| Effective use of competency frameworks | | | | the organisation or section in question.The |
| provides employees with a clearly-defined set | | | | difference between behaviour skills and |
| of personal development objectives and | | | | knowledge can be examined through occupations |
| managers with a consistent measurement tool | | | | which require the driving of a motor |
| that could be used across geographical, | | | | vehicle.Firstly, a courier driver requires |
| cultural and work boundaries.The concept is | | | | the behaviour, skills and knowledge as |
| simple. To complete any task, people need to | | | | follows.Behaviour; the driver must be |
| have the behaviour, skills and knowledge to | | | | courteous, punctual and not too much of a boy |
| undertake the task. Defining the behaviour, | | | | racer in the traffic as we don't want to |
| skills and knowledge (competence) to | | | | accumulate fines. Skills; must be able to |
| undertake a set of tasks (a job) and | | | | drive a car, evidenced by a licence, read a |
| measuring the competence of people allows | | | | street directory and able to use a hand held |
| managers and employees to understand the gap | | | | computer to access orders, make payments etc. |
| between desired and demonstrated competence | | | | Knowledge; must know the road rules, again |
| and develop a plan to close the gap.Many | | | | evidenced by a licence, our delivery and |
| organisations however fail in their attempts | | | | credit terms and our returns policy.Secondly, |
| to build a framework to proactively manage | | | | let us examine another driver, a specific one |
| competencies.The major reason for failure is | | | | whose name is Michael Schumacher. Herr |
| that competence frameworks are developed and | | | | Schumacher needs to have the following skills |
| implemented with no clear business purpose in | | | | behaviour and knowledge.Behaviour; has ice |
| mind. Without a business purpose, there is no | | | | cool nerves, steely determination and |
| objective on which to base design decisions | | | | confidence in his ability to the point of |
| as the framework is built. The resultant | | | | arrogance. Skills; a much higher level of |
| design is usually flawed, serving too many | | | | driving skill than our courier driver, a |
| masters and is discontinued after a year or | | | | licence will not suffice as evidence, able to |
| two of use.Competency development frameworks | | | | change gears by pressing buttons and have |
| built with a clear business purpose in mind | | | | reflexes measured in milliseconds. Knowledge; |
| suffer from other fatal flaws limiting the | | | | must know the racing line of every Grand Prix |
| use of and belief in the framework. | | | | track, the relationship between track, tyre |
| Frameworks built which confuse tasks with | | | | and suspension set up.Designing a framework |
| competency are usually complex and difficult | | | | with competencies defined at different |
| to administer and therefore are difficult to | | | | levels, eg driving ability in the above |
| communicate to employees.For a framework to | | | | example, allows a range of jobs to be |
| be successful, not only do managers need to | | | | described using the same competency set. |
| believe that business performance will | | | | Typically, a competency framework will have |
| improve, but employees also need to believe | | | | between three and five levels of each |
| that the framework, especially the | | | | competency defined.If significantly more than |
| measurement of competence, is fair and | | | | twelve competencies need to be defined to |
| transparent.A common fault of competency | | | | cover the range of jobs in an organisation, |
| frameworks is that they confuse competence | | | | it is better to develop separate linked |
| with task. Tasks are better positioned in the | | | | frameworks. The linkage comes through the |
| job description. Frameworks which confuse | | | | behaviours and some of the skills. Behaviours |
| tasks with competencies generally have | | | | are closely related to the values and |
| between forty and fifty "competencies" | | | | organisation desires and therefore the |
| described. Each job description tends to have | | | | requirement is likely to be the same in |
| between twenty and thirty competencies to be | | | | different functions. Some skills will also be |
| evaluated in an employee.In the early days of | | | | the same, for example, communication. |
| the internet, before people were careful | | | | However, the knowledge requirement of |
| about what they put in the public domain, I | | | | different functions is normally quite |
| stumbled across NASA's competency framework. | | | | different.Good competency frameworks will be |
| It was huge with hundreds of listed | | | | easy to administer, easy to understand and |
| "competencies" and resembling a list of all | | | | built for a business purpose. Bad competency |
| of the tasks that astronauts and the support | | | | frameworks will confuse competency and task |
| staff do. It was doomed to fail to deliver | | | | and be difficult to administer and understand |
| any business purpose other than being a | | | | and will have been built without an obvious |
| repository from which to write the "tasks" | | | | business purpose.Kevin Dwyer is Director of |
| part of job descriptions.Competency | | | | Change Factory. Change Factory helps |
| development frameworks should have about | | | | organisations who do do not like their |
| twelve competencies to describe and measure | | | | business outcomes to get better outcomes by |
| to be successful in the long term. Any more | | | | changing people's behaviour. Businesses we |
| makes them difficult to administer and | | | | help have greater clarity of purpose and |
| communicate. The competencies need to cover | | | | ability to achieve their desired business |
| the range of behaviours, skills and knowledge | | | | outcomes. |
| required to complete the tasks undertaken by | | | | |