The development of a competency model involves researching the competencies possessed by successful and/or exceptional incumbents, that lead to achieving performance objectives. The most common approach being used by New York State agencies is to:
- Develop a list
of potential competencies from a menu of competencies drawn from private
and/or public sources; and
- Through focus groups, surveys, or interviews, determine which apply.
The variables to consider in developing a competency model include:
- The extent to which
you build competencies from scratch or draw from existing models.
- Methods to use
(e.g., focus groups, surveys, or interviews) to identify competencies,
weigh their importance and verify the model.
- Whether to engage a consultant or do it on your own.
The identification of competencies (a.k.a. KSAOs) for the purpose of developing examinations has traditionally been called "job analysis." There are a variety of job analysis techniques that may be used to identify relevant competencies for selection purposes. See Job Analysis Steps for an example of an approach that may be used for traditional job analysis. You could use some of the same elements for competency modeling for other purposes:
- Identify the purpose
of the competency model you are developing.
- Involve subject
matter experts, perhaps supervisors of the titles/level you are working
with who have extensive experience with the title/level.
- Consider using
focus groups or interviews with satisfactory and exceptional employees
in the target titles to generate or confirm information.
- Consider using a survey of incumbents to determine the applicability and importance of the competencies.
Another technique to consider is the behavioral event interview (or critical incident technique) which is an intensive face-to-face interview that involves soliciting critical incidents from performers and documenting what the performers were thinking, feeling, and doing during the incident. A critical incident is a characteristic and challenging event that embodies the most important aspects of the job. (2)
You could also develop behavioral statements to reflect each competency at two or more levels, such as supervisors, mid-level managers, and upper-level managers. Some competencies that apply at one level may not at another.
For more information
on available methods for developing competency models, see Chapter 3 in
David Dubois's book Competency-Based
Performance Improvement. Also see how the State
of Michigan developed their competencies for managers and supervisors.
A competency-based system is no better than its best component. Following are the competency-based system components:
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- Identification/assessment
of desired results: You need to know what organizational performance
you are trying to
achieve in order to identify the "desired state" competencies.
Organizational performance assessment will also provide data to help
evaluate the success of your development efforts.
- Competency models:
You need to identify the competencies that truly have an impact on results.
- Employee competency
assessment: You need to know the competencies of employees in order
to compare them with the desired state (competency model).
- Employee development strategies and resources: You need to have the training and development programs and resources that can address the gap in competencies.
All four components require attention to achieve positive results, ensure efficient utilization of resources, and yield a high return on investment. If the information on results is faulty or insufficient, the wrong competencies may be in the model.
If the model is poorly constructed, the competencies may not accurately link to desired results. You may waste resources developing employees' competencies that are not needed. This could also happen if the method of assessing employees' competencies is inaccurate.
Finally, if staff development is not made a priority with sufficient resources committed to it, the development objectives may not be achieved. Employee and supervisor expectations would not be met and the effort would have a negative impact.
The key to avoiding these problems is to plan for all four components and scale the effort appropriately.
See below for Strategy
and Guidelines for Developing and Using Competencies.
