If Your Company Has a Competency Model

Research-Based
Approach

Strategic Approach

Value-Based Approach

Interview(Superior Performers)

Dynamic environment

Detailed process needed to

achieve business results

Asked to tell specific stories about

performance

Describe skills, attitudes

&behaviours

Look for those values which drive

that behaviour

Themes developed by analysing &

grouping

Focus on helping the business to

move in new direction

Certain competencies which are

reflection of those values

Indication of competency that led

to past performance
Ex- Highly effective executives of
start-up division may share stories
about past success due to timely
decisions

Ex- Consulting with new client,

prediction of skills for success

Ex-Ritz-Cartlon -Looks for Customer

satisfaction and hence service
values.
Competency: Team work, Integrity

If Your Company Has a Competency Model(Contd.)

Is the model actually used or waste of time or money?

How should managers talk about it and use it?

Start with orientation of new hires

Talk to new employees about what it takes to get

ahead

Using stories making people understand instead of

giving competency model

Recognition to those who display it rightly to create

value

Using competency profile for career development

For ex- Progress from one level to next depends on

If companies have well developed model, but poorly

understood

Managers at whose behest the model has been developed

and they have left the organisation

Developed years ago and irrelevant now

Reluctance of senior managers to engage in teaching

Managers can make it work by reviewing the competencies

with employees in meetings and discussing about it

Explaining what each competency mean in a particular

setting

Explain what is superior performance and what they are

striving for

a) Time period
b) Results
c) Development of a progressive level of
competency in skills deemed to be
important

If Your Company Does Not Have a Competency Model(Contd.)

Building the success Manual

Divide experienced employees in groups of 4-6

Ask each group to record answers on flip chart

paper

Tom Gillett has developed a simple list of competencies

, which could be trained to new employees

They talked about superior performers

Decided 3 competencies based on them

Bottoms-Up Approach

Everyone is knowledgeable and make meaningful

What does someone have to do to be
contributions
successful here?

For each competency described a set of anchors

or examples

Taught these to new employees and uses

developmental coaching extensively

What results must we achieve to be

successful?
What are the most important processes for the
members of the group to follow that lead to
success?
What does someone have to do to fail or get in
trouble here