Recently there have been a number of organizations
who have implemented
competency based hr programs with varying degrees of
success. While there is no
“silver bullet” that works for every organization,
there are seven steps you can take
to increase the probability of a competent outcome.
To develop an enduring and functional program you need
to focus on identifying a small core set of competencies
that differentiate your star managers from everyone
else. Ideally if you have multiple lines of business
and/or operate globally, this core should apply across
the board. More than ten or so competencies will result
in a process too unwieldy to work effectively. Keep
in mind the core will normally be supplemented by two
or three technical or knowledge specific competencies
for particular job family applications.
An effective competency based management development
program
will end up touching every aspect of your organization.
Unless you
have visible clear support from your CEO and key management,
no
matter how sound the program is and the level of ‘ground
swell’ you
think you can create, it will be doomed to joining other
program
binders on the shelf. The best way to go is to have
the CEO
champion the program.
Once you have come up with the core set of competencies
you will
need to build a defining set of behavioral statements
to support each
competency. The easiest way to do this is through your
top
managers. Ask them to provide two or three specific
behavioral
examples for each competency that are exemplary of their
best
performers. Integrate and cull these down so that you
end up with
about 5 behavioral examples that reflect the range of
top performance
for each competency across your lines of business and
regions of
operation.
Even though you (hopefully) have relied on management
to help you
build and review both the competencies and related behaviors,
you
will want to ask specific managers from each of your
business units
and across your geographic regions to review the final
material for
applicability in their area. This helps to avoid superficial
acceptance
of a ‘corporate’ built program that they
don’t intend on using because
it does not work in their setting.
A critical step to having a competent program is integrating
the core
competencies into all of your HR processes. Ultimately
this means
that your recruiting, selection, assessment, performance
management,
training, promotion, development and succession planning
and reward
systems all should be based on the same core competencies.
Too
many organizations use one set of competencies for selection,
another
for promotion, yet another or even none for succession
planning, etc.
This ends up being confusing for your employees and
frequently
results in very mixed messages as to what is valued
at the
organization.
As you build each of the HR programs it pays to start
with a limited
try out in the field to make sure that all of the instructions,
forms,
programming routines (if you are implementing an electronic
intra- or
internet based process) work from the end-user’s
perspective as you
intended. This is particularly important where one process
is
interdependent on another. For example in succession
planning you
would need to have performance instruments done first
before you
could identify bench strength based on the core competencies
across
your key management. Or, if you have a training program
linked to
evaluations on each competency, you will want to make
sure that
scoring profiles link up with the correct modules.
Done properly the defining behaviors should be able
to function
without modification for at least a few years. The core
competencies
should similarly be effective for at least as long if
not longer. You
should consider revising a behavior and/or competency
when either it
is hard to understand, frequently misapplied, misevaluated,
or no
longer relevant due to a change in your organization’s
business focus.
The job specific technical or knowledge competencies
that
complement the core competencies may change with greater
frequency based on the level of sophistication or technological
dependency of the specific job. For example think of
the rapid
changes in knowledge competencies for individuals involved
in
computer related jobs over the past few years.
These seven steps will help you develop
a competency based program that
works because it captures the essence of your organization.
The process is
certainly involved but should result in an integrated
and focused foundation
for all of your HR programs. If you are just beginning
or considering starting,
I would highly recommend you talk with
several individuals who have a
competency based program in place at their respective
organizations. Find
out what works and what does not in each of their systems.
“Lessons
learned” can save you and your organization a
tremendous amount of time,
effort and money!
Jeff Daum is CEO of Competency Management
Incorporated (CMI), a global
human resources consulting firm. He is a psychologist
with more than 30 years
applied experience in over 42 countries.
Copyright © 2003 Competency Management
Incorporated MI USA
©2003 TABIC.
All rights reserved.
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