Professional Documents
Culture Documents
List of Figures IV List of Tables ... V
List of Figures IV List of Tables ... V
S.No.
Contents
Page No.
List of Figuresiv
List of Tables...v
1.
Introduction.1
2.
Competency.2
2.1 Definition.2
2.2 History..2
3.
Components of competency3
3.1 Knowledge...4
3.2 Skill..4
3.3 Attitude4
3.4 Who Identifies Competencies?5
3.5 Behavior Indicators..6
4.
Classification of Competencies...7
4.1Types of Basic Competencies..7
4.2 Type of Professional Competencies.8
5.
6.
Competency Mapping13
6.1 Definition13
6.2 Process13
ii
12.5 Findings33
13. Competency Mapping at Ready-mix Concrete Company..34
14. Competency Mapping at Ambuja Cement.36
15. Conclusion..37
References.....38
iii
iii
List of Figures
S.No.
Figure
Page No.
3.1
Components of Competency.3
3.2
7.1
8.1
11.1
11.2
12.1
13.1
Organization Chart..34
13.2
iv
List of Tables
S.No.
Table
Page
4.1
Basic Competencies 8
9.1
1. Introduction
Ongoing and unrelenting economic, social and technological changes have spurred the need for
flexible, skilled workers who can help their organizations succeed and sustain a competitive
advantage. To be relevant within organizations and indispensable to clients and customers alike,
workplace learning and performance professionals must continually reassess their competencies,
update their skills and have the courage to make necessary changes. Businesses and managing
business has and will always be complex. There is no denying the need to perform through a
combination of utilizing predictive or forecasting tools, techniques and methods, yet without
trivializing the need to sustain and drive a motivated high performing workforce. The companys
need to sustain in a competitive environment, gave rise to the need to understand and learn to
establish the context of competency mapping.
This report gives an overview of the competency mapping. The report presents the meaning and
history of competency approach in the first section. In the following sections the components and
types of competencies have been covered. Further the report discusses the meaning of
competency mapping and also defines the competency map. The section that follows discusses
the main advantages and disadvantages of competency mapping. The role of competencies in an
organization as a vital tool for recruitment, selection and retention and the areas of application
are discussed in the trailing section. The next section analyses how competency frameworks can
be designed developed and implemented. It also discusses how to develop customized
competency models based on the management philosophy, customer needs, and existing
processes of the organization.
The report also reveals the results of Industrial visits to Ambuja Cement Ltd. and Ready
Concrete Mix Ltd. In this section the procedures followed by the respective organizations have
been discussed and the stage of implementation of competency mapping has been analyzed and
presented for both the organizations.
Competency Mapping\Introduction
2.Competency
2.1 Definition
A combination of knowledge, skills, attitude and personality of an individual as applied to a role
or job in the context of the present and future environment that accounts for sustained success
within the framework of Organizational Values.
Competencies include the collection of success factors necessary for achieving important results
in a specific job or work role in a particular organization. Success factors are combinations of
knowledge, skills, and attributes (more historically called KSAs) that are described in terms of
specific behaviors, and are demonstrated by superior performers in those jobs or work roles.
Attributes include: personal characteristics, traits, motives, values or ways of thinking that
impact an individuals behavior.
2.2 History
A team of Educationists lead by Benjamin Bloom in the USA in mid fifties laid the foundation
for identifying educational objectives and thereby defining the knowledge, attitudes and skills
needed to be developed in education. David McClelland the famous Harvard Psychologist has
pioneered the competency movement across the world. His classic books on "Talent and
Society",
"Achievement
Motive",
"The
Achieving
Society",
"Motivating
Economic
Achievement" and "Power the Inner Experience" brought out several new dimensions of the
competencies. These competencies exposed by McClelland dealt with the affective domain in
Bloom's terminology.
The turning point for competency movement is the article published in American Psychologist in
1973 by McClelland, wherein he presented that traditional achievement and intelligence scores
may not be able to predict job success and what is required is to profile the exact competencies
required to perform a given job effectively and measure them using a variety of tests.
Latter McBer a Consulting Firm founded by David McClelland and his associate Berlew have
specialized in mapping the competencies of entrepreneurs and managers across the world. They
even developed a new and yet simple methodology called the Behavior Event Interviewing (BEI)
to map the competencies.
Competency Mapping\Competency
3. Components of Competency
Competency has three major components which are as follows:
Knowledge
Skills
Attitude
Surface
Competencies
Most easily
developed
Skill
Self Concept
Value
Attitude
Knowledge
Core
Competencies
Most difficult
to develop
Figure 3.1 : Components of Competency
3.1 Knowledge:
It refers to the information a person possesses about specific areas, knowledge comprises many
factors like memory, numerical ability, linguistic ability, and is, therefore, a complex
competency. It can be either:
Scientific Knowledge
Technical Knowledge
Job Knowledge
3.2 Skill:
It represents intelligent application of knowledge, experience, and tools. This is the procedural
"know how" knowledge (what one can do), either covert (e.g., deductive or inductive reasoning)
or observable e.g. "active listening" skill in an interview. They are demonstrated abilities or
proficiencies, which are developed and learned from past work and life experience.
3.3 Attitudes:
Attitudes are predispositions to other individuals, groups, objects, situations, events, issues, etc.
For example attitude to a particular occupation or type of machine or a particular technology all
influence our behavior. If a person does not have a positive attitude to computers or IT, he is not
likely to use a computer. If he is not positive about the uses of ERP or SAP, he is not likely to use
the ERP or SAP. Attitudes determine the kind of things we choose and whether we are likely to
approach a particular situation or not or whether we are open to try out the technology or meet
the customer or sell a particular product with high motivation, etc.
Attitudes decide our approach or avoidance behavior. They are normally conceptualized as
positive or negative. A positive attitude makes us to treat that object, technology, method,
situation, and person or group more positively and therefore we appreciate it and promote the
same.
Knowledge and skills tend to be visible and relatively surface, characteristics of people. But
attitude, trait and motive competencies are more hidden deeper and central to personality.
Competency Mapping\Components of Competency
Surface knowledge and skills are relatively easy to develop. But core motive and trait
competencies are at the base of the personality and are more difficult to assess and develop. This
has been depicted below in the form of an iceberg model.
Experts
HR Specialists
Job analysts
Psychologists
In consultation with: Line Managers, Current & Past Role holders, Supervising Seniors,
Reporting and Reviewing Officers, Internal Customers, Subordinates of the role holders and
Other role set members of the role.
4.Classification of Competencies
Competencies can broadly be classified into two categories
Basic Competencies
Professional Competencies.
Basic competencies are inherent in all individuals. Only their degree of existence differs. For
example, problem solving is a competency that exists in every individual but in varying degrees.
Professional competencies are over and above the basic competencies, and are job related. For
example, handling a sales call effectively is a competency that a sales personnel would be
required to have.
Hence, it can be simply said that,
Competencies = Basic Competencies + Professional Competencies
4.1 Types of Basic Competencies
The basic competencies encompass the following:
1. Intellectual Competencies: Those which determine the intellectual ability of a person.
2. Motivational Competencies: Those which determine the level of motivation in an individual.
3. Emotional Competencies: Those which determine an individual's emotional quotient.
4. Social Competencies: Those that determine the level of social ability in a person.
It has been proved by various scholars that all individuals have competencies. Only the
combination and degree of these competencies differ from individual to individual. Hence,
organizations have to identify the critical basic competencies required for individual employees
to deliver their best in their organization. The importance of mapping the competencies proves
critical for organizational success.
Intellectual Competencies:
o Continuous Learning
o Communication
o Perseverance
o Creativity
o Achievement Orientation
o Analytical Ability
o Time Management
Social Competencies:
Emotional Competencies:
o Team Work
o Initiative
o Inter-personal Skills
o Optimism
o Responsibility
o Self Confidence
o Customer Satisfaction
o Leadership
o Managing Stress
o Managing Change
Table 4.1: Basic Competencies
Knowledge
Experience
Communication
Influencing Ability
Achievement Orientation
Networking Ability
Conceptual
Creative Thinking
Strategic Thinking
Creative Thinking: Competency of Creative thinking is defined as the set of human attributes
required to generate solutions.
Strategic Thinking: Competency of Strategic thinking is defined as the set of human attributes
required to visualize near and distant future conditions and develop appropriate organizational
response.
Tolerance to non-compliance, non-congruence, non-conformance: Competency of Tolerance
to non-compliance, non-congruence, non-conformance is defined as the set of human attributes
required to remain unfazed when encountered with unfamiliar and unacceptable situations.
10
Customer Orientation
Organizing Skills
Planning Skills
Execution Skills
Analytical Skills
Decision Making
Delegation:
Leadership
11
Planning Skills: Competency of Planning is defined as the set of human attributes required to
understand inter relationships and requirements of different activities to be performed to achieve
the desired objectives.
11
Execution Skills: Competency of Job execution is defined as the set of human attributes
required to carry out the assigned activities to the satisfaction of the customer cost effectively.
Analytical Skills: Competency of Analytical skills is defined as the set of human attributes
required to understand and interpret the data and information.
Decision Making: Competency of decision making is defined as the set of human attributes
required to decide the course of action under any situation.
Delegation: Competency of delegation is defined as the set of human attributes required to
empower the subordinates for effective operations.
Leadership: Competency of Leadership is defined as the set of human attributes required to take
responsibility for accomplishing the desired objectives.
Developing and supporting subordinates for effectiveness: Competency of Developing and
supporting subordinates is defined as the set of human attributes required to enable the
subordinates to be effective in the assigned job and contribute to the organization.
12
6. Competency Mapping
6.1 Definition
Competency mapping is the process of identification of the competencies required to perform
successfully a given job or role or a set of tasks at a given point of time. 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.
It consists of breaking a given role or job into its constituent tasks or activities and identifying
the competencies (technical, managerial, behavioral, conceptual knowledge, an attitudes, skills,
etc.) needed to perform the same successfully.
6.2 Process
Competency Mapping process is designed to consistently measure and assess individual and
group performance as it relates to the expectations of the organization and its customers. It is
used to identify key attributes (knowledge, skills, and behavior attributes) that are required to
perform effectively in a job or an identified process. Competency Mapping juxtaposes two sets
of data. One set is based on organizational workflow and processes. It starts with the clear
articulation of workflow and processes, including all quality and quantity requirements, inputs
and outputs, decision criteria, and most important, internal and external customer requirements.
The other set of data is based on individual and group performance capabilities. It is collected
through the utilization of a variety of assessment tools and procedures (which may include a
robust 360- degree feedback process) to assess the extent to which individuals and groups can
consistently demonstrate over time the competencies required to meet the expectations. Where
the output from the organizational maps meet the individual and group performance capabilities,
an overall trend line is created that identified where in the process specific developmental
opportunities exists, and with what specific population. Competency Mapping process can be the
foundation for aligning workflow and process outputs with critical customer requirements with a
foundation of required employee attributes and competencies. It is further covered in greater
details in section
13
Need for ensuring that competent people are available for performing various critical
roles.
Downsizing adds to the consequent need to get a lot of thing done with fewer people and
thus reduce manpower costs and pass on the advantage to the customer.
Recognition that technology, finances, customers and markets, systems and processes can
all be set right or managed effectively if we have the right kind of human resources.
The need for focus in performing roles-need for time management, nurturing of
competence, increased emphasis on performance management systems.
Several organizations have realized the importance of this in the last one decade and hence the
rush for competency mapping.
In good organizations with competent HR managers, competency mapping should already be in
existence. Traditionally HR directors and their top management have always paid attention to
competencies and incorporated them in their appraisal system. For example when L&T, LIC or
NDDB, HLL, Bharat Petroleum, etc. revised their performance appraisal systems, they focused
on the assessment of competencies
14
15
8. Areas of Implementation
The competency mapping can be applied to the areas depicted in the following diagram:
Figure 8.1:
Areas of
A firm that knows how to assess competencies can effectively hire the best at a
reasonable price, for example hire under priced but highly entrepreneurial MBAs from
lesser-known business schools.
16
There is high turnover due to high failure rate among new hires. The organization needs
to identify new hires with the potential to become future managers or leaders.
A gap between the competencies needed and what the organization can hire for indicates
the training new hires will need.
A lengthy training period may transpire before new hires become productive. New hires
with the competencies to do a job become fully productive faster.
By mapping the competencies, identify gaps in terms of the competencies for that role
and the competencies of the person doing that role to diagnose the training and
development needs.
Identify the most appropriate training and development methodology for each trainable
competency
17
competencies required for a particular position and therefore would have an opportunity to
decide if they have the potential to pursue that position or not.
8.4 Rewards and Recognition
Competency based pay is compensation for individual characteristics for skills and competencies
over and above the pay a job or organizational role itself commands. One way of improving
employee performance is by recognizing and rewarding effort. Competency pay is the best way
to do so. Rewarding employees for their ability to make the best use of their skills and
competencies in accordance with the organizations needs was the logic behind this once popular
HR tool.
Various elements are considered for arriving at compensation increase. Enhancement in
competencies has to be one of them. There is a need for competency based compensation system
To motivate employees to maintain and enhance their skills and competencies regularly
By rewarding employees who develop relevant competencies the organization can benefit by
improving its own capability to face the future
8.5 Performance Management System
Performance has two dimensions
Focus on HOW of performance and not on WHAT of performance i.e. not on results
but how the results are achieved
Competency based PMS shift the emphasis of appraisal from organization results to employee
behaviors and competencies demonstrated and hence help identify development gaps.
Competency Mapping\Areas of Implementation
18
Provides a common, organization wide standard for career levels that enable
employees to move across business boundaries
Help teams and individuals align their behaviors with key organizational
strategies
Identify performance criteria to improve the accuracy and ease of the selection process
Provide a clear foundation for dialogue to occur between the managers and employees
and performance, development and career-oriented issues
19
Provide a more specific and objective assessment of their strengths and the tools required
to enhance their skills
characteristics.
Data
Effective performance.
distilled
set
generation
of
underlying
from
outstanding
Outstanding performance.
20
21
Strategize assess business needs, evaluate contextual drivers, engage stakeholders and
set goals.
Initiate identify methodologies, develop project plans, review existing data, benchmark
competencies, and collect competency data.
Model analyze and synthesize data, identify competencies and develop models, and
validate models.
22
Pilot develop implementation and evaluation plans, develop and initiate competency
applications, and continuously communicate activities.
Link link to all human resources system components, and phase in implementation of
other competency' based applications.
Evaluate establish and evaluate measures, and continuously improve the system.
Stage
Stage 11
Data
Data Gathering
Gathering &
&
Preparation
Preparation
Stage
Stage 22
Data
Data Analysis
Analysis
Stage
Stage 33
Validation
Validation
Content Validation
session
Identify major
categories of skills
Construct
Competency
Definitions
Reinforce proficiency
of critical competencies
Identify Probable
competencies
Assign proficiency
levels
Refine competency
definitions, if necessary
23
These steps have been segregated in view of implementing the model and are depicted in the
following figure:
Mapping of Competency
24
25
26
27
highly knowledgeable about the job and its requirements meet to develop a list of competencies
required for success.
11.3.3 Behavioral Event Interviews
In behavioral event interviews (BEI), top performers are interviewed individually about
what they did, thought, said, and felt in challenging or difficult situations. The competencies that
were instrumental in their success are extrapolated from their stories. Often, average and low
performers are also interviewed to provide a comparison. The interviewer will ask questions such
as: Tell me about a time when you had an extremely challenging client or Give me an
example of a situation at work in which you had to make a difficult decision.
11.3.4 Surveys
In surveys, job incumbents, their supervisors, and perhaps senior managers complete a
questionnaire administered either in print or electronically. The survey content is based on
previous data collection efforts such as interviews, focus groups, or literature reviews. The
respondents are typically asked to assign ratings to each listed job element or competency. For
example, respondents may be asked how critical a competency is to effective job performance,
how frequently the competency is used on the job, the degree to which the competency
differentiates superior from average performers, and if the competency is needed on entry to the
job or can be developed over time. Survey respondents are usually asked to provide in writing
any additional information that they feel is important.
11.3.5 Observations
In this data collection method, the research team visits high performing incumbents and observes
them at work. The more complex the job and the greater the variety in job tasks, the more time is
required for an observation. For a very routine job in which the same task is repeated over and
over throughout the day, an observation of a couple hours might suffice. For very complex jobs,
observation of a week or more may be required. If the job changes based on work cycles,
seasons, or other factors, the observations may have to be conducted over a period of weeks or
28
months. The observation process may include asking employees to explain what they are doing
and why. Sometimes observations of average and low performers are also conducted to establish
a basis for comparison. The competencies required for effective performance are then inferred
from the observations by persons who are experts in competency identification.
11.3.6 Work Logs
In the work log method of data collection, job incumbents enter into logs or diaries their daily
work activities with stop and start times for each activity. Depending on the complexity and
variety of the job, incumbents may be asked to make log entries for several days, weeks, or
months.
29
Preparation of
Questionnaire
Collection
of Responses
Analysis
Findings
30
The diagram explains the flow of the Competency Mapping Methodology. Each of the stages is
explained in detail below:
12.1 Laying Down Of Objectives
Before conducting any research it is very essential to understand the reason or the objectives one
is planning to establish through the research. Therefore it is vital to list down the objectives
which will help to plan the exercise in accordance with the objectives and ultimately establish
what we desire to arrive at.
The objectives of Competency Mapping are as follows:
To establish a Competency Model, which will create a benchmark for all the
employees in the organization and will help in performing all HR functions more
efficiently.
To map the competencies of the existing employees and understand where they fall
low or average in comparison to the competencies essential for their job/role. This
will help in identifying training and development needs for the employees.
31
Once the questionnaire is prepared, the responses are collected from the employees belonging to
the middle level management by a one on one interaction with each respondent.
12.3 Collection of Responses
This stage consumes the maximum time. As the employees to be interviewed belong to the
middle management, they are usually pre-occupied with their work and therefore it becomes
difficult for them to spare time for the questionnaire. Hence this stage takes almost a month to
complete.
12.4 Analysis
Once the data is collected from all the employees belonging to the middle level management, the
data is then analyzed manually.
To establish the Competency Model, the analysis is based on the ratings provided by each
employee to the different competencies. The highest rated competencies form the critical
competencies in the model and the others follow in the other categories.
Another technique used is called the Opportunity Algorithm which is used to map the current
competencies of the employees in relation to the competencies rated by the employees in
question 2. The Opportunity Algorithm was introduced by the Harvard School of Business and is
one of the most successful formulae used by many big organizations. The Opportunity Algorithm
is explained in brief below:
12.4.1 The Opportunity Algorithm
How can a company discover and prioritize the most promising skills and opportunities in their
Human Resources to achieve their desired goals/objectives.
Executives struggle with this question every day and an outcome based on research offers a
surprisingly simple answer. The best outcomes spring from those skills that are important to the
job/role but are not satisfied entirely or that are partially satisfied by the existing job/role holders.
32
Selecting the richest areas of opportunity from a long list of outcomes is critical since chasing the
less promising ones is a drain on ones resources. Fortunately, a simple mathematical formula
known as Opportunity calculation makes it possible to discover the most promising areas. The
formula [Importance + (Importance Satisfaction) = Opportunity] yields highly accurate results.
The companies ask the job/role holders to quantify on a scale, the importance of each desired
outcome (skill) and the degree to which it is currently satisfied (how they assess themselves on
each of the desired outcome). Those rankings are inserted into the formula, resulting in an overall
opportunity score.
After the application of the formula one arrives at various opportunity scores for each of the
job/role holders. The highest score depicts the skills which the job/role holder should give his
immediate attention and look for improvement in those areas. The job/role holder then looks at
the second highest score and sharpens those skills later, after successful improvement in the first
area where he scored the highest score. These scores will differ from individual to individual and
from job/role to job/role.
12.5 Findings
With the help of the Opportunity Algorithm and the ratings provided by the employees, the
Competency Model and the Competency Scorecard for each employee can be established.
33
General
Manager
(Eng. & Dev.)
Dy. G.M.
Engineering
Aggregate
Division
Vice President
C.F.O &
C. S
Head H.R
A.G.M
Accounts
Vice President
Project Team
T.N.
Lucknow
Jaipur
M.P.
Chandigarh
34
Each region follows a normal hierarchy which defines various designations in each department.
The hierarchy is explained with the help of the following diagram:
General Manager
Dy. General
Manager
Asst. General
Manager
Senior Manager
Manager
Dy. Manager
Asst. Manager
Top Management
CEO & ED
CFO & CS
VPs
Middle
MiddleManagement
Management
Junior
JuniorManagement
Management
Senior Officer
Officer
Asst. Officer
The RMC Company is in the initial stage of implementing the Competency Mapping Process.
The procedure followed is as follows:
Collecting of data and responses through Experts and Resource Panels, Critical event
interviews and generic competency dictionaries.
Building up of Model
35
35
At Ambuja Cements, competency mapping is at its nascent stage. Here performance management
is a cyclical process aimed at improving performance (e.g.: achievement of business objectives).
This process is implemented by following the principles underlying Performance Management,
namely:
Measurement
o
Appraisal
o
compare the current behaviors with the behavioral goals and identify the main
differences
Action
o
For each difference, you plan how to bring actual behaviors in line with the goals,
in order to improve the performance
Monitoring
o
At an appropriate time, you return to the appraisal stage to assess the impact of
the changes on the behavioral and performance measures
36
15. Conclusion
Competency Mapping therefore, is a process of identifying key competencies for an organization
and/or a job and incorporating those competencies throughout the various processes (i.e. job
evaluation, training, recruitment) of the organization.
A lot is going on in recent times on the issue of competency mapping. A lot of resources are
spent and consultants are being invited to do competency mapping. Increased manpower costs,
need for ensuring that competent people man critical positions, and the need to be competitive
and recognition of the strategic advantages of having good human resources have compelled
firms to be more competency driven.
In the report we have discussed how competent employees have become need of the hour in
every organization and it is now essential that they undertake competency mapping, identify
models, gaps and imbibe this as an every day practice in an organization.
Often competency mapping runs the risk of being just another new-fangled process that happens
to be the flavour of the season. Such a powerful organisational tool is often resorted just because
rival organisations have implemented it and not because there is genuine appreciation of its
benefits. Competency mapping should not be seen as just another means to apportion and
dispense rewards.
All the stakeholders must see in the exercise an opportunity for long-term growth. The key is to
look at competency mapping as going beyond mere processes. And to see in it an exercise that
has a significant and lasting value to project managers as well as to the organisation.
Competency Mapping\Conclusion
37
References
Industries Visited
1. RMC India Ltd.
Infocom Network Ltd,
194, Arvind Chambers,
2nd floor, Sai Service Compond,
W.E. Highway, Andheri (E)
2. Ambuja Cements Limited
Elegant Business Park
Behind Kotak Mahindra Bank
MIDC Cross Road - B, off Andheri Kurla Road
Andheri (E), Mumbai - 59
Books and Journals:
1. T.V.Rao, Performance management and appraisal systems: HR tools for global
competencies, Sage publications.
2. Sudipta, Competency based HR, Express Computer, 10 Jan 2005.
3. Sudipta, Competency mapping, Express Computer, 10 Jan 2005.
4. M. Verma, V. Sinha, Dont take your junior colleagues for granted: Cos Using Feedback
From Peers & Subordinates To Assess Executives, Economic Times Mumbai, Sep 3, 2007.
Website references:
www.tvrls.com
www.careertrainer.com
www.indianmba.com
www.citehr.com
www.hrworkbench.in/eng
en.allexperts.com/q/Human-Resources-2866/competency-mapping-1.htm
Competency Mapping\References
38