Sample Question - Competency Mapping
QUESTION
My company is undertaking a Job Evaluation exercise, along with competency mapping. Competency mapping is an area which has been least explored in India.I would like relevant information on Competency mapping , along with references so as to develop my skills.
ANSWER
Competency Mapping is a process of identify key competencies for an organization and/or a job and incorporating those competencies throughout the various processes (i.e. job evaluation, training, recruitment) of the organization. To ensure we are both on the same page, we would define a competency as a behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or ability.
The steps involved in competency mapping with an end result of job evaluation include the following:
1) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position information questionnaire(PIQ). This can be provided for incumbents to complete, or you can conduct one-on-one interviews using the PIQ as a guide. A sample PIQ that we use when conducting this step with our clients was provided to this client. The primary goal is to gather from incumbents what they feel are the key behaviors necessary to perform their respective jobs.
2) Using the results of the job analysis, you are ready to develop a competency based job description. A sample of a competency based job description generated from the PIQ was provided to this client. This was developed after carefully analyzing the input from the represented group of incumbents and converting it to standard competencies.
3) With a competency based job description, you are on your way to begin mapping the competencies throughout your human resources processes. The competencies of the respective job description become your factors for assessment on the performance evaluation. Using competencies will help guide you to perform more objective evaluations based on displayed or not displayed behaviors.
4) Taking the competency mapping one step further, you can use the results of your evaluation to identify in what competencies individuals need additional development or training. This will help you focus your training needs on the goals of the position and company and help your employees develop toward the ultimate success of the organization.
To help you with the implementation of these steps and attached tools, we would recommend you consider reading the following materials. In addition, you may wish to email one of our clients that just went through this process (contact information for this client was provided).
Additional Resources:
The Art and Science of Competency Models: Pinpointing Critical Success Factors in Organizations by Richard Lepsinger, Anntoinette D. Lucia
Building Robust Competencies: Linking Human Resource Systems to Organizational Strategies by Paul C. Green
Human Resources Champion by David Ulrich