Competency mapping involves the process by which we determine:

The nature and scope of a specific job role, the skills required, the level of
knowledge required, and the behavioral capacities required to apply those skills
and knowledge in that role. Often the information/data gathering process involves
interviews

with individuals experienced in the position as well as observation of the role being
performed. Behavioral competencies are derived from the raw data, and
competencies defined, selected, and prioritized. A great resource to consult is
"Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance" (Lyle Spencer with
Signe Spencer) and "The Art and Science of Competency Models" (Anntoinette
D. Lucia with Richard Lepsinger) . I have used them both extensively for
reference. Good luck.

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
classification or an identified process.

Competency mapping is a process through which one assesses and determines

one’s strengths as an 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.

The value of competency mapping and identifying emotional strengths is that

many employers now purposefully screen employees to hire people with specific
competencies. They may need to hire someone who can be an effective time
leader or who has demonstrated great active listening skills. Alternately, they may
need someone who enjoys taking initiative or someone who is very good at taking
direction. When individuals must seek new jobs, knowing one’s competencies can
give one a competitive edge in the job market.

Usually, a person will find themselves with strengths in about five to six areas.
Sometimes an area where strengths are not present is worth developing. In other
cases, competency mapping can indicate finding work that is suited to one’s
strengths, or finding a department at one’s current work where one's strengths or
needs as a worker can be exercised.

A problem with competency mapping, especially when conducted by an

organization is that there may be no room for an individual to work in a field that
would best make use of his or her competencies. If the company does not
respond to competency mapping by reorganizing its employees, then it can be of
little short-term benefit and may actually result in greater unhappiness on the
part of individual employees. A person identified as needing to learn new things in
order to remain happy might find himself or herself in a position where no new
training is ever required. If the employer cannot provide a position for an
employee that fits him or her better, competency mapping may be of little use.

However, competency mapping can ultimately serve the individual who decides
to seek employment in an environment where he or she perhaps can learn new
things and be more intellectually challenged. Being able to list competencies on
resumes and address this area with potential employers may help secure more
satisfying work. This may not resolve issues for the company that initially
employed competency mapping, without making suggested changes. It may find
competency mapping has produced dissatisfied workers or led to a high worker
turnover rate.

Competency mapping is the process of identifying key competencies for a

particular position in an organization. Once this process is complete, the map
becomes an input for several other HR processes such as job-evaluation;
recruitment; training and development; performance management; and succession
planning.

The mapping process starts from as macro an endeavour as understanding the

vision and mission of the organization and how that translates into specific, time-
bound business goals. It then goes on to delineating the organization structure
clearly, and identifying the various levels and positions, as well as the reporting
relationships obtaining within that.

Competency Mapping Process

The competency mapping process does not fit the one-size-fits all formula. It has
to be specific to the user organization. It is better to develop models that draw from
but are not defined by existing research, using behavioural interview methods so
that the organization creates a model that reflects its own strategy, its own market,
its own customers, and the competencies that bring success in that specific context
(including national culture). Start with small, discrete groups or teams, ideally in
two directions-a ‘horizontal slice’ across the business that takes in a multi-
functional or multi-site group, more or less at the same organizational level, and a
‘vertical slice’ taking in one whole department or team from top to bottom. From
that, the organization can learn about the process of competency modelling, and
how potential alternative formats for the models may or may not fit the needs of
the business.

It is important to focus on one or two key areas of implementation rather than the
whole HRD agenda in one scoop. So if recruitment and selection or performance
management are the key strategic needs of the business, and where the pain is
being felt, then start there. It is advisable to begin with a ‘horizontal’ slice of the
management or senior-most team as the benefits will percolate down to the whole
organization.

Methodology for designing: The most effective route to employ recognized best-
practice internal research methodology using behavioural event interview (BEI)
techniques to selectively sample the target population (supplemented with expert
panels and ‘Competency Requirement Questionnaires’ to engage wider population
samples) and so build up the models from the data that emerges. This data should
be triangulated against clear top-down input in terms of organizational strategy and
business objectives, and also against external research relevant and analogous to
the organization’s situation-not as a driver, but as a reference point. Once the
behavioural data is collected, it should be sorted, categorized and levelled carefully
to create models that are both concise and comprehensive, simple and
sophisticated. Developing BEI skills within the organization has the added benefit
that once the model is complete, it can be used more effectively by transferring
these skills to selection interviewing, development assessments, and so on.

International organizations must ensure that the methodology does not screen-out
those competencies that do not match the culturally-influenced pre-conceptions of
the head office (wherever it is situated) of what high-performance competencies
are. This is a common error…the universalist, all-powerful ‘global leadership
model’.

Common Steps In Competency Mapping

First: A job analysis is carried out by asking employees to fill in a questionnaire

that asks them to describe what they are doing, and what skills, attitudes and
abilities they need to have to perform it well. There would be a bit that requests
them to list down attributes needed to make it up to the next level, thus making it
behavioural as well as skill-based.

Second: Having discovered the similarities in the questionnaires, a competency-

based job description is crafted and presented to the personnel department for their
agreement and additions if any.

Third: Having agreed on the job requirements and the skills and attitudes needed to
progress within it and become more productive, one starts mapping the capability
of the employees to the benchmarks. There are several index points within the
responsibility level. An almost (but not quite) arbitrary level of attainment is noted
against each benchmark indicating the areas where the assessee is in terms of
personal development and achievement.

These give an adept HR manager a fairly good picture of the employee to see
whether he (or she) needs to perform better or to move up a notch on the scale.
Once the employee `tops’ every indicator at his level, he moves on to the next and
begins there at the bottom – in short, he is promoted.

This reasonably simple though initially (the first year only) tedious method helps
everybody to know what the real state of preparedness of an organization to handle
new business (or its old one) because it has a clear picture of every incumbent in
the organization.
It helps in determining the training and development needs and importantly it helps
to encourage the best and develop the rest. A win-win situation for everyone.

  
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-
perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups