How To Create A Competencies Framework
Competency is the ability of an individual to apply related skills, knowledge and abilities to perform professional duties successfully in a defined work setting. Competence can be summarised as contextualised capability involving an integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes. For instance, you may have the required competency in coding after completing relevant educational degrees. A HIM professional may have multiple competencies depending on their work experience educational background and other training programmes they undertook
To address this complexity, the below framework was developed utilising the ‘bow tie model of competence components’ by George E.P. Box
- Consider the purpose of the framework
Before you begin developing your framework, decide whether you want to use it to locate qualified candidates or to determine who receives an annual promotion or a raise. You can also use it to better understand the roles within the organisation where you work, allowing you to lead and manage others more effectively. Think about which employees are to use the framework you create and consider the situations where it might be useful. It is also useful to consider both the short- and long-term needs of the organisation. In addition, ensure that you only include relevant competencies for your framework.
For example, if you choose to create a framework for marketing and sales professionals, make sure you include competencies that relate to those roles rather than financial competencies. Writing a list of the positions you want to include in your framework can make it easier to determine which competencies might apply to those roles.
- Engage in research and collect relevant information
Once you determine the purpose of your framework and the employees it applies to, you can begin researching different competencies and collecting information from employees who are familiar with the roles you listed. Here are some techniques you can use to obtain the required information for your framework:
- Engage in observation: Spend some time observing different employees to assess what their typical duties are and determine what might help them complete their tasks more efficiently.
- Interview different employees: Meet with individual employees and teams to discuss the competencies they feel are most important.
- Develop surveys and questionnaires: Surveys and questionnaires can be valuable methods for collecting more detailed information, especially if you work for an organisation that has a remote working arrangement.
- Perform a job analysis: A job analysis is the process of assessing a position to determine which qualifications are necessary for it.
- Develop your framework
After you have the necessary information, begin grouping similar skills and qualities into a set of competencies. You can then group behaviours and skills into additional categories for greater specificity. Consider basic skills like teamwork, decision-making and interpersonal relations. After you have a basic structure, you can begin creating subgroups for your competencies.
For example, communication might include competencies like active listening, presentation skills and a willingness to accept and provide feedback.
Create a title for the competencies within a specific category to ensure that you include all the elements required for a specific role. The number of competencies you might include in your framework is likely to vary depending on the position, and jobs with greater responsibilities may have a more varied list.
- Make necessary revisions
Review your framework to determine if the attributes within it are relevant to the position. As roles and business circumstances change, it may be necessary to revise your framework by removing unnecessary competencies and adding new ones. Consider developing another survey that allows employees to rate the relevancy of the competencies you listed in the framework.
- Begin the implementation process
After communicating your plans to implement the framework, inform employees of the reason you developed it and what you want it to achieve. Share how often you plan to update it and explain how employees can use the tool to assess their individual strengths and weaknesses. Consider providing training or coaching to help employees implement the framework more easily.
A few of the primary benefits of creating these competency frameworks:
They help standardise performance
These frameworks provide an easily accessible outline of how each role within an organisation or department is relevant to the business.
They reduce skills gaps
Skills gaps occur when the skill sets of employees do not align with the organisation’s current needs. Having a framework can help companies reduce skills gaps by making it easier for them to hire qualified employees.
They allow for more efficient work arrangements
Through these frameworks, organisations may discover that there are more efficient ways for employees to interact.
Author:
BABALE Garba Nafada PhD
IFHIMA Regional Director for Africa
Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, North-West Nigeria
