Competency mapping is a process organizations use to identify and define the skills, knowledge, abilities, and behaviors their employees need to be successful at work. The mapping process involves creating a comprehensive framework that outlines the specific competencies required for different job positions within an organization. This approach first gained momentum in the 1970s when Harvard psychologist David McClelland suggested intelligence and traditional achievement scores may not be the best way to anticipate job success. Since then, many others have expanded on his argument with models and methods for competency mapping across industries.

1. Chapter 5
Competency Mapping

2. History of Competence
• Competence is the set of demonstrable characteristics and skills that
enable and improve the efficiency or performance of a job.
• The term "competence" first appeared in an article authored by R.W.
White in 1959 as a concept for performance motivation.
• In 1970, Craig C. Lundberg defined the concept in "Planning the
Executive Development Program". The term gained traction when in
1973, David McClelland wrote a seminal paper entitled, "Testing for
Competence Rather Than for Intelligence".
• It has since been popularized by Richard Boyatzis and many others, such
as T.F. Gilbert (1978) who used the concept in relationship to performance
improvement. Its use varies widely, which leads to considerable
misunderstanding.

3. Competence v/s Competency
• Competence refers to an individual's capacity to perform job
responsibilities.
• Competency focuses on an individual's actual performance in a
particular situation

4. Competence v/s Performance
• Competence is the ability of an individual to perform one's duties or
being adequately qualified in order to do so.
• Performance is an activity or the accomplishment of a given task. ... It
is difficult to assess competence without evaluating the performance.

5. Skill v/s Competencies

6. Skills are the specific learned abilities that you need to perform a given
job well.
• Examples, depending on the specific role, range from handling
accounts and coding to welding or writing tenders.
• There is a distinction, however, to be made between hard skills and
soft skills.
• Whereas a hard skill is a technical and quantifiable skill that a
professional may demonstrate through their specific qualifications and
professional experiences,
• a soft skill is a non-technical skill that is less rooted in specific
vocations. An example of a hard skill, then, may be computer
programming or proficiency in a foreign language, whereas a soft skill
may be time management or verbal communication.

7. Competencies, on the other hand, are the person’s knowledge and
behaviors that lead them to be successful in a job.
• Examples of competencies, then, include the improvement of business
processes, strategic planning and data-based decisions.
• Competencies effectively explain how an individual’s behaviors bring
about the desired results in their role.
• As with skills, there are various types of competencies – including
core competencies, which are those that any successful employee
requires to rise through an organization.
• In the words of marketer Aja Davis Isble, “…a core competency is
something that is core to you and how you work – so it is something
that could potentially set you apart from every other candidate.”

8. Behaviour Indicators
A behavioral indicator is used in an assessment or development Centre
to provide an objective description (or indication) of the behavior that
you might view from the candidate that provides evidence that they
either have or do not have the competency that you are assessing.
Behavioral indicators can therefore be positive or negative.
• For example, if you were to assess the competency of “manages
conflict well”, having defined the actual competency to ensure it is
fully understood by all assessors or observers, you would then need to
produce a list of possible positive and negative behavioral indicators
for this competency. In this example, some of the indicators might be:

9. • Positive Behavioral Indicator:
asks other people for their perspective, draws out the feeling of the
group, listens to others before evaluating
• Negative Behavioral Indicator:
makes decisions without considering the views of others, makes
excessive “I” statements rather than working towards satisfying
mutual interests
During the assessment or development center, the assessors or observers
will keep a list of which of these indicators arise and when; this will
enable objective and easy scoring of the candidates on the competency
under assessment.

10. Types of Competencies
Organizational
competencies
Core
competencies
Technical
competencies
Behavioural
competencies
Functional
competencies
Management com
petencies

11. • Organizational competencies: The mission, vision, values,
culture and core competencies of the organization that sets
the tone and/or context in which the work of
the organization is carried out (e.g. customer-driven, risk
taking and cutting edge). How we treat the patient is part of
the patient’s treatment.
• Core competencies: Capabilities and/or technical expertise
unique to an organization, i.e. core competencies differentiate
an organization from its competition (e.g. the technologies,
methodologies, strategies or processes of
the organization that create competitive advantage in the
marketplace). An organizational core competency is an
organization’s strategic strength.

12. • Technical competencies: Depending on the position, both
technical and performance capabilities should be weighed
carefully as employment decisions are made. For example,
organizations that tend to hire or promote solely on the basis
of technical skills, i.e. to the exclusion of other competencies,
may experience an increase in performance-related issues
(e.g. systems software designs versus
relationship management skills)
• Behavioral competencies: Individual performance
competencies are more specific than organizational
competencies and capabilities. As such, it is important that
they be defined in a measurable behavioral context in order
to validate applicability and the degree of expertise (e.g.
development of talent)

13. • Functional competencies: Functional competencies are job-
specific competencies that drive proven high-performance,
quality results for a given position. They are often technical
or operational in nature (e.g., “backing up a database” is a
functional competency).
• Management competencies: Management competencies
identify the specific attributes and capabilities that illustrate
an individual’s management potential.
Unlike leadership characteristics, management characteristics
can be learned and developed with the proper training and
resources. Competencies in this category should demonstrate
pertinent behaviors for management to be effective.

14. Context and Relevance of competencies in
modern organizations - Benefits

15. • Competency management can identify which skills a person
needs to perform well in order to succeed in their specific
role.
• This ability to identify which skills are necessary for a job
means that HR can better identify the candidates that will
succeed in the role.
• Employee onboarding and training is made easier, as there is
a structure in place. Employees who receive clear, defined
instructions of their job parameters will do better in their
roles.
• Productivity is improved by the ability to evaluate skills,
identify which ones an employee is lacking, and providing
the necessary training.

16. • Errors and other issues will be decreased as a result of this improved
training.
• Employee retention is improved, employees who feel that their
leadership team is investing in them are more likely to stay in their
job, keeping their valuable skills and knowledge within the
organization.
• Better understanding of what skills are necessary for the organization
to grow and succeed in the future, as well as the ability to select or
train for these skills in new and current employees.
• Leaders can be created from within. Leadership opportunities are
important to employees, and building a skilled, loyal leadership team
through effective competency management will engage employees and
turn them into long-term assets.

17. • Identifying the core competencies of a role creates a stronger
employee.
• Understanding and clearly communicating the values and
skills that are required to succeed in that role will allow the
employee to spend their time more productively, mastering the
required skills, rather than trying to understand what is
expected of them.
• A strong culture of competency management will allow for a
company to develop both employee and organizational
competency, adding value to the company as a whole.
• Increasingly, this type of management will make a difference
in recruiting and keeping the most talented employees

18. Transcultural Managerial Competencies

20. Proficiency Level of Competency
• It describes the degree to which an employee possesses a competency
and is the same for all competencies.
• The scale ranges from proficiency levels 1-5:
NA - Not Applicable.
1 - Fundamental Awareness (basic knowledge)
2 - Novice (limited experience)
3 - Intermediate (practical application)
4 - Advanced (applied theory)
5 - Expert (recognized authority

21. Key Competencies

22. SOME WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR COMPETENCE
Find how you can develop your competence to keep employers interested in you. Below there are some
ways.
• On the job learning and training is an important way of developing competence.
• Participate in new projects / working groups in your workplace.
• Attend training courses / seminars / conferences in and outside your company.
• Pursue doctoral studies.
• Study for another complementary degree.
• Read and study on your own, use e-learning possibilities.
• Do web research on specific professional items.
• Write articles in magazines, scientific periodicals or on the web to make yourself known as a professional.
• Learn through networking and discussion groups inside and outside your company / organization.
• Join expert groups of technical organizations.
• Reflect on what you have done and learned. That will deepen the knowledge and help you look at things
from new angles. Share and communicate your knowledge and expertise in professional groups,
engineering associations by giving lectures, coaching or training.