Matching competencies, personality capabilities, and motives with service plans

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By matching competencies with customer wishes and service plans, an organization can predict who has a greater chance for success based on fact-based performance and observable behavioral anchors instead of intuition, potential, or hunches.  Participants matched to suitable positions are happier and more effective.  In addition, the organization benefits from greater satisfaction and productivity.

A competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that has been shown to influence or predict outstanding occupation performance.  It is a knowledge, skill, and attitude cluster that decisively affects position service delivery.  Competencies distinguish individuals who perform their tasks in a superior way.  In other words, competencies are what outstanding performers do more often, in more situations, with good results.

Conceptually, observing competencies, personality capabilities, and motives during service delivery is like looking at an iceberg.  Like an iceberg, competency knowledge and skills form the tip that can be readily seen above the sea.  Underlying motives, personality capabilities, and competency attitudes are less visible, but they largely direct and control surface behaviors.  A person’s underlying social roles and confidence levels exist at a conscious zone near the surface.  Even less visible are a person’s personality capabilities and motives, which exist at a sub-conscious zone deep below the surface, lying closest to the person’s being.  Motives or intentions drive personality capabilities that impact competencies.  To the degree that position performance involves personality capabilities, such as traits, values, styles, well being, and ethics, they tend to be set early in life and may not be subject to significant change.  To the degree that position performance involves competencies, on the other hand, they can be measured against standards and improved through training and development.

For example, consider two medical physician candidates Doctors “A” and “B”.  Resumes from both physicians announce twenty years of experience and board certification.  Given their similar general knowledge and skills, which physician should an organization hire to manage a research center?  Which physician should someone recommend as a child’s pediatrician?

In this example, assessments reveal that Doctor “A” has order and quality concern, initiative, and discretionary or deliberate effort competencies and is motivated by achievement wishes.  Likewise, assessments reveal that Doctor “B” has interpersonal sensitivity, listening and responding, and relationship development competencies and is motivated by affiliation wishes.  From these assessments, an organization can consider hiring Doctor “A” to manage a research center and recommending Doctor “B” as a child’s pediatrician.

Research shows that many employment terminations are due to inadequate interpersonal or leadership abilities.[1]  Unfortunately, few interviewers ask the right questions to reveal who has these critical competencies before hiring officials or contracting services.

An interviewer using the traditional approach of evaluating skills, education, and accomplishments gather only a small amount of meaningful information they need to adequately predict successful performance.  The real key is to uncover actual behaviors that are better indicators of whether an individual will demonstrate a given competency.

The Competency Model containing position competency list clusters can become the basis for hiring, training, promotions, and other human resource decisions.  A valid model describes key competencies to look for when matching or developing a candidate for a given position.  An effective Competency Model focus on generic, mutually exclusive competencies highlighted by pertinent performance criteria; is verifiable using observable and measurable behavioral anchors; demonstrate capabilities with behavioral examples; and define novice, intermediate, and seasoned participant behavioral anchors.  Organization benefits of using valid Competency Models can include matching peoples’ competencies to customer wishes and service plans, identifying participant strengths and weaknesses with the hopes of facilitating appropriate developments or decisions, and communicating performance expectations.

An organization can identify position competencies by either deducing backward from results or selecting forward from a comprehensive list.  Should an organization decide to deduce competencies from results, they can consider a variety of sources including surveys or interviews, direct observations, evaluations, performance appraisals, and records.  Input from internal customers, such as position holders, their managers, associates, and human resources specialists, can insure proper scope and encourage sponsorship.

You are welcome to explore these definitions and descriptions by considering Scott B. Parry’s July 1996 Training magazine article “The Quest for Competencies.”

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