Typical performance level categories are:
- Does not meet expectations
- Meets expectations
- Exceeds expectations
COMPETENCY MODELING
What?
A competency model refers to a collection of competencies that are needed for effective job performance. Competencies are the demonstration of the critical knowledge, skills, or abilities needed to perform in the job. A competency model provides a consumable, actionable framework for understanding the needs of a role or function.
Why?
Performance Management: Provide behavioral examples to inform employee goals and drive effective job performance.
Learning & Development: Organize learning resources in support of personal and career development.
Selection & Assessment: Focus and structure tools to assess talent.
Workforce Planning: Analyze and forecast workforce supply and demand, assess gaps, and determine target talent management interventions.
Succession Planning: Create strategies for passing on leadership roles.
Characteristics and Skills
The two general classes of competencies are:
-
Core Leadership Competencies: Leadership competencies that apply globally, differentiated by job level
-
Functional Competencies: Functionally–specific knowledge, skills, and abilities which vary by function/sub–function and/or job title
Our competency modeling services focus on identifying the skills and behaviors that represent the vision of the organization and that can be communicated to the workforce so that employees understand what is expected of them and how to progress in their careers. The results of competency modeling serve as the foundation of performance management, career management, talent sourcing, assessment and hiring tools and processes. Competency models differ from traditional specifications of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) in that the focus is on combining important behaviors into categories that communicate a clear link to business strategy, key aspects of the culture and, in many cases, the aspirations of the organization.
In that sense, competency models tend to be developed for broad classes of jobs (e.g., managers of managers), while knowledge and skill specifications are built for specific jobs.
Competency Models
The Development and Validation Process
An APTMetrics project team works with your HR experts and senior executives to distill out the specific skills and unique characteristics that describe successful employees in each specific role.
- Collect and review current job state and relevant information
- Conduct interviews with Leaders to capture future vision, talent needs and anticipated changes
- Develop draft competency models
- Ensure competency appropriateness across intended regions and functions
- Review and adjust models with Leaders
- Administer online validation survey to Leaders
- Analyze collected survey data to confirm models
- Complete technical documentation
We can then build performance assessments for evaluating existing employees, develop guides employees can use for their growth and career development plans, create interviews and other selection tools for hiring appropriate talent, and determine criteria for promotion and succession planning.
An Integrated Approach
Talent Strategy
Create Change Management plan
Define competency roadmap
Competency Development / Validation
Develop and validate competencies
Deliver Change Management materials
Process Redesign
Develop / revise and validate process and tools
Design supporting materials
Systems Integration
Integrate with Talent Management systems
Schedule regular evaluations and continuous improvement of systems and processes
Core Leadership Competency Structure
Performance Evaluation Standards are differentiated by both performance level and job level.
Example Results
For the standard: Achieves Results — Sets and achieves challenging goals and takes ownership or results.
Exceeds Expectations:
Consistently sets challenging and realistic goals with clear, detailed plans and metrics for self and others and drives organization toward breakthrough results.
Meets Expectations:
Establishes challenging goals with clear, detailed plans and metrics for self, employees, and organization and models personal commitment to achieving outstanding results.
Does Not Meet:
Does not hold self personally accountable for own, team’s, or organization’s performance and/or uses poor methods to track results.
Exceeds Expectations:
Establishes challenging and realistic goals with clear, detailed plans and metrics for self and others, and is committed to achieving outstanding results.
Meets Expectations:
Establishes challenging goals with clear, detailed plans, priorities, and metrics for self, others, and achieves solid results.
Does Not Meet:
Does not hold self personally accountable for own or team’s performance, uses poor methods to track results, or does not allocate resources to top priorities.
Exceeds Expectations:
Establishes challenging and meaningful goals for self and is personally committed to achieving outstanding results and proactively tracks own and team’s progress toward goals.
Meets Expectations:
Establishes challenging goals for self and achieves expected results and tracks own progress toward goals.
Does Not Meet:
Does not hold self accountable for own performance and results and blames others.
Functional Competency Proficiency Levels
Different job levels may require greater proficiency in certain competencies than others. Typically, there are four proficiency levels associated with the competencies: Foundational or Learning, Proficient or Applying, Advanced or Leading, and Expert. However, these levels and their definitions can be adapted to fit each company’s specific models.
Expert: An individual is known as an expert in this area. They can provide guidance, troubleshoot and answer questions related to this area of expertise and the field where the skill is used.
Advanced / Leading: An individual can perform the actions associated with this skill without assistance. They are recognized as “a person to ask” when difficult questions arise regarding the competency or skill.
Proficient / Applying: An individual is able to successfully complete tasks in this competency as requested. Help from an expert may be required from time to time, but they can usually perform the skill or competency independently.
Foundational / Learning: An individual has a common knowledge or an understanding of basic techniques and concepts.
Example Results
Competency: BUSINESS-MINDED LEADER
Be a thought leader with the ability to understand global business objectives and enterprise risks and ensure the work supports those objectives. This includes being curious about and understanding the goals of the business, how different functions contribute to the success of the company, how operational and financial business decisions are made, how the company fits into the broader industry landscape, and how the company brings value to shareholders, customers and partners globally.
This also includes the ability to anticipate, be nimble and respond to emergent issues, draw connections between business strategy and commercial and access strategy to support the company in driving innovative solutions that address customer and business needs in compliance with regulatory and legal requirements, as well as to challenge others to be more customer-centric in making business decisions.
Expert: An individual is known as an expert in this area. They can provide guidance, troubleshoot and answer questions related to this area of expertise and the field where the skill is used.
- Anticipate business and customer needs, and adjust strategy to effectively support the success of the business and demonstrate at an enterprise level the impact the company has on customers and other stakeholders.
- Influence and shape the current and future objectives, goals, and mission of the enterprise when developing and leading company strategies.
- Leverage a deep understanding of the inter-dependencies among the functional areas of the organization, and use that to drive strategy to deliver on business objectives.
- Facilitate creativity and drive innovation on the team to deliver the competitive edge that comes with novel solutions and process improvements within the regulatory environment.
Advanced: An individual can perform the actions associated with this skill without assistance. They are recognized as “a person to ask” when difficult questions arise regarding the competency or skill.
- Effectively communicate to team members how their work contributes to the success of the business and the impact it has on customers and other stakeholders.
- Leverage knowledge of organizational objectives, goals, and mission to shape and support broader organizational initiatives.
- Leverage knowledge of the inter-dependencies among functional areas of the organization to inform decisions, provide recommendations, and drive the success of the business.
- Leverage creative thinking and encourage creative thinking in others to develop and implement innovative solutions to meet the demands of the function and/or the organization within regulatory requirements.
Proficient: An individual is able to successfully complete tasks in this competency as requested. Help from an expert may be required from time to time, but they can usually perform the skill or competency independently.
- Apply an understanding of how one’s work contributes to the success of the business and the impact it has on customers and other stakeholders to achieve strategic outcomes.
- Apply knowledge of organizational objectives, goals, and mission when working on Communications initiatives to drive strategic objectives.
- Apply an understanding of the functional areas of the organization within scope and gain familiarity with other functional areas and their inter-dependencies to support the strategic aims of the business.
- Leverage connections among business and commercial strategy to develop and apply innovative solutions that address business needs within regulatory requirements.
Foundational: An individual has a common knowledge or an understanding of basic techniques and concepts.
- Understand how one’s work contributes to the vision and mission of the company, and apply understanding as it relates to company’s ability to benefit customers and other stakeholders.
- Understand and apply understanding of how your team supports the goals of the business.
- Become familiar with the functional areas of the organization within scope and apply that familiarity to contribute to the success of the business.
- Become familiar with business strategies as well as internal regulations.
Competency: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND NETWORKING
The ability to develop and maintain quality relationships and partnerships with key, influential,external and internal stakeholders to accomplish objectives. Know how to develop long–term based relationships with key partners. Build and leverage influential networks to identify opportunities, form strategic alliances, and open communication channels. Inform, educate, and advise business, legislative, and regulatory leaders.
- Proactively facilitates, aligns, and mobilizes long–term based alliances with key stakeholder leadership and external management boards with different orientations to accomplish strategic objectives for the enterprise.
- Develops and executes strategies for advancing company’s transparency, trust, and credibility with external stakeholders.
- Is sought after by internal and external leaders as a key networking partner and catalyst for forming strategic alliances.
- Actively seeks out, develops, and enhances highly engaged and long–term based alliances with key senior internal and external stakeholders to accomplish strategic objectives.
- Leads and coaches others in developing and maintaining transparency, trust, and credibility in relationships with others.
- Proactively creates wide, expansive internal and external networks with senior and influential leaders and other stakeholders to form strategic alliances.
- Develops and maintains relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to accomplish objectives.
- Actively builds and fosters transparency, trust, and credibility in relationships with others.
- Proactively builds and leverages influential networks to identify opportunities and open communication channels.
- Observes relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to understand objectives.
- Works to establish transparency, trust, and credibility in relationships with others.
- Begins to establish networks to identify opportunities and open communication channels.
Additional Reading
