How to Make Competencies More Useful
By Karen VanKampen, Director of Performance Consulting, CEP

A competency is a behavior or set of behaviors that describes desirable performance in a job, department or function, or organization. Competencies are used in a variety of ways – everything from hiring qualified employees to evaluating job performance to developing training.

From our many years of experience in this business, we’ve seen competencies of every size, shape, and form. Some competencies are described as a characteristic, as in “Accepts responsibility.” Others are described in terms of a skill or knowledge, as in “Prioritizes goals.” But in virtually all cases, the competencies we have seen are far too general to help our clients improve performance consistently across specific jobs or functions.

When competencies are communicated to employees in general terms, it’s usually up to the job performers to interpret if and how the competencies affect their jobs. This can lead to a wide variation in behaviors or actions, leading to inconsistent performance.

At the same time, broadly based competencies produce broadly based training. One of the deceptively attractive attributes of a generally stated competency such as “Be a good leader” is that it easily lends itself to any off-the-shelf training product having to do with leadership. Unfortunately, it is difficult for a generic product to provide learners with the skills and knowledge they need to perform to their organization’s expectations.

For this reason, we are often called upon to help clients drill down to the level of detail needed to turn general competencies into specific performance measures that can drive workforce improvement. Here are some ways to help you make existing competencies more useful:

1. Describe the competency in clearly observable terms
Competencies are descriptions of desired behaviors. Therefore, you should be able to see or hear whether or not people are behaving as desired. Consider what performances your organization would need to see or hear to agree that a job performer is “accepting responsibility” or “prioritizing goals.” If a behavior involves a mental process rather than a physical action, then consider what outputs would prove to you that a person has performed the behavior.

2. Determine how well the competency needs to be performed
For each competency, it is critical to assign observable and measurable criteria. This will allow you to assess if employees are performing at the level of competence needed to achieve organizational goals. It also lets employees know how well they need to perform their jobs and how their performance will be measured. Without specific performance criteria, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to use competencies to evaluate performance.

3. Break down the competency into specific skills
Developing a list of behaviorally based, observable and measurable competencies is not, however, an end in and of itself. It is equally as important to ensure that employees are capable of performing their jobs at the level of competency your organization requires. Therefore, the next step is to drill down to the specific skills, knowledge, and characteristics required for employees to perform to expectations.

A Case in Point
Consider the following example of an Account Representative who must “accept responsibility.”

By following these steps to further clarify competencies, you will find it easier to:

• Develop a targeted training solution or locate an appropriate off-the-shelf product that provides th especific skills, knowledge, and characteristics employees need to meet the organization’s needs.
• Provide needed tools to support the performance of the competencies.
• Evaluate job performance against the competencies.
• Assess the skills, knowledge, and characteristics of job candidates.

Resources that can help:
Mager, Robert F. 1997. Goal Analysis: How to clarify your goals so you can actually achieve them. 3d ed. Atlanta: The Center for Effective Performance, Inc.

_______. 1997b. Making Instruction Work: A step-by-step guide to designing and developing instruction that works. 2d ed. Atlanta: The Center for Effective Performance, Inc.

Our award-winning consulting experts can conduct a competency analysis on your behalf. For a free consultation, please contact Kim Homa at khoma@cepworldwide.com or 770-458-4080.

CEP can also teach you the skills to conduct the analysis needed to transform general competencies into specific performances. To find out about the Criterion-Referenced Instruction Workshop or our other train-the-trainer workshops, click here.