Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Harvard University
Competency
Dictionary
Table of Contents
Adaptability...............................................................................5
Aligning Performance for Success .........................................6
Applied Learning ......................................................................8
Building a Successful Team ..................................................10
Building Customer Loyalty....................................................12
Building Partnerships ............................................................14
Building Positive Working Relationships
(Teamwork/Collaboration) ................................................16
Building Trust .........................................................................18
Coaching .................................................................................19
Communication ......................................................................21
Continuous Learning .............................................................24
Contributing to Team Success..............................................26
Customer Focus .....................................................................28
Decision Making .....................................................................30
Delegation ...............................................................................32
Developing Others..................................................................34
Energy .....................................................................................36
Facilitating Change ................................................................37
Follow-Up ................................................................................38
Formal Presentation...............................................................39
Gaining Commitment .............................................................41
Impact......................................................................................43
Adaptability
Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work
tasks or the work environment; adjusting effectively to work within new
work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
Key Actions
Compare to:
Notes
Do not use Aligning Performance for Success and Developing Others
together.
Aligning Performance for Success focuses on implementing a formal
performance management system that includes setting specific and
measurable objectives and evaluating performance of direct reports.
Aligning Performance for Success relates to the formal process of shaping
job behavior to achieve specific performance objectives and to enhance
overall skill. Developing Others shares key actions with the competency
Aligning Performance for Success. The difference is that the focus of
Developing Others is less formal and is typically more appropriate outside
the formal manager/direct report relationship.
Compare to:
Applied Learning
Assimilating and applying new job-related information in a timely
manner.
Key Actions
Notes
Many organizations do not require individuals to have a high level of
knowledge or competency in an area when they enter a new position, but
they do require individuals to become proficient rapidly. This competency
reflects a persons ability to learn material necessary to function in the job
and to grasp and apply new information quickly.
Do not use Applied Learning and Continuous Learning together.
Development Dimensions Intl, Inc.
Develops directionEnsures that the purpose and importance of the team are
clarified (e.g., team has a clear charter or mission statement); guides the setting
of specific and measurable team goals and objectives.
Notes
Much of team development takes place in team meetings. Meeting
facilitation behaviors in team meetings relate to the competencies Meeting
Leadership or Meeting Participation as opposed to Building a Successful
Team. Building a Successful Team includes the activities outside of
formal meetings and the content of team meetings.
Do not use Building a Successful Team and Contributing to Team
Success
together.
Building a Successful Team is closely related to Contributing to Team
Success; they share a number of key actions. One does not need to be a
formal leader for Building a Successful Team to be the more appropriate
competency, but Contributing to Team Success is more commonly used
with non-leader positions because it does not contain the leadership
behaviors of developing team direction and developing team structure.
11
12
Notes
Do not use Building Customer Loyalty and Customer Focus together.
Building Customer Loyalty emphasizes effectively meeting specific
customer needs and developing and maintaining productive relationships
with individual customers. Customer Focus emphasizes the achievement
of business results through structuring and executing work with the
customer in mind (the typical customer or a specific one).
Compare to:
Sales Ability/Persuasiveness. This competency emphasizes the
successful representation of products and services. However, Building
Customer Loyalty can be a component of sales success over time. The
attention and quality of interactions and attention to customer needs can
have a large impact on subsequent sales success (e.g., in account
penetration).
13
Building Partnerships
Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic
relationships between ones area and other areas, teams, departments,
units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
Key Actions
14
Notes
Do not use Building Partnerships and Building Positive Working
Relationships together.
Building Partnerships and Building Positive Working Relationships
emphasize strategic behaviors initiated to accomplish work goals through
interdependencies with others. Use Building Partnerships for jobs/roles in
which the person is accountable for building relationships between teams,
major areas in the organization, or between the organization and external
groups. Building Partnerships is usually used for higher-level jobs with
direct accountability for business relationships.
Use Building Positive Working Relationships when developing alliances
with other individuals as necessary for ones own effectiveness. It is
associated with interdependent situations in which individuals need to rely
on others as a matter of structure and process to accomplish their work.
15
16
Notes
Do not use Building Positive Working Relationships and Building
Partnerships together.
Building Positive Working Relationships and Building Partnerships
emphasize strategic behaviors initiated to accomplish work goals through
interdependencies with others. These behaviors are initiated to improve
ones own or ones teams performance.
Use Building Positive Working Relationships when developing alliances
with other individuals as necessary for ones own effectiveness. It is
associated with interdependent situations in which individuals need to rely
on others as a matter of structure and process to accomplish their work.
Use Building Partnerships for jobs/roles in which the incumbent is
accountable for building relationships between teams, between major
areas in the organization, or between the organization and external groups.
Building Partnerships is usually used for jobs at higher levels where there
is direct accountability for business relationships.
17
Building Trust
Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in ones
intentions and those of the organization.
Key Actions
Supports othersTreats people with dignity, respect, and fairness; gives proper
credit to others; stands up for deserving others and their ideas even in the face of
resistance or challenge.
Notes
Building Trust has become a particularly important competency for
positions in organizations that are undergoing change efforts. Building
Trust also plays a critical role in supporting an empowering organization
culture.
18
Coaching
Providing timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen
specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a
problem.
Key Actions
19
Compare to:
20
Communication
Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to
individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps
them understand and retain the message.
Key Actions
Notes
The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gave a clear message
that the most important factor to consider when assessing candidates is
whether one could perform a task (outcome based) as opposed to how one
performed a task. Thus, this definition emphasizes achieving
communication goals regardless of the media used. Therefore, the former
competencies Oral Communication or Written Communication usually
would be replaced with Communication. When evaluating
communication skills, the medium most appropriate for the persons
capability should be used during the assessment process.
However, in some jobs oral or written communication might be deemed an
Essential Function based on an Essential Functions Analysis. In these
cases include either Oral Communication or Written Communication as a
competency. These can be defined by modifying the key actions of
Communication.
The focus of this competency is on the form of communication, while the
content of communication is dealt with in competencies such as Meeting
Leadership, Gaining Commitment, or Negotiation.
Compare to:
22
23
Continuous Learning
Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and
taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained
knowledge and skill on the job and learning through their application.
Key Actions
24
Notes
Do not use Continuous Learning and Applied Learning together.
Continuous Learning and Applied Learning share a number of key actions
and should not be used in the same set of competencies to describe a job.
Continuous Learning is more appropriate where an ongoing quest for
learning and new knowledge is expected; Applied Learning does not
involve this proactive seeking to acquire knowledge. Applied Learning is
more appropriate in jobs/roles where the information to be learned is
prescribed for the individual.
25
Notes
Much of team development takes place in team meetings. Meeting
facilitation behaviors in team meetings relate to the competencies Meeting
Leadership or Meeting Participation as opposed to Contributing to Team
Success. Contributing to Team Success includes the activities outside of
formal meetings and the content of team meetings.
Do not use Contributing to Team Success and Building a Successful
Team together.
Contributing to Team Success is closely related to Building a Successful
Team; they share a number of key actions. Contributing to Team Success
does not contain the leadership behaviors of developing team direction and
developing team structure, so it is more commonly used with non-leader
positions. Keep in mind, though, that one does not need to be a formal
Development Dimensions Intl, Inc.
26
27
Customer Focus
Making customers and their needs a primary focus of ones actions;
developing and sustaining productive customer relationships.
Key Actions
28
Notes
Do not use Customer Focus and Building Customer Loyalty together.
Customer Focus emphasizes the achievement of business results through
structuring and executing work with the customer in mind (the typical
customer or a specific one). Building Customer Loyalty emphasizes
effectively meeting specific customer needs and developing and
maintaining productive relationships with individual customers.
29
Decision Making
Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities;
comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using
effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing
appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available
facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
Key Actions
30
Notes
This competency can be divided into two parts called Analysis and
Judgment (or Problem Assessment and Problem Solution). Analysis
(Problem Assessment) comprises the first three key actions of Decision
Making; Judgment (Problem Solution) comprises the last four key actions.
Decision Making can be very interconnected with Technical/Professional
Knowledge and Skills competencies in some professional and technical
positions. The quality of someones decision-making skills can be
difficult to evaluate unless the assessor has an expert background in the
kind of work the person does, especially for technically complex
situations.
Interacting with others at work involves making many small decisions, but
few of these interpersonal judgments are good examples of Decision
Making. Decision Making should be used only to classify a complex
process in decision-making. For example, someone might say, She used
bad judgment by asking the group to vote. This isnt Decision Making.
Its a behavior that would be more appropriately classified under the
competency Meeting Leadership.
31
Delegation
Allocating decision-making authority and/or task responsibility to
appropriate others to maximize the organizations and individuals
effectiveness.
Key Actions
32
Notes
Delegation means transferring responsibility and/or decision making to
another person. Asking others to complete tasks that are a normal part of
their jobs or that do not offer latitude in the course of action taken is not
considered delegation.
33
Developing Others
Planning and supporting the development of individuals skills and
abilities so that they can fulfill current or future job/role responsibilities
more effectively.
Key Actions
34
Notes
Do not use Developing Others and Aligning Performance for Success
together.
In Developing Others the focus is on planning and supporting effective
development activities related to current or future job responsibilities.
Aligning Performance for Success shares key actions with Developing
Others. The difference is that Aligning Performance for Success focuses
on implementing a formal performance management system that includes
setting specific and measurable objectives and evaluating performance of
direct reports. Developing Others is less formal and typically more
appropriate outside of the formal manager/direct report relationship.
35
Energy
Consistently maintaining high levels of activity or productivity;
sustaining long working hours when necessary; operating with vigor,
effectiveness, and determination over extended periods of time.
Key Actions
Notes
Initiating Action. Initiating Action focuses on the propensity to act, not
the quality or duration of the action. Energy focuses on performing
effectively over time, regardless of whether the action is independent or
goes beyond expectations.
36
Facilitating Change
Encouraging others to seek opportunities for different and innovative
approaches to addressing problems and opportunities; facilitating the
implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace.
Key Actions
37
Follow-Up
Monitoring the results of delegations, assignments, or projects,
considering the skills, knowledge, and experience of the assigned
individual and the characteristics of the assignment or project.
Key Actions
Notes
If follow-up occurs only in association with delegating tasks or
responsibilities, the Stays informed Key Action in Delegation might be
adequate in representing the follow-up activities in a job. If follow-up is
required in other situations, or if a special focus on follow-up is desired,
the competency Follow-Up can be used in conjunction with Delegation.
In such cases the Stays informed Key Action can be deleted.
38
Formal Presentation
Presenting ideas effectively to individuals or groups when given time to
prepare; delivering presentations suited to the characteristics and needs
of the audience.
Key Actions
Uses learning aidsUses audio and visual aids to enhance the audiences
understanding of content.
39
Compare to:
40
Gaining Commitment
Using appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain
acceptance of ideas or plans; modifying ones own behavior to
accommodate tasks, situations, and individuals involved.
Key Actions
Develops others and own ideasPresents own ideas; seeks and develops
suggestions of others; makes procedural suggestions
41
Compare to:
Coaching. This competency focuses on helping others to develop the skills they
need to achieve goals. Gaining Commitment focuses on getting others to
commit to goals. A person could be effective in convincing others to accept a
goal but ineffective in coaching them on how to achieve that goal.
42
Impact
Creating a good first impression, commanding attention and respect,
showing an air of confidence.
Key Actions
43
Information Monitoring
Setting up ongoing procedures to collect and review information needed
to manage an organization or ongoing activities within it.
Key Actions
44
Notes
Information Monitoring should not be confused with Follow-Up, which
focuses on specific individuals, assignments, or projectsnot the
establishment of systems to monitor ongoing activities or processes within
an organization.
45
Goes above and beyondTakes action that goes beyond job requirements in
order to achieve objectives.
Notes
Initiating Action can be separated from most other competencies by
keeping in mind that it focuses on the propensity to act, not on the quality
of the action. An individual can take independent action and go beyond
expectations while demonstrating numerous other competencies (e.g.,
46
47
Innovation
Generating innovative solutions in work situations; trying different and
novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.
Key Actions
48
Notes
Innovation is related to Decision Making because it involves multiple and
unique responses to a problem, which overlaps with the generation of
options found in Decision Making. A person who demonstrates a high
level of innovation generates more novel or unique options than someone
who does not exhibit much innovative behavior. The competency
Innovation can be used in combination with Decision Making if
generating novel solutions is an important part of the job/role.
Compare to:
49
Key Actions
Models the vision and valuesTakes actions, makes decisions, and shapes
team or group priorities to reflect the organizations vision and values.
50
Compare to:
51
Managing Conflict
Dealing effectively with others in an antagonistic situation; using
appropriate inter-personal styles and methods to reduce tension or
conflict between two or more people.
Key Actions
Remains open to all sidesObjectively views the conflict from all sides.
52
Notes
Managing Conflict can be used to describe the behaviors used in conflicts
in which one is personally involved as well as when mediating others
conflict.
Compare to:
53
PrioritizesIdentifies more critical and less critical activities and tasks; adjusts
priorities when appropriate.
Notes
Do not use Managing Work (Includes Time Management) and
Planning and Organizing together. Managing Work (Includes Time
Management) is closely related to Planning and Organizing; they share a
number of key actions. Use Managing Work (Includes Time
Management) when the focus within the job/role is on the incumbents
planning of his or her own time and work, not determining the schedules
or activities of others.
54
Meeting Leadership
Ensuring that a meeting serves its business objectives while using
appropriate interpersonal styles and methods and considering the needs
and potential contributions of others.
Key Actions
Notes
Do not use Meeting Leadership and Meeting Participation together.
Use Meeting Leadership for jobs/roles in which the incumbent is
responsible for facilitating meetings; use Meeting Participation when only
contribution is expected.
Leadership does not have to come from the highest-ranking individual at a
meeting, although that is the most common source. Shared leadership
when various people lead various parts of a meetingis becoming more
common. Meeting Leadership skills are advanced skills for members of
empowered work groups (self-directed teams). After a team has been
functioning for a while, leadership begins to be shared and this
competency becomes important for all team members.
Although Gaining Commitment can be an important competency
demonstrated during meetings, this competency is distinct from Meeting
Leadership and should be treated separately.
56
Meeting Participation
Using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to help reach a
meetings goals while considering the needs and potential contributions
of others.
Key Actions
Notes
Do not use Meeting Participation and Meeting Leadership together.
Use Meeting Leadership for jobs/roles in which the incumbent is
responsible for facilitating meetings; use Meeting Participation when only
contribution is expected.
57
Negotiation
Effectively exploring alternatives and positions to reach outcomes that
gain the support and acceptance of all parties.
Key Actions
Notes
The competency Negotiation should be used only when negotiating terms,
conditions, and agreements (such as legal contracts, labor contracts,
58
59
60
Notes
Do not use Planning and Organizing and Managing Work (Includes
Time Management) together.
Planning and Organizing is closely related to Managing Work (Includes
Time Management); they share a number of key actions. Use Planning
and Organizing when the job/role requires incumbents to plan their own
and others time and activities.
Merely maintaining a written schedule or arranging meetings for others
does not qualify as planning others time and activities. Additional
planning and organizing behaviors must be present within a job/role to
justify using the Planning and Organizing competency.
61
Compare to:
62
Risk Taking
Initiating action that tries to achieve a recognized benefit or advantage
when potential negative consequences are understood.
Key Actions
63
Safety Awareness
Identifying and correcting conditions that affect employee safety;
upholding safety standards.
Key Actions
64
Sales Ability/Persuasiveness
Using appropriate interpersonal styles and communication methods to
gain acceptance of a product, service, or idea from prospects and clients.
Key Actions
Notes
65
Overlap exists between the skills that make a person an effective leader
and the skills that make a person an effective persuader (or salesperson),
but there are also important differences. The key actions of this
competency focus on the differences.
Do not use this competency to describe a leaders influence on direct
reports. It has an outward orientation and is used for sales-related
positions and some management positions instead of Gaining
Commitment.
66
Executes planMakes sure strategies are carried out; monitors results and
makes adjustments as needed.
67
Compare to:
68
Stress Tolerance
Maintaining stable performance under pressure or opposition (such as
time pressure or job ambiguity); handling stress in a manner that is
acceptable to others and to the organization.
Key Actions
Maintains focusStays focused on work tasks and productively uses time and
energy when under stress.
Notes
Development Dimensions Intl, Inc.
69
The types of stress to which one is exposed might change as one moves up
the organizational ladder. Frontline leaders are exposed most frequently
to time stress and stress resulting from the opposition of ideas. In middlemanagement positions, more subtle stresses come into play, such as being
in an ambiguous situation without clear job responsibilities and goals.
Peer competition also becomes more intense.
High-level managers experience many of the same stress-provoking
factors encountered by mid-level managers, but these factors may be
exacerbated by the greater importance of the decisions that high-level
managers make. In addition, high-level managers more often find
themselves in situations where the facts of the situation are unclear and
change rapidly. Job, task, and relationship ambiguity are all common.
Also, high-level managers might feel stress because they lack control
when outside events affect the appropriateness of their decisions.
Compare to:
70
Industry knowledgeUnderstands the industry and the factors that can affect
regional and corporate goals; uses industry knowledge in planning and decisionmaking.
71
72
Tenacity
Staying with a position or plan of action until the desired objective is
obtained or is no longer reasonably attainable.
Key Actions
Notes
Tenacity is a quantitative competency. The focus is on the frequency of
attempts to achieve a goal, as opposed to the quality of attempts. (The
quality of the attempt might demonstrate Sales Ability/Persuasiveness or
Quality Orientation, depending on the goal.) Effectiveness in Tenacity
requires individuals to balance frequency of attempts with knowing when
to quit.
73
Valuing Diversity
Appreciating and leveraging the capabilities, insights, and ideas of all
individuals; working effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability,
and motivation.
Key Actions
Leverages diversitySeeks out and uses ideas, opinions, and insights from
diverse and various sources and individuals; maximizes effectiveness by using
individuals particular talents and abilities on tasks or assignments.
74
Work Standards
Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming
responsibility and accountability for successfully completing
assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than
having standards imposed.
Key Actions
75