COMPETENCY BASED

MANAGEMENT

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
COMPETENCE?
Competence is the ability to do something well or
effectively.
It is a persons skills, knowledge or ability to or capacity
to complete a specific task.
An ability based on work task or job output is termed
competence

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
COMPETENCIES?
Competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that is
causally related to criterion referenced effective and/or superior
performance in a job or a situation.
Underlying characteristic means that the competency is fairly deep
and enduring part of a persons personality.
Causally related means that a competency causes or predicts behavior
and performance
Criterion referenced means that the competency actually predicts who
does something well or poorly, as measured on a specific criterion or
standard.

UNDERLYING CHARACTERISTICS
Motives: The things a person consistently thinks about or wants that
cause action. Motives drive, direct, and select behavior towards certain
actions or goals and away from others
Traits: Physical characteristics and consistent responses to situations or
information. Eyesight, emotional self control and initiative
Self-Concept: A persons attitudes, values, or self-image
Knowledge: Information a person has in certain content areas
Skill: The ability to perform certain physical or mental tasks

THE ICEBERG MODEL

Visible

Hidden

Skill
Knowledge
Self-Concept
Trait
Motive

CENTRAL AND SURFACE

S
COMPETENCIES
Skill
Self- Concept

Trait
Motive
Attitudes,
Values
Knowledge
Surface:
Most easily developed

Core Personality:
Most difficult to
develop

CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS

Intent

Personal
Characteristics

Motive
Trait
Self-Concept
Knowledge

Action

Behavior

Skill

Outcome

Job Performance

CRITERION REFERENCE
A characteristic is not a competency unless it predicts something
meaningful in the real world. A characteristic that makes no difference
in performance is not a competency and should not be used to evaluate
people.
Superior Performance
Effective Performance: Minimally acceptable level of work below
which an employee will not be considered competent to do a job

CATEGORIES OF COMPETENCIES
Threshold Competencies: Those essential characteristics that everyone
in a job needs to be minimally effective but that do not distinguish
superior from average performance.eg knowledge of the product, spoken
english
Looked for at the time of recruitment
Differentiating Competencies: These factors differentiate superior
from average performance
Looked for at the time of selection
Core Competency: linked to your organizational mission.
Define competences within your organizational context
Meta Competency:

TYPES OF COMPETENCIES
Technical or Functional Competency
Conceptual or Managerial Competency: Ability to visualize and
strategize.
Planning,
organizing,
staffing,coordinatingandcontrolling.
Behavioural Competency: Negotiation, communication, influencing
and motivational

TYPES OF COMPETENCIES
Top Management
CC

Mid Management
CC

Junior Management
CC
BC

BC
BC
TC

TC
TC

COMPETENCY MAPPING AND

ASSESSMENT
Competency mapping: is the process of identification of the
competencies required to perform successfully a given job or role or
set of tasks at a given point of time. It consists of breaking a given
role or job into its constituents tasks or activities and identifying
the competencies (technical, managerial, behavioural, conceptual
knowledge, attitudes, skills, etc)

Roles are mapped

Competency assessment is the assessment of the extent to which

a given individual or a set of individuals possess these competencies
required by a given role or set of roles or levels of role

People are assessed

Competency Level: Core competencies apply to all positions

within an organization.
Each core competency may require
different levels of behavioural expression at different levels of
organizational responsibility. In other words demands placed on the
individual at higher organizational levels require different
behaviours (and different levels of the competency those behaviours

COMPETENCY MAPPING

Select approximately 15 (number will vary) distinguishable roles in

an organization preferably at senior management level
Interview the incumbent, his superior and subordinate for
approximately 45 minutes each.
Interview superior and average performers
Transcribe each interview
Look at behavioural codes (extract of statements)
Derive competencies
Validate these competencies with role set members and through role
analysis, KPAs

COMPETENCIES FOR
ORGANIZATION A

Business Acumen
Proactive, Initiative and Drive
Teamwork and Leadership Skills
Interpersonal and Coordination Skills
Negotiation and Convincing Ability
Execution Skills
Numerical Ability

BEHAVIOURAL EVENT INTERVIEWS

Interviewer

Goal

Situation

Style
Theorist

Typical

Nature of

Probes

Data

Why did you..?

General data

To determine the

Interviewer has

interviewees

very little

and

general

direct

explanation of

approach to the

experience of the

why she did

job

interviewees

something

style of
working or her
job
Fact finder

To determine the

A placement

How many..?

Detail of the

details of the

interview to put

How much?

task

interviewees

someone who

When?

requirements

experience or

has been hired

For how long?

of the job

accomplishments

for an

held

appropriate job
Fortune teller

To determine

Applicant for the

What would you

Interviewees

what

job or

do if..?

expressed

the interviewee

promotion has

intention or

would

not had to

theory about

BEHAVIOURAL EVENT INTERVIEWS

Interviewer

Goal

Situation

Style

Typical

Nature of

Probes

Data

Therapist

To determine the
interviewees
underlying
feelings,
or motives

The interviewer
is primarily
interested
in
helping or
understanding
the complex
feelings of the
interviewee

Tell me about
yourself..
So you felt

Abstract
emotional
statements
about the
interviewees
reaction to
particular event

BEI Interviewer

To find out exactly

what
the
interviewee
did on the job

Interviewer
wants to find out
whether
the
interviewee
operating style is
similar to
outstanding
holders of the
job

What led up to
it?
Who
was
involved?
What did you
want to do,
feel or think?

Detailed
examples of the
interviewees
performance
on the job or
during the
course of an
event.