COMPETENCY MAPPING

Over the past 10 years, human resource and organizational development professionals have
generated a lot of interest in the notion of competencies as a key element and measure of
human performance. Competencies are becoming a frequently-used and written-about vehicle
for organizational applications such as:

* Defining the factors for success in jobs (i.e., work) and work roles within the organization
* Assessing the current performance and future development needs of persons holding jobs and
roles
* Mapping succession possibilities for employees within the organization
* Assigning compensation grades and levels to particular jobs and roles
* Selecting applicants for open positions, using competency-based interviewing techniques

Competencies include the collection of success factors necessary for achieving important results
in a specific job or work role in a particular organization. Success factors are combinations of
knowledge, skills, and attributes (more historically called "KSA's") that are described in terms of
specific behaviors, and are demonstrated by superior performers in those jobs or work roles.
Attributes include: personal characteristics, traits, motives, values or ways of thinking that impact
an individual's behavior.

Origin of Management including Competency Mapping:

Chanakya's Arthshastra, an ancient Indian script/ book on Political Science and Administration,
written some 3000 years ago. Other names of Chanakya were Mr. Kautilya, and Mr. Vishnu
Gupt. Constitutions of all the major countries have origin in this book. It could be Indian
Constitution, Irish, Canadian, USA, Australian, etc. and even British unwritten constitutions have
roots imbibed in this book. It is the towering book in which you find the basics and applications of
Management Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Military and War techniques, Basic Engineering and
Technologies, Ethics, Legal and Judiciary and Fiduciary system, Values, Psychology, and
Anthropology, Organization Behavior, Human Resource Management. In fact major basics of all
Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, basics of Management Models, are
been directly lifted with some modification from this book. Great efforts of Chanakya by all
means; and one of the greatest contributions to the world. You may call Arthshastra as a
Classical book once if you read, you will find other subjects easy any time in your life.

If Geeta, Bible, Kuran, Gurugranthsahib, Adi Granth, Vedas, Vedanta are classical scripts in
spirituality then Arthshastra is one of the classical book for above mentioned subjects. In fact all
the classical scripts have everything put in gist to live normal life happily. It is said that once you
master classical books everything becomes easier in later part of life and work.

Competence is a standardized requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job. It

encompasses a combination of knowledge, skills and behavior utilized to improve performance.
More generally, competence is the state or quality of being adequately or well qualified, having
the ability to perform a specific role.

For instance, management competency includes the traits of systems thinking and emotional
intelligence, and skills in influence and negotiation. A person possesses a competence as long
as the skills, abilities, and knowledge that constitute that competence are a part of them,
enabling the person to perform effective action within a certain workplace environment.
Therefore, one might not lose knowledge, a skill, or an ability, but still lose a competence if what
is needed to do a job well changes.
The competencies have five characteristics, namely:

* Motives: Things a person consistently thinks about or wants that cause action, motives
drive, direct and select behavior towards certain actions. Example achievement
motivation people consistently set challenging goals for themselves, take responsibility for
accomplishing them and use the feedback to do better

* Traits: Physical characteristics and consistent responses to situations. Good eyesight is

physical traits of a pilot. Emotional Self Control and initiative are more complex consistent
responses to situations.

* Self Concept: A person's attitude value or self image. A person's values are reactive or
respondent motives that predict what a person would do in the short run. Example: A
person who values being a leader would be more likely to exhibit leadership behavior.

* Knowledge (Information a person has in a specific work area) Example: An

accountant's knowledge of various accounting procedures.

* Skill (is the ability to perform certain mental or physical tasks) Example: Mental
competency includes analytical thinking. The ability to establish cause and affect
relationship.

The four general competences are:

• Meaning Competence: Identifying with the purpose of the organization or community

and acting from the preferred future in accordance with the values of the organization or
community.
• Relation Competence: Creating and nurturing connections to the stakeholders of the
primary tasks.
• Learning Competence: Creating and looking for situations that make it possible to
experiment with the set of solutions that make it possible to solve the primary tasks and
reflect on the experience.
• Change Competence: Acting in new ways when it will promote the purpose of the
organization or community and make the preferred future come to life.

Types of competencies

1. Organizational competencies — unique factors that make an organization competitive

2. Job/Role competencies—things an individual must demonstrate to be effective in a job, role,
function, task, or duty, an organizational level,
or in the entire organization.
3. Personal competencies—aspects of an individual that imply a level of skill, achievement, or
output

Types of competencies

MANAGERIAL

Competencies which are considered essential for staff with managerial or supervisory
responsibility in any service or program area, including directors and senior posts.
Some managerial competencies could be more relevant for specific occupations, however they
are applied horizontally across the Organization, i.e. analysis and decision-making, team
leadership, change management, etc.

GENERIC

Competencies which are considered essential for all staff, regardless of their function or level,
i.e. communication, program execution, processing tools, linguistic, etc.

TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL

Specific competencies which are considered essential to perform any job in the Organization
within a defined technical or functional area of work, i.e. environmental management, industrial
process sectors, investment management, finance and administration, human resource
management, etc.

Levels of Competency

1. Practical competency - An employee's demonstrated ability to perform a set of tasks.

2. Foundational competence - An employee's demonstrated understanding of what and

why he / she is doing.

3. Reflexive competence (An employee's ability to integrate actions with the

understanding of the action so that he / she learn from those actions and adapts to the
changes as and when they are required.

4. Applied competence - An employee's demonstrated ability to perform a set of tasks

with understanding and reflexivity.

Application levels of a competency

ADVANCED

Demonstrates high level of understanding of the particular competency to perform fully and
independently related tasks.

Frequently demonstrates application that indicates profound level of expertise. Can perform
adviser or trainer roles. Work activities are carried out consistently with high quality standards.

PROFICIENT

Demonstrates a sound level of understanding of the particular competency to adequately

perform related tasks, practically without guidance. Work activities are performed effectively
within quality standards.

KNOWLEDGEABLE

Demonstrates a sufficient understanding of the particular competency to be used in the work

place, but requires guidance Tasks or work activities are generally carried out under direction.

COMPETENCY MAPPING
Competency mapping is a process through which one assesses and determines one's strengths
as an individual worker and in some cases, as part of an organization. It generally examines two
areas: emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ), and strengths of the individual in areas
like team structure, leadership, and decision-making. Large organizations frequently employ
some form of competency mapping to understand how to most effectively employ the
competencies of strengths of workers. They may also use competency mapping to analyze the
combination of strengths in different workers to produce the most effective teams and the
highest quality work.

The steps involved in competency mapping with an end result of job evaluation include the
following:

1) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position information

questionnaire (PIQ). This can be provided for incumbents to complete, or you can
conduct one-on-one interviews using the PIQ as a guide. The primary goal is to gather
from incumbents what they feel are the key behaviors necessary to perform their
respective jobs.

2) Using the results of the job analysis, you are ready to develop a competency based job
description. A sample of a competency based job description generated from the PIQ
may be analyzed. This can be developed after carefully analyzing the input from the
represented group of incumbents and converting it to standard competencies.

3) With a competency based job description, you are on your way to begin mapping the
competencies throughout your human resources processes. The competencies of the
respective job description become your factors for assessment on the performance
evaluation. Using competencies will help guide you to perform more objective evaluations
based on displayed or not displayed behaviors.

4) Taking the competency mapping one step further, you can use the results of your
evaluation to identify in what competencies individuals need additional development or
training. This will help you focus your training needs on the goals of the position and
company and help your employees develop toward the ultimate success of the
organization.

Behavioral event interview

A behavioral interview is a structured interview that is used to collect information about past
behavior. Because past performance is a predictor of future behavior, a behavioral interview
attempts to uncover your past performance by asking open-ended questions. Each question
helps the interviewer learn about your past performance in a key skill area that is critical to
success in the position for which you are interviewing. The interview will be conducted face-to-
face whenever possible.

Using the STAR Technique

In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask questions about your past experiences. A
useful way to prepare for this style of questioning is to use the STAR technique. The STAR
technique is a way to frame the answers to each question in an organized manner that will give
the interviewer the most information about your past experience. As you prepare to answer each
question, consider organizing your response by answering each of the following components of
the STAR technique:
What was the Situation in which you were involved?
What was the Task you needed to accomplish?
What Action(s) did you take?
What Results did you achieve?

Repertory grid

The repertory grid is a technique for identifying the ways that a person construes his or her
experience. It provides information from which inferences about personality can be made, but it
is not a personality test in the conventional sense.

A grid consists of four parts.

1. A Topic: it is about some part of the person's experience

2. A set of Elements, which are examples or instances of the Topic. Any well-defined set
of words, phrases, or even brief behavioral vignettes can be used as elements. For
example, to see how I construe the purchase of a car, a list of vehicles within my price
range could make an excellent set of elements

3. A set of Constructs. These are the basic terms that the client uses to make sense of
the elements, and are always expressed as a contrast. Thus the meaning of 'Good'
depends on whether you intend to say 'Good versus Poor', as if you were construing a
theatrical performance, or 'Good versus Evil', as if you were construing the moral or
ontological status of some more fundamental experience.

4. A set of ratings of Elements on Constructs. Each element is positioned between the

two extremes of the construct using a 5- or 7-point rating scale system; this is done
repeatedly for all the constructs that apply; and thus its meaning to the client is captured,
and statistical analysis varying from simple counting, to more complex multivariate
analysis of meaning, is made possible.

Step 1

The individual or group begins with a repertory grid, pen or pencil, and five to eight blank cards.

Step 2

Then the elements are written across the top of the grid.

Step 3

After this, the subject(s) write numbers on one side of the cards which correspond with the
elements at the top of the grid.

Step 4

The cards are turned face down, shuffled, and then three cards are drawn at random.

Step 5
 The subject(s) mark on the grid which three elements were drawn with an "X". They then
decide: "Out of the three elements chosen, which two seem to have something more in
common with each other?" These two elements are connected with a line.

Step 6

Always on the left side of the grid, the subject(s) will describe what aspect these two elements
share. On the right side, they will express what it is that makes the third element different from
the other two. (If this is too difficult, people are allowed to write something they believe to be the
opposite of the left hand construct).

Step 7

Finally, the elements are rated to the constructs. Each element is rated to the constructs on a
scale of one to five, with the left construct as "1" and the right construct as "5". For example, on
a scale of 1 to 5, with "1" being most like a "lesson carefully designed for students needs" and
five as "giving students second language activities just to kill the time", we see that the subject(s)
rated the element, "students are happy" as more like the left construct, with a rating of "2", the
element, "students are active" as like the right construct, with a rating of "5", "students retain L2"
as like the left side with a rating of "1", and so on.

One the first row has been rated, the individual or group turn the three cards over, shuffle them,
and begin the process all over again. They may reshuffle in the case of drawing the same three
card combination as before.

Repertory grids were an invention of the late George Kelly, a mid-West American engineer
turned psychologist/psychotherapist who wrote up his work in the '50s. They consist of a
rectangular matrix of ratings of things called "elements" (usually placed in the columns) each
rated on adjectival phrases or simple adjectives known as "constructs".

The following is an example, a grid from an (imaginary) forensic psychotherapy patient:

"You to"Your "You to"Your "You to"Your "You to"Your "You to"Your
your mother your father your partner your victim your therapist
mother" to you" father" to you" partner" to you" victim" to you" therapist" to you"
Domineering 2 3 4 4 5 4 2 4 5 6
Sexually 2 2 3 3 6 4 5 4 4 2
attractive
Easily 2 3 5 2 4 6 4 6 5 4
controlled
Rejecting 4 4 3 5 6 4 3 2 5 5
Loving 5 6 3 4 6 5 2 4 6 3
Neglecting 2 2 4 4 5 4 4 2 6 5
Sexually 2 5 3 6 6 3 2 4 2 2
intimidating
Protective 1 5 1 1 5 5 1 3 2 1
Understanding 4 4 2 4 3 4 4 2 4 2

The elements here are directional relationships:

"Your therapist to you"
i.e. the first element represents the way he thinks he is toward his mother, the second is how he
thinks she is toward him.

Critical incident technique

The CIT is a method for getting a subjective report while minimising interference from
stereotypical reactions or received opinions. The user is asked to focus on one or more critical
incidents which they experienced personally in the field of activity being analysed. A critical
incident is defined as one which had an important effect on the final outcome. Critical incidents
can only be recognised retrospectively.

CIT analysis uses a method known as Content Analysis in order to summarise the experiences
of many users or many experiences of the same user.

The Critical Incident Technique (or CIT) is a set of procedures used for collecting direct
observations of human behavior that have critical significance and meet methodically defined
criteria. These observations are then kept track of as incidents, which are then used to solve
practical problems and develop broad psychological principles. A critical incident can be
described as one that makes a significant contribution - either positively or negatively - to an
activity or phenomenon. Critical incidents can be gathered in various ways, but typically
respondents are asked to tell a story about an experience they have had.

CIT is a flexible method that usually relies on five major areas. The first is determining and
reviewing the incident, then fact-finding, which involves collecting the details of the incident from
the participants. When all of the facts are collected, the next step is to identify the issues.
Afterwards a decision can be made on how to resolve the issues based on various possible
solutions. The final and most important aspect is the evaluation, which will determine if the
solution that was selected will solve the root cause of the situation and will cause no further
problems.

Advantages

• Flexible method that can be used to improve multi-user systems.

• Data is collected from the respondent's perspective and in his or her own words.
• Does not force the respondents into any given framework.
• Identifies even rare events that might be missed by other methods which only focus on
common and everyday events.
• Useful when problems occur but the cause and severity are not known.
• Inexpensive and provides rich information.
• Emphasizes the features that will make a system particularly vulnerable and can bring
major benefits (e.g. safety).
• Can be applied using questionnaires or interviews.

Disadvantages

• A first problem comes from the type of the reported incidents. The critical incident
technique will rely on events being remembered by users and will also require the
accurate and truthful reporting of them. Since critical incidents often rely on memory,
incidents may be imprecise or may even go unreported.
• The method has a built-in bias towards incidents that happened recently, since these are
easier to recall.
 • It will emphasize only rare events; more common events will be missed.
• Respondents may not be accustomed to or willing to take the time to tell (or write) a
complete story when describing a critical incident.

COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT

Competency assessment involves the measurement of an individual's competencies. Measures

include cognitive ability tests, biodata instruments, structured interviews, job knowledge tests,
diagnostic and promotion tests, and measures of customer service, and social skills. With the
advent of increased agency responsibility for staffing decisions, valid personnel selection
assessments are more critical than ever. The Office of Personnel Management's research and
development staff are experts in producing selection methods that can be tailored to specific
agency needs.

Key Features

• Selection methods cover the entire spectrum of job-relevant abilities, including reasoning
and social skills, and are offered in a variety of formats:

o Multiple-choice tests, either computer-based or paper and pencil

o Structured interviews
o Biodata questionnaires
o Job-knowledge tests
o Social skills inventories
o Executive assessment centers
o Language-learning ability tests
o Physical performance tests
o Professional examinations for managers and executives

• Complete documentation of development process and validity analysis

• Nationwide network of test administrators can effectively and efficiently administer tests of
OPM design

Why You May Want To Use These Services

• Increased productivity
• Enhanced diversity of candidates

Assessment Center Exercises An Assessment Center can be defined as "a variety of testing
techniques designed to allow candidates to demonstrate, under standardized conditions, the
skills and abilities that are most essential for success in a given job" (Coleman, 1987). The term
"assessment center" is really a catch-all term that can consist of some or all of a variety of
exercises. Assessment centers usually have some sort of in-basket exercise which contains
contents similar to those which are found in the in-basket for the job which is being tested. Other
possibilities include oral exercises, counseling simulations, problem analysis exercises, interview
simulations, role play exercises, written report/analysis exercises, and leaderless group
exercises (Coleman, 1987; Filer, 1979; Joiner, 1984). Assessment centers allow candidates to
demonstrate more of their skills through a number of job relevant situations (Joiner, 1984).

360 DEGREE FEEDBACK

In human resources or industrial/organizational psychology, 360-degree feedback, also known
as 'multi-rater feedback', 'outsource feedback', or 'outsource assessment', is employee
development feedback that comes from all around the employee. "360" refers to the 360
degrees in a circle. The feedback would come from subordinates, peers, and managers in the
organizational hierarchy, as well as self-assessment, and in some cases external sources such
as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders. It may be contrasted with upward
feedback, where managers are given feedback by their direct reports, or a traditional
performance appraisal, where the employees are most often reviewed only by their manager.

The results from 360-degree feedback are often used by the person receiving the feedback to
plan their training and development. The results are also used by some organizations for making
promotional or pay decisions, which is sometimes called "360-degree review."

Benefits

• Individuals get a broader perspective of how they are perceived by others than previously
possible.
• Increased awareness of and relevance of competencies.
• Increased awareness by senior management that they too have development needs.
• More reliable feedback to senior managers about their performance.
• Gaining acceptance of the principle of multiple stakeholders as a measure of
performance.
• Encouraging more open feedback — new insights.
• Reinforcing the desired competencies of the business.
• Provided a clearer picture to senior management of individual's real worth (although there
tended to be some 'halo' effect syndromes).
• Clarified to employees critical performance aspects.
• Opens up feedback and gives people a more rounded view of performance than they had
previously.
• Identifying key development areas for the individual, a department and the organization
as a whole.
• Identifying strengths that can be used to the best advantage of the business.
• A rounded view of the individual's/ teams/ organization's performance and what the
strengths and weaknesses are.
• Raised the self-awareness of people managers of how they personally impact upon
others — positively and negatively.
• Supporting a climate of continuous improvement.
• Starting to improve the climate/ morale, as measured through the survey.
• Focused agenda for development. Forced line managers to discuss development issues.
• Perception of feedback as more valid and objective, leading to acceptance of results and
actions required.
• Gaps are identified in one's self-perception versus the perception of the manager, peer or
direct reports.
• Customizing the questions to one's organizational competencies.

http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC1051/fc1051.html

For competency mapping work sheet :

http://www.umncphp.umn.edu/competency/supplements/mapping.pdf
Competency mapping involves the process by which we determine:
The nature and scope of a specific job role, the skills required, the level of knowledge required,
and the behavioral capacities required to apply those skills and knowledge in that role. Often the
information/data gathering process involves interviews with individuals experienced in the
position as well as observation of the role being performed. Behavioral competencies are
derived from the raw data, and competencies defined, selected, and prioritized. A great
resource to consult is "Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance" (Lyle Spencer
with Signe Spencer) and "The Art and Science of Competency Models" (Anntoinette D. Lucia
with Richard Lepsinger) .

Competency Mapping is a process of identify key competencies for an organization and/or a job
and incorporating those competencies throughout the various processes (i.e. job evaluation,
training, recruitment) of the organization. To ensure we are both on the same page, we would
define a competency as a behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or ability.

The steps involved in competency mapping with an end result of job evaluation include the
following:

1) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position information

questionnaire(PIQ). This can be provided for incumbents to complete, or you can conduct
one-on-one interviews using the PIQ as a guide. A sample PIQ that we use when
conducting this step with our clients was provided to this client. The primary goal is to
gather from incumbents what they feel are the key behaviors necessary to perform their
respective jobs.

2) Using the results of the job analysis, you are ready to develop a competency based job
description. A sample of a competency based job description generated from the PIQ was
provided to this client. This was developed after carefully analyzing the input from the
represented group of incumbents and converting it to standard competencies.

3) With a competency based job description, you are on your way to begin mapping the
competencies throughout your human resources processes. The competencies of the
respective job description become your factors for assessment on the performance
evaluation. Using competencies will help guide you to perform more objective evaluations
based on displayed or not displayed behaviors.

4) Taking the competency mapping one step further, you can use the results of your
evaluation to identify in what competencies individuals need additional development or
training. This will help you focus your training needs on the goals of the position and
company and help your employees develop toward the ultimate success of the
organization.

Implementing competency mapping process (View Comments)

Sonam Bhatia

Posted On Friday, October 23, 2009 at 03:44:27 PM

Human competence is the most important element which leads to the success of any business.
The organisation has to make a “buy or make choice.” It is not possible to buy all the talent
externally; rather organisations need to develop talent internally by ensuring that an employee
holding a particular job position is equipped with the right kind of skills at a right time and cost. It
is due to this reason that competency mapping has gained so much relevance in the present
scenario.

To understand the meaning of Competency Mapping we need to understand the meaning of

competency and competence.

Competency - It refers to the desired level of attitude, knowledge and skills required to do a job
in the best possible manner.

Competence – It refers to the actual level of knowledge, skills and attitude possessed by the
employee holding a particular job position.

Competency mapping is the process of finding out the difference between the desired level of
competency required by a particular job position and actual level of competency possessed by
the employee holding that job position. The process of competency mapping can be used in
recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, succession
planning, coaching and various other areas of HR.

Following are the steps to be followed to carry out the competency mapping process:

Identify the positions to be studied: The first step in competency mapping is to identify the job
positions to be studied and while doing competency mapping we need to keep in mind that it is
done for job positions and not for persons holding job position.

Job analysis: The next step is to conduct the job analysis of the selected job position through
observation, questionnaire, interview method, diary method, log record, critical incident method
or with the help of panel of experts.

Prepare job description and job specification to identify the KRA’ s and KPA’s: Based on
the information taken through the job analysis, prepare competency based job description and
job specification and also identify the KRA’s and KPA’s for each job position.

Identify the required competencies: Based on identifying the KRA’s and the KPA’s for each
job position identify 6-7 most crucial competencies required to do a job.

Preparing a competency dictionary: Once the competencies are identified the next step is to
prepare a competency dictionary. For this, the competency has to be defined first and then using
the behaviorally anchored rating scales the competencies need to be classified into 3-level or 5-
level rating scale.

Preparing a competency matrix: Once the dictionary is prepared and the classification is done
for each competency the next step is to prepare competency matrix clearly showing the level of
competency required for each job position against each competency. The level required for each
job position may be decided either by a brainstorming session with the HR and the management
or through 360 degree feedback depending upon the suitability of the organisation.

Measuring the gaps: Once the matrix is designed the next step is to check the deviation
between the required level of competency and the actual level of competency possessed by the
employee holding a particular job position. The ratings may be given either by the brainstorming
session or through 360 degree feedback depending upon the suitability of organisation.

Thus, these are the steps of competency mapping process and once the gaps are found in the
performance training can be given to employees to fill the gap; it can be used for performance
appraisal. Competency mapping can also be used for coaching and succession planning, and
finally if HR knows exactly the right kind of skills for a particular job position it can acquire as well
as make just the right kind of talent.

The need for competency mapping (View Comments)

Sheetal Srivastava

Posted On Monday, July 27, 2009 at 12:41:33 PM

The economic downturn has made companies sit up and recognise the need to have the
best quality manpower working with them if they are to tide over the financial crisis
looking large over the industry. This is where competency mapping has risen high up in
the priority list for many organisations. Let’s find out

Finding the right fit for the right job is a matter of concern for most
organisations especially in today’s economic crisis. As meeting an "Competency modeling
individual's career aspirations are concerned, once the identifies the precise set of
organisation gives an employee the perspective of what is required competencies and
from him/her to reach a particular position, it drives them to proficiency levels needed
develop the competencies for the same. for every role in the
organisation," Narendra
Competencies enable individuals to identify and articulate what Raje, director - learning and
they offer -regardless of the job. Competency mapping is a process development, Unisys
of identifying key competencies for a particular position in an
organisation, and then using it for job-evaluation, recruitment, training and development,
performance management, succession planning, etc. Introduction of competency mapping has
also involved introducing skill appraisals in performance appraisals.
Need of the hour

“The slowing economy around the world has put new and increased pressure on an
organisation’s capability to get more out of the available resource they have, and this often
translates into pressure on the individual employees. That is where it is important to correlate
performance result with competencies. It is therefore imperative to define a set of core
competencies which corresponds the organisation’s key market differentiator,” says Gyanendra
Acharya, manager - human resources, Hughes Systique Corporation.

The current economic downturn has created a situation for companies to scale down various
overhead costs to meet their growth requirements. “Competency modeling identifies the precise
set of competencies and proficiency levels needed for every role in the organisation. This
system helps identify specific areas of training and maps employee growth to strategic business
needs. During a difficult economic situation, it becomes particularly important for organisations to
sustain their competitive edge in the industry by investing in learning and development programs
that will empower employees to build on their strategic career objectives,” notes Narendra Raje,
director - learning and development, Unisys.

Competency mapping – An important HR tool

Companies have long realised the importance of competency mapping as an important HR

function. This is especially relevant in this recessionary environment where human capital is one
of the most important assets of an organisation and needs to be nurtured. According to Ajay
Trehan, founder, CEO, AuthBridge “There is always a need to have the best quality manpower.
More and more companies are using competency mapping tools to screen and hire people with
specific competencies. There might be a need for a person with excellent writing skills or an
excellent creative mind. When individuals must seek new jobs, knowing one’s competencies can
give one a competitive edge in the market.”

Professional Aptitude Council, a global talent mapping organisation, through its assessment
tests for competency mapping helps companies understand their employees better. PAC has a
set of modules used to help organisations assess their existing talent pool. These tests assess a
person on the basis of Aptitude, Domain Skills, Communication Skills and Personality and
Psychometric fit. "This involves making crucial decisions as to place which employee in which
project, identify core competency area of employees etc. These tools that PAC uses help
organisations plan their training requirements in the long run," notes Naveen Manjunath,
managing director (India) Professional Aptitude Council.

Unisys India has a comprehensive career management framework that helps employees map
their growth paths, lateral or vertical. Each role has a defined set of competencies aligned to
it. “Employees are expected to first acquire the competencies defined for the current role and
then focus on the competencies for a growth role before they are considered eligible for
movement. Unisys University facilitates the mapping of specific learning activities for each
competency required for a role in the organization and has over 4000 training programs, both e-
learning and instructor-led to help bridge any gaps in employee competencies,” adds Raje.
Adding further to this he says, “Unisys India has a robust and transparent Internal Job Posting
(IJP) process to enable employees to get a complete picture of the opportunities available within
the company. With this information, employees are better equipped to make informed career
decisions and equip themselves with the knowledge and skills they require to move up the
career ladder.”

CBay Systems has the advantage of employees delivering and exceeding requisite performance
levels since the former has mapped out competencies that are required to perform specific roles.
“New hires are pegged against these that are required for the role before being hired to ensure
they fit as per their deliverables. Existing employees are periodically reviewed with the help of
assessment tools and based on the gap analysis we provide them necessary training and
development to hone the requisite competency. The action plans for the competency
development outcome based on such assessments are finalised and the entire initiative is
institutionalised,” confirms Sanjay Shanmugaum, vice president - human resources, CBay
Systems.

Competency mapping not only helps know your competencies but also your weak areas which
can be worked upon. Besides increasing employee morale and enhancing productivity, it
induces fresh thinking, fosters innovation and thereby aims to provide an enriching job
experience.

CM PDF
5
Competency Mapping UNIT 8 COMPETENCY MAPPING
Objectives
After completion of the unit, you should be able to:
l understand the concept of job analysis;
l explain the competency approach to job analysis;
l describe the meaning of competency mapping and various methods involved
in it; and
l appreciate the benefits of competency mapping.
Structure
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Competency Approach to Job Analysis
8.3 Uses of Competency Approach in an Organisation
8.4 Benefits of the Competency Approach
8.5 Competency Mapping
8.6 Methods of Competency Mapping
8.7 Summary
8.8 Self Assessment Questions
8.9 Further Readings
8.1 INTRODUCTION
Job analysis refers to the process of examining a job to identify its component parts
and circumstances in which it is performed. The critical concern for you as a job
analyst should be to treat jobs as units of organisation. It acts as a tool which provides
the information base for a wide range of organisational and managerial functions. Job
analysis consists of two functions such as Job Description and Job Specification,
which are closely related to each other. Job description is a broad statement of the
purpose, duties and responsibilities of a job and job specification is a broad statement
which specifies about the job holder, i.e., his/her qualification, experience required etc.
The present unit discusses the competency approach to job analysis and the concept of
competency mapping.
8.2 COMPETENCY APPROACH TO JOB ANALYSIS
A skill is a task or activity required for competency on the job. Competency in a skill
requires knowledge, experience, attitude, and feedback. Performance assessment
criteria clearly define the acceptable level of competency for each skill required to
perform the job. The individual’s level of competency in each skill is measured against
a performance standard established by the organization. These competency skills are
grouped according to a major function of the occupation, and are presented in a twodimensional
chart. Each skill has its own set of “learning outcomes”, which must be
mastered before a competency in the particular skill is acknowledged.
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Performance Management
and Potential Assessment
The competency based job analysis involves the following steps:
a) Identification of major job functions;
b) Identification of skills performed within each of the major job functions;
c) Generation of several drafts to be reviewed by employers and employees and
modified to accurately reflect the skills performed on the job;
d) Development of an occupational analysis chart. The chart is a two-dimensional
spreadsheet chart displaying the major job functions and skills; and
e) Identification of performance standards for each skill using a competency-based
rating scale which describes various levels of performance.
8.3 USES OF COMPETENCY APPROACH IN AN
ORGANISATION
Competency approach is a foundation upon which to build a variety of human
resource development initiatives. This adaptable, flexible, and scalable tool has been
used for the following benefits to the organization:
a) provides a systematic approach to planning training
b) customizes training delivery to the individual or organization
c) evaluates suitability of training programs to promote job competence
d) provides employees with a detailed job description
e) develops job advertisements
f) helps in personnel selection
g) assists in performance appraisals
h) targets training to skills that require development
i) gives credit for prior knowledge and experience
j) focuses on performance improvement
k) promotes ongoing employee performance development
l) identifies employee readiness for promotion
m) guides career development of employees
n) develops modular training curriculum that can be clustered as needed
o) develops learning programmes
8.4 BENEFITS OF THE COMPETENCY APPROACH
There are different approaches to competency analysis.While some competency
studies take months to complete and result in vague statements that have little
relevance to people in the organization but if done well they provide the following
benefits to the organizations:
a) Increased productivity;
b) Improved work performance;
c) Training that is focused on organizational objectives;
d) Employees know up front what is expected of them;
e) Employees are empowered to become partners in their own performance
development; and
f) The approach builds trust between employees and managers
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One of the strong points of this approach is that it requires interaction between the Competency
Mapping
employer and the employee. The job analysis is a catalyst to meaningful discussion of
job performance because the employer and employee have a common understanding of
expectations. This is due to the explicit nature of the competency statements
pertaining to the job. The fact that the employee conducts a self-appraisal of
performance and the employer must confirm this assessment requires a counseling
type of interaction to take place. The growth plan requires input from the employer
and the employee for its development and follow-up.
8.5 COMPETENCY MAPPING
Competency approach to job depends on competency mapping. Competency Mapping
is a process to identify key competencies for an organization and/or a job and
incorporating those competencies throughout the various processes (i.e. job
evaluation, training, recruitment) of the organization. A competency is defined as a
behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or ability.
The steps involved in competency mapping are presented below:
a) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position information
questionnaire(PIQ). This can be provided for incumbents to complete, or used as
a basis for conducting one-on-one interviews using the PIQ as a guide. The
primary goal is to gather from incumbents what they feel are the key behaviors
necessary to perform their respective jobs.
b) Using the results of the job analysis, a competency based job description
is developed. It is developed after carefully analyzing the input from
the represented group of incumbents and converting it to standard
competencies.
c) With a competency based job description, mapping the competencies can be
done. The competencies of the respective job description become factors for
assessment on the performance evaluation. Using competencies will help to
perform more objective evaluations based on displayed or not displayed
behaviors.
d) Taking the competency mapping one step further, one can use the results of one’s
evaluation to identify in what competencies individuals need additional
development or training. This will help in focusing on training needs required to
achieve the goals of the position and company and help the employees develop
toward the ultimate success of the organization.
Activity A
Prepare a Position Information Questionnaire for two jobs you are familiar with and
derive the outcome.
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8
Performance Management
and Potential Assessment 8.6 METHODS OF COMPETENCY MAPPING
It is not easy to identify all the competencies required to fulfill the job requirements.
However, a number of methods and approaches have been developed and successfully
tried out. These methods have helped managers to a large extent, to identify and
reinforce and/or develop these competencies both for the growth of the individual and
the growth of the organization. In the following section, some major approaches of
competency mapping have been presented.
1) Assessment Centre
“Assessment Centre” is a mechanism to identify the potential for growth. It is a
procedure (not location) that uses a variety of techniques to evaluate employees for
manpower purpose and decisions. It was initiated by American Telephone and
Telegraph Company in 1960 for line personnel being considered for promotion to
supervisory positions. An essential feature of the assessment center is the use of
situational test to observe specific job behavior. Since it is with reference to a job,
elements related to the job are simulated through a variety of tests. The assessors
observe the behavior and make independent evaluation of what they have observed,
which results in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the attributes being studied.
It is, however, worth remembering that there is a large body of academic research
which suggests that the assessment centre is probably one of the most valid predictors
of performance in a job and, if correctly structured, is probably one of the fairest and
most objective means of gathering information upon which a selection decision can be
based. From the candidate’s perspective it is important to be natural and to be oneself
when faced with an assessment centre, remembering always that you can only be
assessed on what you have done and what the assessors can observe.
The International Personnel Management Association (IPMA) has identified the
following elements, essential for a process to be considered as assessment center:
a) A job analysis of relevant behavior to determine attributes skills, etc. for
effective job performance and what should be evaluated by assessment center.
b) Techniques used must be validated to assess the dimensions of skills and
abilities.
c) Multiple assessment techniques must be used.
d) Assessment techniques must include job related simulations.
e) Multiple assessors must be used for each assessed.
f) Assessors must be thoroughly trained.
g) Behavioral observations by assessors must be classified into some meaningful
and relevant categories of attributes, skills and abilities, etc.
h) Systematic procedures should be used to record observations.
i) Assessors must prepare a report.
j) All information thus generated must be integrated either by discussion or
application of statistical techniques.
Data thus generated can become extremely useful in identifying employees with
potential for growth. Following are some of the benefits of the assessment center:
a) It helps in identifying early the supervisory/ managerial potential and gives
sufficient lead time for training before the person occupies the new position.
b) It helps in identifying the training and development needs.
c) Assessors who are generally senior managers in the organization find the training
for assessor as a relevant experience to know their organization a little better.
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d) The assessment center exercise provides an opportunity for the organization to Competency
Mapping
review its HRM policies.
Assessment Centre is a complex process and requires investment in time. It should
safeguard itself from misunderstandings and deviations in its implementation. For this,
the following concerns should be ensured:
a) Assessment Centre for diagnosis is often converted as Assessment Centre for
prediction of long range potential.
b) The assessors’ judgment may reflect the perception of reality and not the reality
itself.
c) One is not sure if the benefits outweigh the cost.
Assessment Centre comprises a number of exercises or simulations which have been
designed to replicate the tasks and demands of the job. These exercises or simulations
will have been designed in such a way that candidates can undertake them both singly
and together and they will be observed by assessors while they are doing the exercises.
The main types of exercises are presented below. Most organizations use a
combination of them to assess the strengths, weaknesses and potential of employees.
a) Group Discussions: In these, candidates are brought together as a committee or
project team with one or a number of items to make a recommendation on. Candidates
may be assigned specific roles to play in the group or it may be structured in such a
way that all the candidates have the same basic information. Group discussion allows
them to exchange information and ideas and gives them the experience of working in a
team. In the work place, discussions enable management to draw on the ideas and
expertise of staff, and to acknowledge the staff as valued members of a team.
Some advantages of group discussion are:
l Ideas can be generated.
l Ideas can be shared.
l Ideas can be ‘tried out’.
l Ideas can be responded to by others.
l When the dynamics are right, groups provide a supportive and nurturing
environment for academic and professional endeavour.
l Group discussion skills have many professional applications.
l Working in groups is fun!
A useful strategy for developing an effective group discussion is to identify task and
maintenance roles that members can take up. Following roles, and the dialogue that
might accompany them in a group discussion have been identified.
1) Positive Task Roles: These roles help in reaching the goals more effectively:
l Initiator: Recommends novel ideas about the problem at hand, new ways to
approach the problem, or possible solutions not yet considered.
l Information seeker: Emphasises “getting the facts” by calling for
background information from others.
l Information giver: Provides data for forming decisions, including facts that
derive from expertise.
l Opinion seeker: Asks for more qualitative types of data, such as attitudes,
values, and feelings.
l Opinion giver: Provides opinions, values, and feelings.
l Clarifier: Gives additional information- examples, rephrasing, applications
about points being made by others.
l Summariser: Provides a secretarial function.
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Performance Management
and Potential Assessment
2) Positive Maintenance Roles : These become particularly important as the
discussion develops and opposing points of view begin to emerge:
l Social Supporter: Rewards others through agreement, warmth , and praise.
l Harmonizer: Mediates conflicts among group members.
l Tension Reliever: Informally points out the positive and negative aspects of
the group’s dynamics and calls for change, if necessary.
l Energiser: Stimulates the group to continue working when the discussion
flags.
l Compromiser: Shifts her/his own position on an issue in order to reduce
conflict in the group.
l Gatekeeper: Smoothes communication by setting up procedures and
ensuring equal participation from members.
During an effective group discussion each participant may take up a number of task
and maintenance roles to keep the discussion moving productively.
In addition, there are a number of negative roles which are often taken up in group
discussion. They should be avoided during group discussions. The discussion group
may adopt the ground rule that negative role behaviour will be censured by members
of the group. Described below are some of the negative roles to be avoided:
l Disgruntled non-participant: someone who does not contribute and whose
presence inhibits the participation of other group members.
l Attacker: someone who acts aggressively by expressing disapproval of
other members and their contributions to the discussion.
l Dominator: someone who takes control of the discussion by talking too
much, interrupting other members, or behaving in a patronising way.
l Clown: someone who ‘shows off’, refuses to take the discussion seriously,
or disrupts it with inappropriate humour.
b) In Tray: This type of exercise is normally undertaken by candidates individually.
The materials comprise a bundle of correspondence and the candidate is placed
in the role of somebody, generally, which assumed a new position or replaced
their predecessor at short notice and has been asked to deal with their
accumulated correspondence. Generally the only evidence that the assessors have
to work with is the annotations which the candidates have made on the articles of
mail. It is important when undertaking such an exercise to make sure that the
items are not just dealt with, but are clearly marked on the items any thoughts
that candidates have about them or any other actions that they would wish to
undertake.
c) Interview Simulations/Role Plays: In these exercises candidates meet
individually with a role player or resource person. Their brief is either to gather
information to form a view and make a decision, or alternatively, to engage in
discussion with the resource person to come to a resolution on an aspect or issue
of dispute. Typically, candidates will be allowed 15 -30 minutes to prepare for
such a meeting and will be given a short, general brief on the objective of the
meeting. Although the assessment is made mainly on the conduct of the meeting
itself, consideration are also be given to preparatory notes.
d) Case Studies / Analysis Exercises: In this type of exercise the candidate is
presented with the task of making a decision about a particular business case.
They are provided with a large amount of factual information which is generally
ambiguous and, in some cases, contradictory. Candidates generally work
independently on such an exercise and their recommendation or decision is
usually to be communicated in the form of a brief written report and/or a
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presentation made to the assessors. As with the other exercises it is important Competency
Mapping
with this kind of exercise to ensure that their thought processes are clearly
articulated and available for the scrutiny of the assessors. Of paramount
importance, if the brief requires a decision to be made, ensure that a decision is
made and articulated.
2) Critical Incidents Technique
It is difficult to define critical incident except to say that it can contribute to the
growth and decay of a system. Perhaps one way to understand the concept would be to
examine what it does. Despite numerous variations in procedures for gathering and
analyzing critical incidents researchers and practitioners agree the critical incidents
technique can be described as a set of procedures for systematically identifying
behaviours that contribute to success or failure of individuals or organisations in
specific situations. First of all, a list of good and bad on the job behaviour is prepared
for each job. A few judges are asked to rate how good and how bad is good and bad
behaviour, respectively. Based on these ratings a check-list of good and bad behaviour
is prepared.
The next task is to train supervisors in taking notes on critical incidents or outstanding
examples of success or failure of the subordinates in meeting the job requirements.
The incidents are immediately noted down by the supervisor as he observes them. Very
often, the employee concerned is also involved in discussions with his supervisor
before the incidents are recorded, particularly when an unfavourable incident is being
recorded, thus facilitating the employee to come out with his side of the story.
The objective of immediately recording the critical incidents is to improve the
supervisor’s ability as an observer and also to reduce the common tendency to rely on
recall and hence attendant distortions in the incidents. Thus, a balance-sheet for each
employee is generated which can be used at the end of the year to see how well the
employee has performed. Besides being objective a definite advantage of this
technique is that it identifies areas where counseling may be useful.
In real world of task performance, users are perhaps in the best position to recognise
critical incidents caused by usability problems and design flaws in the user interface.
Critical incident identification is arguably the single most important kind of
information associated with task performance in usability -oriented context.
Following are the criteria for a successful use of critical incident technique:
a) Data are centred around real critical incidents that occur during a task
performance.
b) Tasks are performed by real users.
c) Users are located in their normal working environment.
d) Data are captured in normal task situations, not contrived laboratory settings.
e) Users self report their own critical incidents after they have happened.
f) No direct interaction takes place between user and evaluator during the
description of the incident(s).
g) Quality data can be captured at low cost to the user.
Critical Incidents Technique is useful for obtaining in-depth data about a particular
role or set of tasks. It is extremely useful to obtain detailed feedback on a design
option. It involves the following three steps:
Step 1:Gathering facts: The methodology usually employed through an open-ended
questionnaire, gathering retrospective data. The events should have happened fairly
recently: the longer the time period between the events and their gathering, the greater
the danger that the users may reply with imagined stereotypical responses. Interviews
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Performance Management
and Potential Assessment
can also be used, but these must be handled with extreme care not to bias the user.
There are two kinds of approaches to gather information:
1) Unstructured approach: where the individual is asked to write down two good
things and two bad things that happened when one was carrying out an activity.
2) Moderate structured approach: where the individual is asked to respond to
following questions relating to what happened when he/she was carrying out an
activity.
1) What lead up to the situation?
2) What was done that was especially effective or non- effective?
3) What was the result( outcome)?
Step 2: Content analysis: Second step consists of identifying the contents or themes
represented by the clusters of incidents and conducting “retranslation” exercises
during which the analyst or other respondents sort the incidents into content
dimensions or categories. These steps help to identify incidents that are judged to
represent dimensions of the behaviour being considered. This can be done using a
simple spreadsheet. Every item is entered as a separate incident to start with, and then
each of the incidents is compiled into categories. Category membership is marked as
identical , quite similar and could be similar. This continues until each item is assigned
to a category on at least a “quite similar” basis.Each category is then given a name
and the number of the responses in the category are counted. These are in turn
converted into percentages (of total number of responses) and a report is formulated.
Step 3: Creating feedback: It is important to consider that both positive and negative
feedback be provided. The poor features should be arranged in order of frequency,
using the number of responses per category. Same should be done with the good
features. At this point it is necessary to go back to the software and examine the
circumstances that led up to each category of critical incident. Identify what aspect of
the interface was responsible for the incident. Sometimes one finds that there is not
one, but several aspects of an interaction that lead to a critical incident; it is their
conjunction together that makes it critical and it would be an error to focus on one
salient aspect .
Some of the advantages of critical incident technique are presented below:
a) Some of the human errors that are unconsciously committed can be traced and
rectified by these methods. For example, a case study on pilots obtained detailed
factual information about pilot error experiences in reading and interpreting
aircraft instruments from people not trained in the critical incident technique (i.e.,
eyewitness or the pilot who made the error)
b) Users with no background in software engineering or human computer
interaction, and with the barest minimum of training in critical incident
identification, can identify, report, and rate the severity level of their own critical
incidents. This result is important because successful use of the reported critical
incident method depends on the ability of typical users to recognise and report
critical incidents effectively.
Some of the disadvantages of critical incidents method are presented below:
a) It focuses on critical incidents therefore routine incidents will not be reported. It
is therefore poor as a tool for routine task analysis.
b) Respondents may still reply with stereotypes, not actual events. Using more
structure in the form improves this but not always.
c) Success of the user reported critical incident method depends on the ability of
typical end users to recognise and report critical incidents effectively, but there is
no reason to believe that all users have this ability naturally.
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3) Interview Techniques Competency Mapping
Almost every organisation uses an interview in some shape or form, as part of
competency mapping. Enormous amounts of research have been conducted into
interviews and numerous books have been written on the subject. There are, however,
a few general guidelines, the observation of which should aid the use of an interview
for competency mapping.
The interview consists of interaction between interviewer and applicant. If handled
properly, it can be a powerful technique in achieving accurate information and getting
access to material otherwise unavailable. If the interview is not handled carefully, it
can be a source of bias, restricting or distorting the flow of communication.
Since the interview is one of the most commonly used personal contact methods, great
care has to be taken before, during and after the interview. Following steps are
suggested:
a) Before the actual interviews begins, the critical areas in which questions will be
asked must be identified for judging ability and skills. It is advisable to write
down these critical areas, define them with examples, and form a scale to rate
responses. If there is more than one interviewer, some practice and mock
interviews will help calibrate variations in individual interviewers’ ratings.
b) The second step is to scrutinize the information provided to identify skills,
incidents and experiences in the career of the candidate, which may answer
questions raised around the critical areas. This procedure will make interviews
less removed from reality and the applicant will be more comfortable because the
discussion will focus on his experiences.
c) An interview is a face-to-face situation. The applicant is “on guard” and careful
to present the best face possible. At the same time he is tense, nervous and
possibly frightened. Therefore, during the interview, tact and sensitivity can be
very useful. The interviewer can get a better response if he creates a sense of
ease and informality and hence uncover clues to the interviewee’s motivation,
attitudes, feelings, temperament, etc., which are otherwise difficult to
comprehend.
d) The fundamental step is establishing “rapport”, putting the interviewee at ease;
conveying the impression that the interview is a conversation between two
friends, and not a confrontation of employer and employee. One way to achieve
this is by initially asking questions not directly related to the job, that is, chatting
casually about the weather, journey and so on.
e) Once the interviewee is put at ease the interviewer starts asking questions, or
seeking information related to the job. Here again it is extremely important to
lead up to complex questions gradually. Asking a difficult, complex question in
the beginning can affect subsequent interaction, particularly if the interviewee is
not able to answer the question. Thus it is advisable for the pattern to follow the
simple-to-complex sequence.
f) Showing surprise or disapproval of speech, clothes, or answers to questions can
also inhibit the candidate. The interviewee is over-sensitive to such reactions.
Hence, an effort to try and understand the interviewee’s point of view and
orientation can go a long way in getting to know the applicant.
g) Leading questions should be avoided because they give the impression that the
interviewer is seeking certain kinds of answers. This may create a conflict in the
interviewee, if he has strong views on the subject. Nor should the interviewer
allow the interview to get out of hand. He should be alert and check the
interviewee if he tries to lead the discussion in areas where he feels extremely
competent, if it is likely to stray from relevant areas.
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Performance Management
and Potential Assessment
h) The interviewer should be prepared with precise questions, and not take too
much time in framing them.
Once this phase is over, the interviewers should discuss the interviewee, identify areas
of agreement and disagreement, and make a tentative decision about the candidate. It
will be helpful if, in addition to rating the applicant, interviewers made short notes on
their impression of candidates’ behavior responses; which can then be discussed later.
If the interview is to continue for many days, an evaluation of the day’s work, content
of questions and general pattern of response should be made for possible mid-course
correction.
In addition, a large number of methods have been developed to measure and map
competencies. Most of them are of recent origin and are designed to identify those
skills, attitudes and knowledge that are suited most for specific jobs. Some of these
techniques are briefly presented below:
Activity B
Assume that you are conducting interview for the post of “Marketing Executive” of a
company. Describe how you will perform this job by considering the guidelines
provided in the above section.
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4) Questionnaires
Questionnaires are written lists of questions that users fill out questionnaire and
return. You begin by formulating questions about your product based on the type of
information you want to know. The questionnaire sources below provide more
information on designing effective questions. This technique can be used at any stage
of development, depending on the questions that are asked in the questionnaire. Often,
questionnaires are used after products are shipped to assess customer satisfaction with
the product. Such questionnaires often identify usability issues that should have been
caught in-house before the product was released to the market.
a) Common Metric Questionnaire (CMQ): They examine some of the competencies
to work performance and have five sections: Background, Contacts with People,
Decision Making, Physical and Mechanical Activities, and Work Setting.
The background section asks 41 general questions about work requirements such as
travel, seasonality, and license requirements. The Contacts with People section asks
62 questions targeting level of supervision, degree of internal and external contacts,
and meeting requirements. The 80 Decision Making items in the CMQ focus on
relevant occupational knowledge and skill, language and sensory requirements, and
managerial and business decision making. The Physical and Mechanical Activities
section contains 53 items about physical activities and equipment, machinery, and
tools. Work Setting contains 47 items that focus on environmental conditions and
other job characteristics. The CMQ is a relatively new instrument.
b) Functional Job Analysis: The most recent version of Functional Job Analysis uses
seven scales to describe what workers do in jobs. These are:Things, Data, People,
Worker Instructions, Reasoning, Maths, and Language.
15
Each scale has several levels that are anchored with specific behavioral statements and
Competency Mapping
illustrative tasks and are used to collect job information.
c) Multipurpose Occupational System Analysis Inventory (MOSAIC): In this
method each job analysis inventory collects data from the office of personnel
management system through a variety of descriptors. Two major descriptors in each
questionnaire are tasks and competencies. Tasks are rated on importance and
competencies are rated on several scales including importance and requirements for
performing the task. This is mostly used for US government jobs.
d) Occupational Analysis Inventory: It contains 617 “work elements.” designed to
yield more specific job information while still capturing work requirements for
virtually all occupations. The major categories of items are five-fold: Information
Received, Mental Activities, Work Behavior, Work Goals, and Work Context.
Respondents rate each job element on one of four rating scales: part-of-job, extent,
applicability, or a special scale designed for the element. Afterwards , the matching is
done between competencies and work requirements.
e) Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ): It is a structured job analysis instrument
to measure job characteristics and relate them to human characteristics. It consists of
195 job elements that represent in a comprehensive manner the domain of human
behavior involved in work activities. These items fall into following five categories:
a) Information input (where and how the worker gets information),
b) Mental processes (reasoning and other processes that workers use),
c) Work output (physical activities and tools used on the job),
d) Relationships with other persons, and
e) Job context (the physical and social contexts of work).
f) Work Profiling System(WPS): It is designed to help employers accomplish human
resource functions. The competency approach is designed to yield reports targeted
toward various human resource functions such as individual development planning,
employee selection, and job description. There are three versions of the WPS tied to
types of occupations: managerial, service, and technical occupations. It contains a
structured questionaire which measures ability and personality attributes.
Activity C
Prepare a questionnaire to analyse a particular job with which you are familiar with.
Refer back to the types of questionnaires discussed in the section while structuring
your questions.
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5) Psychometric Tests
Many organizations use some form of psychometric assessment as a part of their
selection process. For some people this is a prospect about which there is a natural
and understandable wariness of the unknown.
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Performance Management
and Potential Assessment
A psychometric test is a standardized objective measure of a sample of behavior. It is
standardized because the procedure of administering the test, the environment in which
the test is taken, and the method of calculating individual scores are uniformly
applied. It is objective because a good test measures the individual differences in an
unbiased scientific method without the interference of human factors. Most of these
tests are time bound and have a correct answer. A person’s score is calculated on the
basis of correct answers. Most tests could be classified in two broad categories:
a) Aptitude Tests: They refer to the potentiality that a person has to profit from
training. It predicts how well a person would be able to perform after training and not
what he has done in the past. They are developed to identify individuals with special
inclinations in given abilities. Hence they cover more concrete, clearly defined or
practical abilities like mechanical aptitude, clinical aptitude and artistic aptitude etc.
b) Achievement Tests: These tests measure the level of proficiency that a person has
been able to achieve. They measure what a person has done. Most of these tests
measure such things as language usage, arithmetic computation and reasoning etc.
8.7 SUMMARY
An effective manager is one who is able to assign jobs to the correct personnel, which
requires perfect job analysis. Job analysis is also useful to make decisions relating to
organisational planning and design, recruitment and selection of personnel, their
training, appraisal and development and other managerial functions. For all these to
happen smoothly there is a requirement of competency approach to job analysis.
8.8 SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
1) Discuss the concept of “Competency Mapping”.
2) Describe the roles that are necessary in group discussion citing suitable
examples.
3) Write short notes on:
a) Assessment Centre
b) Psychometric Tests
c) Interview Techniques
8.9 FURTHER READINGS
Flippo, E.B.(1994) Principles of Personnel Management. New Delhi : Tata McGraw
Hill.
Saiyadain, M.S.(2003) Human Resources Management .New Delhi : Tata McGraw
Hill.
Saiyadain, M.S.(2003) Organisational Behaviour .New Delhi : Tata McGraw Hill.
Sanghi, S.(2004) The Handbook of Competency Mapping. New Delhi: Sage
Publications.

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