Question

Research “competency models” answering the following questions:

1. How are they used in organizations?

2. How can competencies accurately reflect the job that needs to be done well?

at least 600 word

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeStyle/Mechanics

Properly cites all ideas/ info from other sources using APA format. Paper is neat/shows attention to detail. Rules of spelling, grammar, usage, punctuation are followed.
Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Words used are precise and unambiguous.

All key elements are covered thoroughly. Major points are supported by specific details/examples. Thoughts are developed thoroughly. Content is factually correct.

Answer 1

Answer of question 1

Being human resource expert people often asked me “How do companies use competency models? Well, my answer is that in my view in organization setting competency models are used all the time to address employee related issues, let me explain how:

• Competency Models Aid Recruitment (and Retention)

Competency models enable better recruiting to take place in organizations. Consider a scenario in which a hiring manager asks various candidates for a front line manager position: “Give me an example of how you would facilitate career development in your team.” If you have a competency model for “facilitating career development” that outlines what that skill looks like at various levels of proficiency, you can better judge their answers.

The hiring manager can identify what skill gaps exist among the candidates being interviewed, for example, and compare them. More importantly, they can determine the risk, training, and duration required to close any gaps and fill positions. In other words, competency models help ensure that the best candidates are selected—and will be more likely to stay.

• Competency Models Support Onboarding (and Retention)

A competency model can help new hires become familiar with the nuances of their jobs. It can help them gauge their skill level against the model and determine any gaps they need to close to be successful. When mapped to learning opportunities, competency models enable your new hires to own their professional development—and their ability to close those skill gaps—so they can immediately begin their journey toward competency and skill proficiency.

• Competency Models Close Skill Gaps and Boost Individual Skill Development (and Retention)

In essence, competency models provide each person with a road map for how to be great. They communicate what someone in a particular role needs to do to not only perform specific tasks, but also to achieve the mission and strategy. When embedded into a competency assessment tool—after a self-assessment—a competency model provides each person with a baseline that pinpoints any skill gaps and recommends development activities.

In this way, the competency model can intrinsically drive achievement motivation. That is, competency models enable autonomy/self-direction, mastery, and purpose—all of which Daniel Pink explains are the key motivators for most people in his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. What’s more, research shows that the more competent people become, the more engaged and satisfied they become. And, yes, that leads to retention.

• Competency Models Facilitate the Development of L&D Action Plans

When people assess their skills against the competency model, the organization is also conducting real needs analysis. The results of these assessment help the L&D function uncover specific learning opportunities it should develop and deliver to employees. This information aids in budget planning and scheduling—eliminating waste that typically exists using traditional evaluation methods, such as interviewing leaders.

Answer of question 2

In my view competencies encompasses the knowledge, skills, abilities, traits and behaviors that allow an individual to perform a task within a specific function or job. The value of competencies in a job role has been widely explored. For example, in the 1990’s the LBA Consulting Group conducted a study that focused on identifying the factors that most contributed to the creation and sustenance of organizational excellence. The study examined organizations that had survived and prospered, and those that had failed, over a 25-year period. The results of the study suggested that six human resource conditions have to be met. These conditions were a performance-oriented culture, low turnover, high levels of employee satisfaction, a cadre of qualified replacements, effective investment in employee compensation and development, and the use of institutional competencies (success factors) in employee selection and performance evaluation processes (Berger & Berger, 2004). Mitrani et al. (1992) mention the need for competency and predict that organizations of the future will be built around people. They add that there will be less emphasis on jobs as the building blocks of an organization; instead increased attention will be focused on employee competence. If we are using people as the building blocks of an organization, then competence or what they bring to the job becomes crucial. The competencies are used for selection and assessment is based on classifying, identifying, and measuring individual differences for particular work-related constructs that are relevant to successful job performance.

In my view individual’s competencies represent capability that the individual brings to the job situation as required by the responsibilities of the job. These job requirements can be considered the job demands on an individual. Competencies are certain characteristics or abilities of an individual that enable them to demonstrate appropriate specific actions. Effective job performance is the attainment of specific results or outcomes required by the job through those specific actions while maintaining or being consistent with policies, procedures and conditions of the organizational environment. In summary, the job demands component reveals primarily what an individual is capable of doing; and reveals why they may act in certain ways (Boyatzis, 1982). In order to identify the job-specific competencies that will fit with the other two elements of the model of effective job performance, mentioned previously, the researchers used a concept from the preceding model as a guideline for this study.

From the literature cited above it can be summarized that, competencies accurately reflect the job and plays important role in playing role in achieving the objectives of that particular