Competencies are revolutionizing how human resource programs operate and the role they play in organizations.  HR was once considered a primarily administrative function.  In many companies the HR function has become the driving force in change implementation with the introduction of competency-based recruitment, selection, deployment, salaries, training and development.  Defining and developing "core competencies" has become one of the dominant themes in strategic management. 

A competency model or competency profile identifies the competencies and their associated proficiency levels required to perform a job at a high level.

A proficiency level describes the specific depth of competencies required to the tasks associated with a specific job.

A  job description defines what a job is, while a competency profile describes how one performs the job well.

One way to look at performance problems is to ask, "if their lives depended on it, could these workers achieve the performance objectives that have been established?"  If the answer is "yes," then performance can be best improved by using positive reinforcement to produce greater effort and/or more effective behaviors.  If the answer is more likely "no," then the workers may lack the competencies they need.  If you are not competent - lacking the knowledge, skills,  or abilities needed - no level of effort will produce high levels of performance.

Nothing can de-motivate a worker faster than to ask him/her to perform at a level, for which, they lack the necessary competencies.  Without the ability to perform, they are being set up for failure no matter how hard they try.  Much of the initial resistance to change is an expression of employees' fear of failure.  This is why it is so important to be sure all employees are provided with appropriate training they will need to perform up to the levels needed to achieve the performance objectives established for change initiatives.

We strongly support the development of competency-based HR programs that can produce, "the right number of people, in the right place, at the right time, with the competencies necessary to achieve performance objectives."  If people can be sure of the help and support they need to develop required competencies, they will have more confidence in their ability to adapt to change.

If people don't trust that the organization will always help them to develop the competencies needed to implement change successfully, then most employees will have a "wait and see" attitude about change or resist change outright.  Building the confidence and trust that the right training and development resources will be made available, can have a significant impact on minimizing resistance to change and increasing the speed with which change can occur. 

Competency models should be up-dated and/or new profiles developed for every job covered by the changes being planned.  There are three recommendations we can make to enable the development of accurate and useful competency models - produced fast because their development holds up training needed to implement change initiatives.  First, develop a Competency Dictionary that is divided into groups of competencies that make sense for how your organization organizes its work.  Second, use a Work Matrix that is organized in a way similar to that of the competency dictionary.  In this way, the new work methods produced by planned change initiatives can be documented in the Work Matrix then, translated into competency models using the Competency Dictionary.  Third, decentralize and delegate responsibility for the development of competency profiles to operating units.  Corporate competency modeling "experts" can facilitate the development of competency models, but line units should have "ownership" and primary responsibility for their development.  Operating personnel best understand the work being performed and the competencies required to reach performance objectives.

Each change target's competencies should be evaluated in terms of the competencies required to achieve planned performance objectives.  Competency "gaps" can then be summed and used as input to acquiring training resources.

We encourage the use of testing no "certify" that training programs, once conducted, have indeed produced the competencies that they were intended to produce.  Certification provides feedback and reinforcement to training participants that builds confidence in their abilities and helps to reduce their anxiety about achieving their performance objectives.  Certified training results serves to evaluate training effectiveness and provides reinforcement for those designing and conducting the training. 

It has been our experience that competency-based HR programs and certified training are two of the keys to developing a company that is Wired for Change - capable of implementing change effectively and faster than their competitors.  These are two of the requirements for developing change management as a core organizational competency and source of sustainable competitive advantage.

Key #3

Developing
the
Competencies
to Perform

"I passed the test; I have what it takes to perform well;  I'm certified."