Chapter II.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB

Learning Objectives:
a. To know the distinction between "hard skills" and "soft skills" and their key
roles for superior performance of a job holder
b. To understand the Iceberg Theory in a manager's search for the right person for
the right job
c. To appreciate the importance of core job competencies
d. To be aware of the different value systems that influence employees' behavior
in the workplace
In the first chapter, we learned that it is the people that move the
company. Without people, the organization is nothing; it is inactive. A company
may have the best forward-looking vision of what it wants to be in the future,
well-crafted mission statement remarkably developed strategy, and action plans
to achieve its business goals, but without people the right people doing them, the
vision, mission, and strategic goals and objectives are worthless.
Try to visualize a personal computer. It might be the most modern and best
brand you can find in the market. It is the hardware you are looking into. You
switch it on and the operating system is now working. But without the software
application, your PC is inept useless. By the same token, an organization (the
hardware), without the right people (the software) is next to nothing.
2.1 The Right Person for the Right Job
Going on from where we left in Mr. Chua's grocery store, his business has
turned from good to very good. He has expanded the store. He now sells a
complete line of products, from fresh fruits and vegetables, canned goods, frozen
meat, chicken and fish, toiletries, other household needs, soda, wines, whiskies,
and other alcoholic drinks. It is no longer a neighborhood grocery. It is a little Pure
Gold or Cherry's Foodarama in the making.
Mr. Chua needs an accountant-preferably a Certified Public Accountant
(CPA), no longer a mere bookkeeper. The accountant must be able to prepare all
the monthly, quarterly, and yearly financial statements like Income Statement,
Cash Flow, Balance Sheet, Return on Investments (ROI), and other standard
financial measurements needed for tax purposes and for Mr. Chua to know how
he is progressing in his business.
In looking for a good accountant, Mr. Chua, who is now a rising
entrepreneur, must know what are the requirements for a good accountant and
as he further expands in his business, he needs more people like an accounting
assistant, internal and external auditors, buyers, sales clerks, warehouseman, etc.
Mr. Chua will now try to write a job description of the accountant that he is
looking for as guide in his search for a good one and for evaluating the
accountant's performance on the job later.
What are the basic job requirements of an accountant? This is uppermost in
Mr. Chu. mind. Of course, he/she must at least be a holder of a Bachelor's degree
in Commerce in Accounting, preferably a CPA, although not necessarily. Long-
range wise, it is better if she is a CPA because if Mr. Chua needs an internal
auditor in his expanded business, he can move with ease that accountant to the
internal auditor position. An auditor, under the must be a CPA.
In addition to being a Commerce graduate, an accountant must be good in
number Beyond budget preparation and other numbers crunching activities,
completing expense sheets and accounts payable reports, he/she must have
working knowledge in labor law compliance as he/she is responsible for remitting
SSS, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth premiums. The accountant is also responsible for
compliance of tax laws and BIR compliance regulations and local government
ordinance on renewal of business permits.
It is obvious that in the performance of these responsibilities, the
accountant must have the technical expertise in the use of computers and its
software application like Excel
Are these skills good enough for an accountant to succeed in his/her job?
The answer is, no. Those skills are called, "hard skills." A good accountant must
have also the so-called "soft skills."
2.2 Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills
Here are three differences between the two skills:
a) To be good at hard skills, it usually utilizes the Intelligence Quotient or IQ
(also known as your left brain-the logical center; while to be good at soft skills
usually takes Emotional Quotient or EQ (also known as your right brain the
emotional center. Examples of hard skills are math, physics, accounting,
programming, biology statistics, chemistry, etc. While examples of soft skills are
self-management skills like self-confidence, stress management, and people skills
like communication or networking skills, persistence and perseverance, patience,
etc.
b) Hard skills are rules where rule stays the same regardless of circumstance
organization culture, and co-employee. In contrast, soft skills are skills where the
rules change depending on the circumstances, organizational culture, and people
you work with. For example, programming is a hard skill. The rules on how to be
good at creating the best code to do a function are the same regardless of who
you work with. However, communication skills are a set of soft skills, the rules on
how to be effective at communication change depending on your audience You
communicate well to fellow programmers about technical details while you
struggle significantly to communicate clearly to senior managers about your
project progress and the support needed.
c) Hard skills can be learned in school or trainings. There are usually designate
levels of expertise and a direct path as to how one excels with each hard skill. For
example, accounting skill. You can take basic accounting and progress advance
accounting courses. Soon, one can take the board examination and be Certified
Public Accountant (CPA). In contrast, there is no simple path in learning soft skills.
Most soft skills are not directly taught in school and have to be learned during
interaction with other people in school or during the on-the-job training.
All jobholders need to have hard and soft skills in order to succeed in their chosen
career or profession.
2.3 Soft Skills Are Core Individual Competencies
In the past, skills and competencies are used interchangeably. The word
competency has evolved into a different meaning. The focus now is on core
competencies. The concept of core competence is relatively new. It was
introduced into management literature by C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel in their
1990 Harvard Business Review article, "Core Competence of the Corporation
"The most powerful way to prevail in global competition," stated in the
1990 Harvard Business Review article, "is still invisible to many companies. During
the 1980s, top executives were judged on their ability to restructure, declutter,
and delayer their corporations. In the 1990s, they'll be judged on their ability to
identify, cultivate, and exploit the core competencies that make growth possible-
indeed, they'll have to rethink the concept of the corporation itself."
A business just starting out will try to first identify and then focus on its
core competencies, allowing it to establish a footprint while gaining a solid
reputation and brand recognition. Core competencies provide the best chance for
a company's continued growth and survival, as these factors are what
differentiate the company from competitors.
Core competencies in a company are difficult and challenging to achieve
and not easy to replicate. For example, Microsoft has many IT-based innovations
where competitors are struggling to replicate or compete.
These competencies become the constant and pervasive characteristic and
source of competitive advantage of the enterprise which are sustainable over
time. Examples are Sony Corporation's core competence in miniaturization;
Canon's competence in optics; Honda's competences in engine expertise and
dealer management; or Toyota's competence in lean manufacturing
We have said earlier that it is the people that get things done in a company.
The core competencies of the company's human resources must therefore be
identified, cultivated, and exploited to make the company grow and survive.
These core competencies must be aligned with the core performance of the
company. Putting it in another way, it is human performance that is at the core of
the company's business performance.
2.4 Definition of Job Competency
We have been discussing about company's core competencies. Since it is
the human resources in the company that translate these core competencies into
action, let's first understand what is competency or, to be more precise, what is
job competency.
Job competency is defined as the ability of an individual to do a job
properly. A competency is also the capacity to follow a set of defined behaviors. It
is a structured guide that enables the identification, evaluation, with comma and
development of the behaviors of each employee. It is the combination of
knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal attributes that contribute to enhanced
employee performance and ultimately result in organization’s success. Core
competencies are those that organizations identify as contributing the n toward
achieving strategic results.
According to Personnel Management in the 21st century, job competency
defined as "the underlying characteristics of the employee (knowledge, skill,
attitude, motivation) which results in effective or superior performance."
The following are some common core competencies required of an
employee excellent performance:
• Adaptability
• Commitment
• Creativity
• Motivation
• Foresight
• Leadership
• Independence
• Emotional Stability
• Analytical Reasoning
• Communication Skills
• Customer Focus
• Teamwork and Cooperation
• Results Orientation
 There are other competencies required depending upon the kind of job an
employee is holding, the culture of the company, and his/her rank or position in
the organization. For managers and executives, for example, leadership
competencies required are, talent management, change management, team
leadership, conflict management, project management, negotiation and
influence, etc.

There is a glossary of competencies that can be found in management

books and up to you to choose what are relevant to the position to ensure
superior performance.
2.5 The Iceberg Theory
The Iceberg Theory originated from the writing style of the famous, Nobel-
award novelist, Ernest Hemingway. Also known as "Theory of Omission,"
Hemingway focuses on the surface without explicitly discussing the underlying
themes. Hemingway believe in the deeper meaning of a story should not be
evident on the surface, but should through implicitly. He compared his theory
about writing to an iceberg. Carlos Baker a biographer, explains that in the writing
style of the iceberg theory, the hard facts float about water while the supporting
structure, complete with symbolism, operates out of sight
This theory is now applied to management of people. Like an iceberg, what
can be seen among the employees is the surface - "hard skills." The "soft skills"
are not visible, they lie beneath the surface like an iceberg. What you see on the
surface is not the everything; there could be a mountain-sized iceberg below the
visible iceberg on the surface.
Further expanding our metaphor of the iceberg, the captain of that ill-fated
Titanic which the authors are sure some, if not, most of you have watched the
movie version - Saw rather late the danger of the iceberg on the surface of the
sea. But what damaged most the Titanic that led to its sinking was the huge
iceberg beneath the one at the surface.
Applying this iceberg allegory, Mr. Chua, the grocery owner, must not only be
impressed with the accountant candidate's academic credentials, e.g., BSC
graduate, major in accounting, his ability to crunch numbers, his IT savvy, his
previous experience as accountant. Those are "hard skills" which can easily be
seen and checked through his/ her diploma, PRC license as CPA. His/Her
knowledge on Accounting can easily be verified by pencil and paper tests. In
short, those skills and knowledge, like the iceberg on the surface, are easily visible
and verifiable. While those hard skills are important to qualify as an accountant,
they are no guarantee that the candidate can be a good accountant who can
deliver superior performance.
Questions that Mr. Chua must ask himself are: Can this candidate get along
with the other people in his grocery? Has he/she the patience, perseverance,
commitment to the work? What are his/her analytical abilities to look beyond
those numbers in the financial statement? What are his/her cherished values? Is
he/she honest, open, and transparent? How does he/she react to pressure or
stress? Can he/she communicate well?
There are countless questions Mr. Chua had
to address before he makes a hiring decision. These
are "soft skills" that are hardly visible to Mr. Chua.
(See Diagram 3) These are the core competencies
like values, traits, motives, and self-image that can
only be known by Mr. Chua through in-depth
interview and observation on the job. That is why
the law allows an employer to hire an employee on
probationary basis (for six months) to be able to
observe if he/she qualifies considering the hard and
soft skills required for the job.
2.6 Levels of Proficiency in Job Competency
Competency has now caught up a wide swath among business executives in
search for better performing employees. There is a competency-based
recruitment and selection which is covered in our Mr. Chua story in his search for
a good accountant. People in the business sector now talk about competency-
based performance management, competency-based learning and development,
competency-based career development and career planning, and competency-
based human resource planning.
 Once the core competencies are identified, companies can develop their
levels of proficiency. Companies could then assess the gap of proficiencies of their
existing employees to the desired level of proficiency and then address these gaps
through remedial training, coaching, cross-job posting, and other means of
improving proficiency.
Proficiency levels exist because proficiencies come in continuum of degrees
are demonstrated behavior, from the smallest degree (e.g. minimal through
effective through mastery, and to the highest degree-excellence). These are
sample proficiency levels and their definitions:
• Minimal - minimal knowledge/no opportunity to demonstrate
• Basic - limited knowledge overview
• Working - can do/has working knowledge
• Proficient - can do very well, can guide others, very proficient
• Expert - acknowledged expert, extensive and in-depth experience
• Mastery of competency
• Excellence in competency, can be a mentor or coach
2.7 Personal Values
The word 'values' is taken from the root word "valor" which means
strength. Values are sources of strength because they give people the power of
action. Our values are deepseated standards that influence almost every aspect of
our lives: our moral judgments, our responses to others, our commitments to
personal and societal goals.
Values are lasting beliefs or ideals that are shared by all members of a
company. As such, those values form part of the culture of the company. It's like
telling an outsider, 'This is what we do here and what we all believe in."Your
culture then becomes unique and distinct from others. Values have a major
influence on a person's behavior and attitude and serve as broad guidelines in all
situations.
Companies, out of their vision and mission statements, develop their own
core values and cascade them down to the lowest rank of employees to become
their shared values. One company adopted these five core values:
 • Excellence - everyone must strive for excellence in their work regardless of
rank and whichever department or function he/she is assigned.
• Customer focus - a recognition that a company thrives and continues to
exist because of its customers. No stone should be left unturned to please
and maintain its customers.
• Integrity- honesty is the best policy. Its business can sustain without
violating the Code of Ethical Conduct. It has zero tolerance for dishonesty.
Bribing government officials is taboo. No kotong to cops is the policy. The
Conflict of Interest Rule should be followed strictly.
• Teamwork - everybody should work as a team. Goals cannot be achieved
unless all strive together in one direction to reach those goals.
• Creativity and Innovation - no work, product, or service is good. It can be
better through creativity and innovation. Challenge the present status.
Challenge the work processes. Change is constant.
This company did not stop in communicating these values. They walk the talk
Management served as models. The values were deeply embedded among their
employees and become part of their culture.
2.8 Filipino Values
We have also our own distinct value system. This is rooted primarily on
personal alliance especially those based on kinship, obligation, friendship, and
commercial relationships.
Filipino values are, for most part centered in maintaining social harmony
and motivated to be accepted within a group. The main sanction against diverging
from these values are the concepts of hiya, roughly translated as 'a sense of
shame, and "amor propio" or 'self-esteem'. Social approval and belonging to a
group are major concerns. Filipinos care about what others will think, say, or do,
which has significant influences in social behavior.
There is also that innate concern for other people, the existence of
friendship, being hospitable, religious, respectful to elders and the female
members of society, and the fear of God. Filipinos, by nature, are also optimistic.
This probably explains another Filipino value, the bahala na (leave it to Bathala -
God) attitude. Filipinos also strive for interpersonal relationships, and being
sensitive to needs and feelings of others (known as pakikiramdam).
Landa Jocano, a Filipino anthropologist, identified two models of the
Filipino value system. The first is the exogenous model or also known as the
foreign model, and the indigenous model or the traditional model. The foreign
model is described to be a "legal and formal" model. The exogenous or foreign
model was inherited by Filipinos from the western culture particularly from the
Americans. However, the indigenous model is described as a "traditional and non-
formal" model that is deeply embedded in the subconscious of the Filipinos.
Sometimes, there is a clash of these two value systems. In our indigenous
model, for instance, our utang na loob value impels us to provide gifts as a token
of appreciation to someone who have assisted in the processing of a document or
a transaction. In the exogenous or foreign model, this may be considered as
bribery.
By and large, these Filipino values are good traits of Filipino workers. One
has to strike a balance between what is good in the so-called indigenous model
and the exogenous or foreign model. The hiya, pakikiramdam, promotes smooth
interpersonal relationships among workers but it could work against the
requirement for aggressiveness in a sales job. The bottom line is the flexibility of a
worker as one of his/her soft skills to switch from one model to another as the
occasion demands.
Review Questions:
Check the following statements whether they are true or false.
1) The Iceberg Theory explains the greenhouse effect due to the melting of the ice
in the polar region.
_True _False
2) Soft skills are the ones that drive enhanced or superior performance of an
employee.
_True _False
3) Hard skills are the same as core competencies.
_True _False
4)All job holders without exception must have soft skills to help achieve sum
performance.
_True _False
5) A company's culture is the composite of all its shared values.
_True _False

Short Case For Discussion

Damerco Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the leading manufacturer and distributor
of I.V. fluid and other pharmaceutical products. The company has chosen as one
of its five core value "Integrity." To support this value, its Code of Ethics provides
that bribing any government officer is punishable by dismissal. Any employee who
knows any employee violating the provision and fails to report to management
can also be subject to termination from the service.
Fred Cabahug, a sales rep, one day has an appointment at 8:00 AM with a
medical director of a hospital who planned to buy Damerco's products. Driving
the company car, Fred was caught in a traffic snarl. Looking at his watch, it was 15
minutes before 8:00. He got out of the line and went against the oncoming traffic.
A policeman stopped him. So as not to waste time, he gave the policeman P500
and was allowed to go.
The following day, he reported the incident to his supervisor who had a
worried look Fred tried to justify: "Boss, the Medical Director was a stickler for
punctuality. If I were late even for 5minutes I would have lost that opportunity to
sell for the company P300,00 worth of pharmaceutical products. Besides, the
P500 that I forked to the traffic policeman was my own money and I don't have
the intention of getting a reimbursement from this company."Did Fred comply
with the core value of "integrity"? Explain your answer.