively. Such list
should be used for recruitment, performance management, promotions,
placements and training needs identification. In performing or
carrying out work, it is essential that the required job skills
first be articulated. This information not only helps to identify
individuals who have the matching skills for doing the work but
also the skills that will enhance the successful performance of the
work. Yet often to perform well, it is not enough just to have
these skills. It is also critical to complement the skills with the
necessary knowledge and attitudes. The intent of this article is to
trace the concept of competency mapping and its impact on HR
practices.
Competency MappingCompetency mapping is a process through which
one assesses and determines one's strengths as an European Journal
of Business and Management individual worker and in some cases, as
part of an organization. It generally examines two areas: emotional
intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ), and strengths of the
individual in areas like team structure, leadership, and
decision-making. Large organizations frequently employ some form of
competency mapping to understand how to most effectively employ the
competencies of strengths of workers. They may also use competency
mapping to analyze the combination of strengths in different
workers to produce the most effective teams and the highest quality
work.
Competency Mapping Techniques
Behavioral event interviewA behavioral interview is a structured
interview that is used to collect information about past behavior.
Because past performance is a predictor of future behavior, a
behavioral interview attempts to uncover your past performance by
asking open-ended questions. Each question helps the interviewer
learn about your past performance in a key skill area that is
critical to success in the position for which you are interviewing.
The interview will be conducted face-to-face whenever
possible.Using the STAR Technique
In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask questions
about your past experiences. A useful way to prepare for this style
of questioning is to use the STAR technique. The STAR technique is
a way to frame the answers to each question in an organized manner
that will give the interviewer the most information about your past
experience. As you prepare to answer each question, consider
organizing your response by answering each of the following
components of the STAR technique:What was the Situation in which
you were involved?What was the Task you needed to accomplish?What
Action(s) did you take?Repertory gridThe repertory grid is a
technique for identifying the ways that a person construes his or
her experience. It provides information from which inferences about
personality can be made, but it is not a personality test in the
conventional sense. A grid consists of four parts.1. A Topic: it is
about some part of the person's experience2. A set of Elements,
which are examples or instances of the Topic. Any well-defined set
of words, phrases, or even brief behavioral vignettes can be used
as elements. For example, to see how I construe the purchase of a
car, a list of vehicles within my price range could make an
excellent set of elements3. A set of Constructs. These are the
basic terms that the client uses to make sense of the elements, and
are always expressed as a contrast. Thus the meaning of 'Good'
depends on whether you intend to say 'Good versus Poor', as if you
were construing a theatrical performance, or 'Good versus Evil', as
if you were construing the moral or ontological status of some more
fundamental experience.4. A set of ratings of Elements on
Constructs. Each element is positioned between the two extremes of
the construct using a 5- or 7-point rating scale system; this is
done repeatedly for all the constructs that apply; and thus its
meaning to the client is captured, and statistical analysis varying
from simple counting, to more complex multivariate analysis of
meaning, is made possible.Steps involved in Repertory grid:Step
1The individual or group begins with a repertory grid, pen or
pencil, and five to eight blank cards.Step 2Then the elements are
written across the top of the grid.Step 3After this, the subject(s)
write numbers on one side of the cards which correspond with
theelements at the top of the grid.Step 4The cards are turned face
down, shuffled, and then three cards are drawn at random.Step 5The
subject(s) mark on the grid which three elements were drawn with an
"X". They thendecide: "Out of the three elements chosen, which two
seem to have something more in commonwith each other?" These two
elements are connected with a line.Step 6 Always on the left side
of the grid, the subject(s) will describe what aspect these two
elementsshare. On the right side, they will express what it is that
makes the third element different fromthe other two. (If this is
too difficult, people are allowed to write something they believe
to be theopposite of the left hand construct).Step 7Finally, the
elements are rated to the constructs. Each element is rated to the
constructs on a scaleof one to five, with the left construct as "1"
and the right construct as "5". For example, on a scale of 1 to 5,
with "1" being most like a "lesson carefully designed for students
needs" and five as "giving students second language activities just
to kill the time", we see that the subject(s) rated the element,
"students are happy" as more like the left construct, with a rating
of "2", the element, "students are active" as like the right
construct, with a rating of "5", "students retain L2" as like the
left side with a rating of "1", and so on. One the first row has
been rated, the individual or group turn the three cards over,
shuffle them, and begin the process all over again. They may
reshuffle in the case of drawing the same three card combination as
before. Repertory grids were an invention of the late George Kelly,
a mid-West American engineer turned psychologist/psychotherapist
who wrote up his work in the '50s. They consist of a rectangular
matrix of ratings of things called "elements" (usually placed in
the columns) each rated on adjectival phrases or simple adjectives
known as "constructs". "Your therapist to you" i.e. the first
element represents the way he thinks he is toward his mother, the
second is how he thinks she is toward him.Critical incident
techniqueThe CIT is a method for getting a subjective report while
minimising interference from stereotypical reactions or received
opinions. The user is asked to focus on one or more critical
incidents which they experienced personally in the field of
activity being analysed. A critical incident is defined as one
which had an important effect on the final outcome. Critical
incidents can only be recognised retrospectively. CIT analysis uses
a method known as Content Analysis in order to summarise the
experiences of many users or many experiences of the same user.Key
features Selection methods cover the entire spectrum of
job-relevant abilities, including reasoning and social skills, and
are offered in a variety of formats: Multiple-choice tests, either
computer-based or paper and pencil Structured interviews Bio-data
questionnaires Job-knowledge tests Social skills inventories
Executive assessment centers Language-learning ability tests
Physical performance tests Professional examinations for managers
and executives Complete documentation of development process and
validity analysis. Nationwide network of test a administrators can
effectively and efficiently administer tests of OPM
design.ConclusionCompetency mapping can ultimately serve the
individual who decides to seek employment in anenvironment where he
or she perhaps can learn new things and be more intellectually
challenged. Basically, it is not only done for Confirmed employees
of an organization and it can also be done for contract workers or
for those seeking employment to emphasize the specific skills which
would make them valuable to a potential employer.ReferencesDUTTA,
A. and Singh, M.K. (2004), Appraisal Tools for Todays Performance
Management in SumatiReddy. Human Resource Management. Best
Practices and Cases. ICFAI University Press. India, pp.
71-80.TUCKER, Sharon A., and Kathryn M. Cofsky (1994).
Competency-Based Pay on a Banding Platform.ACA Journal. Spring
1994. Volume 3. Number 1.D ULEWICZ, V. (1989 ). Performance
appraisal and counseling. In Herriot , P. Assessment andselection
in organizations: methods and practices for recruitment and
appraisal. John Wiley & Sons. NewYork, pp. 645-649.PEARLMAN,
K., and Sanchez, J. I. (2000). The practice of competency modeling.
Personnel Psychology .53, 703-740.
A STUDY ON MAPPING OF EMPLOYEES COMPETENCY Krishnaveni.J BSMED,
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, India.
[email protected]
Abstract This study aims to assess the competency of the
employees of Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre,
Madurai, India. It evaluates various aspects of employees
competency such as ability to mutual relationship, communication,
adaptability, leadership and overall task proficiency. This study
may help the organization to identify the men of incompetence among
the employees, and to take remedial measures to improve their
performance. Introduction In a knowledge-based economy, it is
important for organisations to evaluate workforce competency and
develop them on an ongoing basis to meet the global competition.
Organizations rely on their competent employees as a main resource.
Such concept has lead to the success of an organization. McClelland
(1973) stated that a competence in tradition, is a personal trait
or set of habits that leads to more effective or superior job
performance, in other words, an ability that adds clear economic
value to the efforts of a person on the job. Competency mapping is
used to identify key attributes (knowledge, skills, and behaviour
attributes) that are required to effectively perform job
classification or any identified process. Competency mapping
evaluates individual strengths and weaknesses, helping to show
them, where career development efforts are required. This study
aims to evaluate competency possessed by the employees of Meenakshi
Mission Hospital and Research Centre, Madurai. Competency
Competency is the capacity of an individual developing behaviour,
adequate for the job demands governed by parameters of the
organizational environment in achieving desired results. The
competency mix is comprised of Knowledge, Skills and Attitude.
According to Hogg B (1989) competencies are the characteristics of
a manager that lead to the demonstration of skills and abilities,
which result in effective performance within an occupational area.
Competency also embodies the capacity of transfer sills and
abilities from one area to another Klemp (1980) defined it as, an
underlying characteristic of a person which results in effective
and/or superior performance on the job. Woodall and Winstanley
(1998) maintain competency as the skills, knowledge and
understanding, qualities and attributes, sets of values, beliefs
and attitudes which lead to effective managerial performance in a
given context, situation or role.
Objectives To measure the level of competency of the employees
in MMHRC. To explore the needs of the employees To develop their
competency for effective and efficient job performance.
Classification Of Competencies Core Competencies A core
competency is defined as an inherent individual capability,
critical to the success of business. This is a competency that most
individuals are expected to possess, most valued by organisations.
Core Competencies are not fixed, as they change in response to the
companys environment, involving flexibility and overtime,
concomitant with new business changes and adaptations.
Professional Competencies or functional competencies Distinctive
organization competencies for each job are grouped, wherein the
goal is to optimize performance by improved technical skills. There
are three groups: 1. Behavioural Competencies - required in terms
of behaviour. 1. Threshold competencies- required to perform a job
effetively. 1. Differentiating competencies-which identify and rate
individual performances. Competency Mapping Competency mapping
identifies the competency of an individual or group of individuals
in relation to job requirements. Competency mapping envisages
development and sustainability of competency, based on the changing
organizational requirements. Mapping is done through the steps:
Develop Competency Model
Competency Identification It identifies the competencies
required to perform a given job/role successfully. The following
tools are used to identify the competencies job; task forces, self
benchmarking or by superiors- HR specialist, job experts/ subject
matter specialist, task analysis workshop, questionnaire,
interviews, group work, critical incident technique and repertory
grid.
Competency assessment Competency assessment is the process of
assessing the required competency of an individual or group of
individuals. The competency of individual or group are assessed by
using the following tools; Self and Superior Assessment, 360 degree
feedback, Assessment centre, Psychometric tests, Interviews,
Leaderless Group Discussion (LGD), In-basket exercise, Management
Games, Role play, Case study, Scenario discussion and Portfolio
presentation.
Findings From the overall mean score is 3.6525, it is found that
the competencies possessed by the respondents are enough competent
to do their job. The respondents leadership skills and
communication are found to be moderate when compared to other
competencies as the means scores are 3.0179 and 3.1984
respectively. Further with the one way analysis of variance test it
is found that there is no significant difference between experience
of the respondents and their competencies on relationship
management, communication, task proficiency and leadership. There
is a significant difference between the experience of the
respondents and their adaptability.
Conclusion The competencies such as ability to maintain
relationship with others, communication, task proficiency,
leadership and adaptability of the employees of MHRC, Madurai are
satisfactory. One may also develope structured competency model for
each job. As competency mapping is an essential task for all the
organisation and employee development, it is essential for the
organizations to maximise utilization of these talents to gain
competitive advantage.
Reference Andrew May (1999) Developing management competencies
for fast changing organization, Career Development International,
Vol.4, No.6, pp.336-339. Boyatzis R. (1982) The competent manager:
a model for effective performance, New York: NY, Wiley
Interscience. Boyatzis R. (2007) Competencies in the 21st century,
Journal of Management Development Vol. 27 No. 1, 5-12. Cooper, R.
Donald and Schindler, S. Pamela (2006) Business research methods,
Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd, 9th edition. Deb, T.
(2006) Strategic approach to human resource management, New Delhi:
Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. Gaspar Robert (2012) A Study
on the Perception of Human Resource Executives On Competency
Mapping for the Superior Results, International Journal of Social
Science Tomorrow, Vol.1, No.8. Gilber, T.F. (1996) Human
Competence, Silver Spring, MD: International Society for
Performance Improvement. Hogg B (1989) Realizing the Potential of
Your Employees through Assessment and Development, London: The
Tata- McGraw-Hill Training Series. Klemp, G. O. (1980) The
Assessment of Occupational Competence, National Institute of
Education, Washington DC. Kothari, C. R. (2004) Research
Methodology: Methods and Techniques, New age international (P) Ltd,
2nd revised edition.
A study on Mapping Core Competencies and development of
Employees for Excellence with reference to HCL Technologies* Ms.
Mily Velayudhan T.K ** Dr. Maran K.
ABSTRACTIn todays competitive world it is becoming very
important to build on the competitive activities of the business,
particularly regarding what competencies a business needs to have
in order to compete in a specific environment. In performing or
carrying out work, it is essential that the required job skills
first be articulated. This information not only helps to identify
individuals who have the matching skills for doing the work but
also the skills that will enhance the successful performance of the
work. Yet often to perform well, it is not enough just to have
these skills. It is also critical to complement the skills with the
necessary knowledge and attitudes. These skills, knowledge and
attitudes required for the work are usually collectively referred
as competencies. This article is a pilot study done in-depth for
assessing the competencies possessed by the employees in an
unbiased manner, also to find out the gap between the present
competencies and expected competencies of the employees at HCL
Technologies, Chennai.
IntroductionThe competency framework serves as the bedrock for
all HR applications. As a result of competency mapping, all the HR
processes like talent induction, management development, appraisals
and training yield much better results. Competencies and skills
management have been highly linked to the efforts of companies to
create a setting for the empowerment of their workforce in order to
increase a competitive advantage, innovation, effectiveness
(houtzagers, 1999). This article is organized as follows in the
first section we provide a short introduction about competency
mapping and core competencies, next we provide an indepth study on
the mapping of core competencies of the employees for the present
and required competencies at HCL Technologies, wherehypothesis were
set and conclusions were drawn, the competency aspects taken for
the study is 15 aspect which are as follows: 1. Drive for results
2.Process management 3. Functional Expertise 4.Personal
effectiveness 5. Innovation 6.Team effectiveness7. Customer service
8. Self development 9. Analytical thinking 10. Physical ability 11.
Knowledge 12.Aptititude 13. Motivation14. Communication, 15.
Leadership. For the purpose of selecting sample for the present
study Chennai region was selected, simple random sampling was used
to collect the data and the sample size was 50 , these 50 samples
was taken from the population of 500 employees with a structured
questionnaire. In this pilot study gaps were assessed between
required and existing levels of competencies. All the 50 employees
were assessed on their 15 aspects and the Test Statistics used for
the study is t-test, ANOVA and graphs employees and were from
middle level.Competency Mapping is a process of identifying key
competencies for a company or institution and the jobs and
functions within it. Competency mapping is important and is an
essential exercise. Every well-managed firm should: have
welldefined roles and list of competencies required to perform each
role effectively. Such list should be used for recruitment,
performance management, promotions, placement and training needs
identification.Core competenceThe concept of core competency was
first brought by Selznick (1957) who used distinctive competency to
depict the corporate advantage through various value activities.
Competency is the most important 55 actor to complete a specific
task. McClelland (1973) indicated that competency is one of the key
factors that affect learning efficiency and is more efficient than
intelligence (IQ) to predict the output of learning.McLagan (1983)
indicated that competency is the trait and knowledge that
undergrounds the effective work. Thornston (1992) also illustrated
that competency is a bunch of behavior characters related to work
performance. Spencer and Spencer (1993) proposed the iceberg theory
that competency includes both implicit and explicit traits that are
related to understanding and prediction of work performance.
Competency was further categorized into five groups: motive,
trait,selfconcept, knowledge and skill.Prahalad and Hamel indicated
the linkage between core competence and corporate competitive
advantage. However , there is no consensus on defining competency
given that multiple of them has been stated(Lahti,1999) that
highlights a close linkage to the strategic thinking, therefore the
concept of core competence is derived from the competency that
highlights a close linkage to the strategic thinking, therefore the
concept of core competency even though originated from individual
level can be easily linked to organizational level. From then on,
strategy management combined the concept of core competence with
resource base essence into strategic thinking and implementation
process (Barney and Wright, 1998, Mueller, 1996). This implies that
only the resources and capability transformed into core competency
can become competitive strength (De Saa-Peerez and Garcis-Falcon,
2002).Types of CompetencyThere are four types of competency:1.
Employee Core CompetencyCompetency that relate to organizations
values, mission and strategy; these are competencies that reflect
organizational core capabilities and should be possessed by all
employees regardless of their function.Example: Customer
satisfaction; quality orientation2. Managerial
CompetencyCompetencies that relate to skills needed to perform
managerial work and process; it deals with the interaction process
either with individual or group of people. Typically generic in
nature, these competencies are common skills sets required by most
companies; are not necessarily industry specific, and are not
confined to managerial positions. In typical organizations,
managerial competencies will play greater emphasis as the position
progresses within the organization. In general, managerial
competency could bedivided into two categories:Human CompetencyAn
ability to work with, understand and motivate other people as
individuals or in group. It relates to the individuals expertise in
interacting with others in a way that will enhance the successful
completion of the task at hand.Examples: interpersonal skills;
developing people.Conceptual CompetencyAn ability to understand the
degree of complexity in a given situation and to reduce that
complexity to a level at which specific courses of action can be
derived.Example: problem solving and decision making3.
Technical/Functional CompetencyCompetencies that pertain to
specific bodies of knowledge and skills required to perform the
defined activities in an industry, function or job. It include the
abilities to use the procedures, techniques and knowledge of a
specialized field.Example: sales ability, behavior interview
technique.4. Personal AttributeCompetencies that relate to inherent
personal characteristics (e.g. motives, self image, self concept,
etc.) and potentially affect work attitude and performance.Example:
tolerance for stress, achievement motivation.Competency life cycle
and core application areas The competency life cycle is the
aggregation of four macro-phases which aim at the continuous
enhancement and development of individual and organizational
competencies. The four macrophases are as follows: competency
mapping; competency diagnosis: competency development and
competency monitoring. Competency mapping aims to provide the
organization with an overview of all the necessary competencies in
order to fulfill its targets, which are defined by the
organizational business plan, the projects requirements, the group
needs and the job role requirements. The required proficiency level
for each job profile is defined in this phase as well. The second
phase is competency diagnosis, meaning an instance of the current
situation of the competencies and equivalent proficiency level that
each individual employee possesses. A skill gap analysis is also
essential in the phase, in order to define the gap between the
number and level of competencies that the employees possess, in
comparison with the number and level of competencies required by
the organization, according to their job role. Competency
development is the third phase and it deals with the scheduling of
activities so as to increase the number and proficiency level of
competencies that the employees should have, according to the
previous two phases and the skill gap analysis. The last phase is
the monitoring of competencies, i.e a continuous examination of the
results achieved by the competency development phase.ConclusionAt
the all levels, competency management identifies and acquires or
builds the competencies needed immediately to manage the routine,
dayto- day work of the organization. The study conclusively reveals
the positive relationship between male and female employees in all
the fifteen aspects also there is a positive relationship between
the qualifications of the three groups and all the fifteen aspects
covered in the study. The ttest analysis also reveals that there is
significant difference between the two groups of employees on
personal effectiveness also Significance difference were found
between married and unmarried group of employees in HCL on
Functional expertise, Innovation, Customer service, Analytical
thinking, Motivation . The one way ANOVA reveals that the Income
groups of employees in HCL on Customer service and Communication
defers , Significance difference found between the employees
working for