Discuss the concept of competency mapping.

Discuss the concept of competency mapping. How does it help development of an organization? Explain with the help of examples from the organization you are familiar with. Briefly describe the organization you are referring to.


Answer. Competency can be defined as the process of identifying key attributes and skills for each position and process within the company. Competency mapping is of great importance in any organization.


Competency mapping plays a vital role in selecting, recruiting and retaining the right people. When the competency required for a particular position is mapped, an accurate job profile is created. With the job profile well defined, the entire recruitment process becomes easier. The candidate who applies for the position is aware of what the position demands. The interviewers who interview the candidate are sure of what to look for in him. This increases the chances of retention as the new employee and the company know what to expect from each other. Too often, ambiguity about the roles desired by the company and the expectations carried by the new employee is a cause of disappointment for both the employee and employer after the employee joins the company.


Competency Mapping Process
The competency mapping process does not fit the one-size-fits all formula. It has to be specific to the user organization. It is better to develop models that draw from but are not defined by existing research, using behavioral interview methods so that the organization creates a model that reflects its own strategy, its own market, its own customers, and the competencies that bring success in that specific context (including national culture). Start with small, discrete groups or teams, ideally in two directions-a ‘horizontal slice’ across the business that takes in a multi-functional or multi-site group, more or less at the same organizational level, and a ‘vertical slice’ taking in one whole department or team from top to bottom. From that, the organization can learn about the process of competency modeling, and how potential alternative formats for the models may or may not fit the needs of the business.



It is important to focus on one or two key areas of implementation rather than the whole HRD agenda in one scoop. So if recruitment and selection or performance management are the key strategic needs of the business, and where the pain is being felt, then start there. It is advisable to begin with a ‘horizontal’ slice of the management or senior-most team as the benefits will percolate down to the whole organization.




Methodology for designing: The most effective route to employ recognized best- practice internal research methodology using behavioral event interview (BEI) techniques to selectively sample the target population (supplemented with expert panels and ‘Competency Requirement Questionnaires’ to engage wider population samples) and so build up the models from the data that emerges. This data should be triangulated against clear top-down input in terms of organizational strategy and business objectives, and also against external research relevant and analogous to the organization’s situation-not as a driver, but as a reference point. Once the behavioral data is collected, it should be sorted, categorized and leveled carefully to create models that are both concise and comprehensive, simple and sophisticated. Developing BEI skills within the organization has the added benefit that once the model is complete, it can be used more effectively by transferring these skills to selection interviewing, development assessments, and so on.


International organizations must ensure that the methodology does not screen-out those competencies that do not match the culturally-influenced pre-conceptions of the head office (wherever it is situated) of what high-performance competencies are. This is a common error…the universalist, all-powerful ‘global leadership model’.


Competency Based Employee Development
To some extent, many employee development initiatives have functioned as a response—to a crisis or a trend—rather than a strategic, long-term HR component designed to provide the organization with the necessary bench strength when the organization needs it. What is missing in many employee development efforts is a strategic link that aligns the organization's long-term success with its employees' competencies and life-career needs and preferences in ways that benefit both parties.



Why should organizations take a competency-based approach to employee development? To win the proverbial war for talent, managers should focus on involving people strategically and investing in their career ambitions, even at the risk of losing them. Many workers are interested in understanding their place in the overall organization, and this fit can be defined in terms of how well each one contributes his or her talents in meaningful ways to the organization's competency pool.


No longer is salary necessarily the reason for employees to leave one organization for another. Individuals have unique needs and require a performance arena in which those needs can be met. If the current work setting does not provide an appropriate arena, they will seek another one, perhaps in a different work assignment in the same organization or in another organization. Consequently, it is to an organization's advantage to achieve the greatest alignment possible between its employees' work and life-career preferences and the work it needs to accomplish.


Our approach to competency-based employee development serves as the essential strategic link between organizations and their employees by emphasizing the development of worker competencies and global competence in ways that benefit the organization as well as the worker. Both workers and organization leaders must be satisfied with their answers to the question "What's in it for me?" A competency- based approach shifts the focus from job-specific training to development of competencies that can be applied in many situations.


To ensure that employee development is competency based, senior managers need to endorse employee development plans that address two key issues. First, the effort must develop those employee competencies that are aligned with achievement of the organization's strategic business objectives. Second, the plans must also address employees' issues in identifying and meeting their life-career needs.


The Advantages of Competency-Based Employee Development
The process enables senior managers to communicate the
organization's competency needs in a clear, straightforward manner to all employees. At the same time, its use expresses management support of employees, who are viewed as an important factor in organizational success. A comprehensive competency-based process provides employees with the tools for taking charge of their life-careers and work development by exploring and understanding their interests, values, aptitudes, personality factors, current areas of competence, and the competencies they need to build for future life-work roles and responsibilities. The concept of life-career becomes an integral part of the organization's employee development philosophy.

Example
CBaySystems has a vision, approach, and perspective on how hospitals and physician practices operate by looking beyond traditional boundaries to solve these challenges using technology.


Building on the success of other industries that look to the global stage for business services, cBay developed a similar service model for healthcare business solutions addressing such back office processes as medical transcription and receivables management.


CBay Systems has the advantage of employees delivering and exceeding requisite performance levels since the former has mapped out competencies that are required to perform specific roles. New hires are pegged against these that are required for the role before being hired to ensure they fit as per their deliverables. Existing employees are periodically reviewed with the help of assessment tools and based on the gap analysis we provide them necessary training and development to hone the requisite competency. The action plans for the competency development outcome based on such assessments are finalized and the entire initiative is institutionalized.

Competency mapping not only helps know your competencies but also your weak areas which can be worked upon. Besides increasing employee morale and enhancing productivity, it induces fresh thinking, fosters innovation and thereby aims to provide an enriching job experience.