1. The Promise of theCompetency ApproachHelena D Cooper-Thomas Psychology DepartmentUniversity of Auckland

2. OverviewWhere do competencies come from? Vocational/ Educational Behavioural StrategicWhat is performance?Models of performanceWhere do competencies fit?What are the purported benefits ofcompetencies?What are the possible risks of competencies?Has the promise of competencies been fulfilled? 3. Where do Competencies come from?Vocational/ Educational Apprenticeships in medieval guilds Defined, externally-awarded standards of competence eg. UKnational vocational qualifications, US Office of EducationBehavioural Identifying what individual components/ behaviours differentiatepoor, average and excellent performance Taylor, McClelland, Boyzatis & McBer CorporationStrategic Core competences as organisational capabilities leading tocompetitive advantage, differentiating successful organisations Hamel & Prahalad 4. Effects of the different emphases Vocational/ Behavioural Strategic EducationalWhoNationalOrganisationOrganisationdecides? standards authority (NSA)OwnershipNSA IndividualOrganisationAim of OrganisationalIndividualBusinessimproving & -> national performance & competitiveness standards -> HRMImplementati OrganisationOrganisation/ Organisationon choiceindividualDevelopmentIndividual with Individual with OrganisationProcessassessormanager with individuals 5. What is performance?IndividualCollectiveTask/ role/ job performance Team performanceContextual performance/ Business performanceorganisational citizenship Outputbehaviours ProfitAdaptive performance Stakeholder viewsExpert performance Competencies as the components (building blocks) of individual performance 6. PerformanceValidity generalisation and meta-analyticalresearch has shown the generalisability ofindividual abilities across a range of jobs(predictive validity) Situation less important than previouslythought Role less important than previously thoughtAllows for performance standards acrossjobs, organisations, industries 7. Campbells Performance Model PERFORMANCE DETERMINANTS Declarative ProceduralMotivation Knowledge X Knowledge & SkillXe.g., choice to e.g. facts, e.g. cognitive skill, perform, level of principles, goals interpersonal skill effort, persistencePERFORMANCE COMPONENTS Common to all jobsCore task DemonstratingManagement/Communicationproficiencyeffortadministration task proficiencyMaintaining Supervision/Facilitating General task personal leadershippeer & teamproficiency discipline performance 8. Where do Competencies Fit?Psychology I/O psychology awareconcerned withof client and marketbehaviour strategicbehaviouralcompetenciescompetencies Ultimately, often some mix of theseStrategic behavioural competencies 9. Purported Benefits of CompetenciesRecruitment & SelectionVisible & agreed set ofstandards for systematicassessment Performance ManagementBroadens appraisalsystems to consider howit is done as well astraditional what isachieved 10. Purported Benefits of Competencies Career DevelopmentComparable standardsacross levels facilitatessuccession planningHRM ProcessesA tool for developing thebusiness culture, andconsidering how newbusiness processes mightwork 11. Purported Benefits of CompetenciesStrategicFuture proof as role /industry changes For Individuals Explicit and developable behaviours potentially egalitarian, with progress possible 12. Possible Risks of Competencies 1Methodological IssuesIssues of appraisingcompetencies illustratedthrough AC literatureDifficulties of assessingcompetency benefits asoften co-occur with otherorganisational changesOrganisations oftenuninterested in evaluations,hence claimed benefitsuntestedAdapted from Sparrow (1995) 13. Possible Risks of Competencies 2Validity of CriterionHow good are currentappraisal systems indistinguishing good versuspoor performers?Possible circularity where(quasi)-competencies areused as criteria Adapted from Sparrow (1995) 14. Possible Risks of Competencies 3 Homogeneity of employees reducing flexibility (dependent on competencies selected) 15. Possible Risks of Competencies 4Competencies mightjust be KSAOsreformulated: A branding/ marketingexercise OR Jumbled up i.e.,Campbells soup! 16. Has the Promise of Competenciesbeen Fulfilled?SourceEvidence ConclusionEmpirical/Lack of research UnknownScientific effectivenessPractitioner/ Increasingly EffectiveApplied adopted 17. Next StepsApplied evaluative research to assess theeffects of competency models Scientific issues e.g., validity & reliability Practical issues, e.g., consumer views Sci/ Prac issues, e.g., impact onorganisational performance 18. ReferencesBoyzatis, R. (1982). The competent manager. New York: JohnWiley.Hamel, G., & Prahalad, C. K. (1991). Corporate imagination andexpeditionary marketing. Harvard Business Review, 69(4), 81-92.Harris, M. (1998). Practice network: Competency modeling:Viagrized job analysis or impotent imposter? The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 36, 37-41.Shippmann, J. S., Ash, R. A., Battista, M., Carr, L., Eyde, L. D.,Hesketh, B., et al. (2000). The practice of competency modeling.Personnel Psychology, 53, 703-740.Sparrow, P. (1995). Organizational competencies: A valid approachfor the future? International Journal of Selection and Assessment,3(3), 168-177.