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HRSG Competency Toolkit

The document is a toolkit about competencies created by HRSG, a global leader in competency development. It contains information, best practices, and tools to help HR professionals understand competencies and how to apply them to talent management processes like attracting, retaining, and developing employees. The toolkit covers topics such as what competencies are, the business case for using competencies, choosing competency content, the different types of competencies, and how to structure competencies.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
184 views22 pages

HRSG Competency Toolkit

The document is a toolkit about competencies created by HRSG, a global leader in competency development. It contains information, best practices, and tools to help HR professionals understand competencies and how to apply them to talent management processes like attracting, retaining, and developing employees. The toolkit covers topics such as what competencies are, the business case for using competencies, choosing competency content, the different types of competencies, and how to structure competencies.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE HRSG

COMPETENCY
TOOLKIT
The HRSG About the
Competency Toolkit Toolkit Authors
This comprehensive resource contains data, best practices, HRSG is a recognized global leader in competency
and digital tools to help HR professionals understand development, an innovator in competency technology, and
competencies and expand their understanding of a a consultant in competency-based management, bringing
competency-based approach to attracting, retaining, and more than 30 years of expertise to the discipline. We hope
developing organizational talent. this information helps you begin your journey in this field
or deepen your understanding of competencies and their
Read it from start to finish for a deep dive into the discipline application to the talent lifecycle.
of competency-based management or skim specific chapters
to explore a particular topic.

WHAT ARE COMPETENCIES? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR COMPETENCIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

CHOOSING COMPETENCY CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

THE 3 COMPETENCY TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

UNDERSTANDING COMPETENCY STRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

APPLYING COMPETENCIES TO TALENT MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

INTRO TO COMPETENCY TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

BEST PRACTICES FOR LAUNCHING A COMPETENCY INITIATIVE . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


What Are Competencies?
Competencies define the abilities, skills, knowledge,
motivations, and traits needed for successful job
performance. Most importantly, these elements are
described in terms of observable, on-the-job behaviors.
Competencies are usually developed by industrial
organizational (I-O) psychologists who study the science of
human behavior. While the competency content developed
by different providers can be structured differently, all
competencies contain a number of standard elements. Learn
more about this topic in the “Understanding Competency
Structures” section of the toolkit.

WHY THEY’RE EFFECTIVE


Competencies are more effective and actionable than skills
statements and other descriptors because they go beyond
the basic requirements of a job to identify the behaviors that
successful performers demonstrate.
Instead of focusing on WHAT a person typically does on the
job, competencies describe HOW an effective worker will
achieve success. Most importantly, competencies describe
those successful behaviors in terms that are OBSERVABLE.
This enables HR professionals and managers to rely on
objective criteria and measurable results rather than
intuition and conjecture when evaluating and supporting
performance. It also gives the whole workplace — HR,
managers, employees, and executives — a shared language
for discussing and understanding workplace requirements
and performance.

3 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


KEY BENEFITS
By defining the skills, behaviors, knowledge, and abilities By defining employee competencies, you can:
required for success in each job you are setting employees
and your organization up for success. Whether you’re • Communicate job expectations in behavioral terms that
using behavioral, technical, leadership, or a combination, are easily understood by employees.
competencies set a standard that you can use to harmonize • Ensure employees are a good fit both for their position
and improve the whole talent lifecycle. and that their behavior aligns with your organization’s
core values.
• Describe what success looks like and set a clear baseline
against which to assess performance and progress.

4 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


The Business Case for
Competencies
Competencies have become the dominant approach to talent
management, with nearly three out of four organizations
(73%) now using competencies to drive talent management
processes. One of the key reasons for the popularity of this
approach is the fact that it has a measurable impact on talent
outcomes and overall business agility.

TALENT RETENTION TALENT ATTRACTION


Organizations that use competencies have: Organizations that use competencies have:

40% lower turnover among high performers 87% greater ability to hire the best people
17% lower overall voluntary turnover

EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE BUSINESS AGILITY


Organizations that use competencies have: Organizations that use competencies have:

26% higher revenue per employee 92% greater ability to respond to changing
economic conditions
19% improvement in employee performance
144% greater ability to plan for future
workforce needs

156% greater ability to develop great leaders

Source: Sherman Garr, S., (2012) Integrated Talent Management: A Roadmap for Success.
Bersin and Associates

5 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Choosing Competency
Content
Not all competencies are created equal. Different
competency specialists may develop their competency
content based on different criteria and approaches, which
can impact the quality and utility of the final product.
In some cases, content is skillfully developed and highly
effective. In other cases, the content lacks detail or has not
been carefully validated in real-world workplace settings.
When choosing competencies, evaluate them against these
criteria.

Reputation. Has the competency content been developed by a company with extensive expertise?

Validation. Has the competency content been tested in real-world workplace conditions?

Inclusivity. Has the competency content been written in gender-neutral and culturally appropriate language?

Selection.
Does the competency content include a full range of leadership, universal, and technical
competencies?

Observability.
Does the competency content clearly describe multiple observable behaviors that define success on
the job?

Structure.
Does each competency include multiple levels that define success at various levels of proficiency?
Or is the competency only defined with a single level? (Learn more about this topic in the
“Understanding Competency Structures” section of the toolkit.)

6 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


The 3 Competency Types
All competencies perform the same function in defining
on-the-job success in observable and objective terms, but
different jobs may include one or more competency types.
These types include universal, technical, and leadership
competencies.

UNIVERSAL COMPETENCIES LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES


Universal competencies define natural or inherent Leadership competencies describe the application
behaviors that are often difficult to measure, such of knowledge and skills needed for effective
as analytical thinking, interpersonal ability, and performance at the leadership level.
initiative. They are similar to the “soft skills” that are
required for virtually every role, including technical, Examples of leadership competencies include:
non-technical, and leadership roles. • Acting with empathy and compassion
Examples of universal competencies include: • Inspiring others
• Exemplifying integrity
• Attention to detail
• Client focus In varying combinations, these three competency
• Emotional intelligence types capture the observable behaviors that define
• Managing conflicts success for every type of role, from entry level to
• Problem solving executive.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES
Technical competencies describe the application
of knowledge and skills needed for success in
specialized fields.
Examples of technical competencies include:
• Business development (needed for sales roles)
• Fraud detection and control (needed for
accounting and finance roles)
• Database administration (needed for IT roles)

7 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Understanding
Competency Structure
All competencies are structured to include these basic
components:
• The competency name identifies the competency in one to
five words. Example: “Client Focus.”
• The competency descriptor provides a one-sentence
summary of the competency’s objective. Example:
“Providing service excellence to internal and/or external
clients.”
• The behavioral indicators define on-the-job behaviors
as observable actions. Example: “Shows clients that their
perspectives are valued.”

MULTI-LEVEL COMPETENCY
STRUCTURE
Effective competencies are structured to include behavioral
indicators for multiple levels of proficiency. A multi-
level competency includes up to five progressive levels of
proficiency, with each level defined with a summary and a
set of behavioral indicators. The higher the proficiency level,
the more sophisticated the behaviors and responsibilities
become.
Not all competencies are structured to include this level
of detail, but research shows that competencies are
most effective when defined at multiple levels. Multi-
level competencies enable everyone in the organization
to see what the path to greater proficiency looks like,
assess employees against future career goals, and create
development plans that help them achieve those goals.

8 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


ANATOMY OF A MULTI-LEVEL
COMPETENCY
The example below shows “Client Focus,” a multi-level
competency developed and validated by HRSG’s I-O
psychologists.

CLIENT FOCUS
1 Providing service excellence to internal and/or external clients.

2 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5


Responds to Maintains Provides added value Provides seasoned Ensures continued
3 immediate client needs client contact advice service excellence

4
Responds to client needs Follows up with clients Looks for ways to add Acts as a seasoned adviser, Formulates strategies
in a timely, professional, during and after delivery of value beyond clients’ providing independent and processes to evaluate
helpful, and courteous services to ensure that their immediate requests. opinion on complex emerging and longer-term
manner, regardless of needs have been met. client problems and novel opportunities and threats
Addresses the unidentified,
client attitude. Maintains service to clients underlying and long-term initiatives, and assisting to meeting clients’ needs.
Shows clients that their during critical periods. client needs. with decision-making. Determines strategic
perspectives are valued. Addresses clients’ issues in Enhances client service Pushes client to consider business direction to best
difficult issues that are in meet clients’ evolving
Strives to meet service order of priority. delivery systems and
standards in all processes. their best interests. needs.
Keeps clients up to date
circumstances. Advocates on behalf of Evaluates the client
on the progress of the Anticipates clients’
service they are receiving upcoming needs and clients to more senior service model and service
and changes that affect concerns. management, identifying standards to identify areas
approaches that meet for improvement.
them.
clients’ needs as well as
those of the organization.

Legend
1 The competency definition provides a high-level description of the competency.
2 The proficiency scale provides multiple proficiency levels for each competency. Each level reflects a progression from
a basic demonstration of the competency towards a more complex and strategic demonstration. For example, an
entry-level employee may need to demonstrate level 1 proficiency, while an executive may need to demonstrate level 4 or 5.
Proficiency scales help you compare requirements across jobs, which is especially useful when determining potential
career paths within the organization.
3 The notion for each level provides a high-level summary of the overall theme identified for that proficiency level.
4 A behavioral indicator provides a clear description of the observable behaviors that an employee will
demonstrate on the job.

9 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Applying Competencies to
Talent Management
Competency-based management (CBM) involves the use According to a 2021 survey of organizations that
of multi-level competencies throughout the organization to use competencies:
manage talent resources.
• 85% use them to drive development
CBM translates the strategic vision and goals for your
organization into behaviors employees need to demonstrate • 75% use them to drive performance management
in order for your organization to be successful. • 71% use them to drive assessment
This talent management approach helps HR define the • 70% use them to drive interviewing
competencies required to support the organization’s talent
and business strategy. According to a 2016 study by Brandon • 55% use them to drive succession planning
Hall Group, 72% of organizations cite competencies as
• 53% use them to drive career pathing
critical to their talent strategy.
In CBM, competencies become the building blocks that help
the organization identify, measure, and grow the talent
required to meet talent requirements and business goals.
These building blocks are used to strengthen entire talent
lifecycle, including recruitment and selection, learning
and assessment, performance management, career
development, succession planning, and workforce planning.

10 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Building Competency
Profiles
The starting point for every competency initiative is the
development of competency profiles for every role. A
competency profile consists of a selection of competencies
and the specific proficiency levels required for successful
performance in the role.
This profile becomes part of the job description,
complementing the experience levels, education levels, and
professional certifications required for the role. The process
of adding the right competencies at the right levels to a
specific role is called “mapping.”
Mapping competencies and creating competency profiles
can be done in-house if your HR team includes I-O
psychologists and CBM experts who are familiar with the
mapping and profiling process.
If you don’t have this expertise on staff, you can choose to
hire a competency expert to guide your team through the
process or invest in a technology platform that automates
the mapping process.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to create competency
profiles for every role in the organization. If you are
implementing CBM for the first time, it’s best to start with a
pilot project and create profiles for a smaller group of related
roles. For example, you can focus on leadership roles, or the
roles in a specific department, domain, or business unit. This
allows you to learn from the process and apply those insights
to the next project.

11 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Using Competency ASSESSMENT

Profiles Competencies focus assessments on helping employees


develop the skills and knowledge most needed in their
Once the competency profiles have been developed, they jobs. The competency profile describes the behaviors the
can be used to drive a wide range of talent management employee needs to demonstrate on the job in terms that
activities across the talent lifecycle, including interviewing, are easy for them and their managers to understand. This
assessment, development, career pathing, gap analysis, and provides a structured and objective basis for targeted,
succession planning. constructive feedback that shows employees where they
may need to improve their performance. In addition, multi-
level competencies enable employees to see what success
INTERVIEWING looks like at progressive levels of proficiency, so that they can
visualize and measure their progress towards the goal level.
Competency-based interviewing allows you to base hiring
decisions on objective and validated criteria. By defining
selection criteria based on the competencies identified
for the role, you can ensure a consistent and transparent
DEVELOPMENT
interview process.
Competency profiles support both development and career
Competencies help you select talent more effectively because pathing for employees.
they help you evaluate employees based on their proven
Profiles support development by helping employees visualize
ability to perform the job successfully.
what on-the-job success looks like. Once employees have
Some competency content and technology providers can been assessed, they also have a snapshot of their current
further support interviewing by providing customized proficiency levels. This gives them a clear picture of any gaps
interview guides with interview questions that align to between where they are now and where they need or want
the competencies and proficiency levels included in the to be, whether that involves improving in their current role or
competency profile for the role. These guides ensure preparing for a new role. Being able to see the progression
that interviewers ask the right questions (and follow-up required to reach the desired proficiency level gives
questions) to get the information they need from each employees concrete details that they can use to guide their
candidate. They also ensure that each candidate is development efforts.
evaluated based on consistent and relevant criteria.
A variety of development resources (including mentorships,
on-the-job training, and online courses) can also be mapped
to specific proficiency levels and behavioral indicators. This
gives employees and their managers access to learning
resources that they can use to create tailored development
plans that target the required areas for development.

12 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


CAREER PATHING
Competency profiles built with multi-level competencies their existing competency profile to that of a job that
support exciting career pathing opportunities. When interests them to see how qualified they are for the new
every role in the organization is defined by competencies, role. They can also assess themselves directly against the
it enables employees to compare their current profile or competency profile for that role to see how closely they
assessed competency levels with any other role so that fit the requirement. And finally, they can build a tailored
they can visualize a wide variety of career paths in different development plan that helps them acquire the competencies
departments or business units. they need to reach their next career goal.
For example, the CompetencyCore platform enables
employees to explore career paths by looking across the
organization at any other role, whether it represents a
vertical or lateral career move. Then they can compare

13 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Using competency profiles alongside performance
objectives in the performance management process ensures
that employee feedback focuses not only on what they
accomplished, but also how the work was performed.
While performance goals address the outcomes that are
expected during the review period, competencies define the
expectations around how the employee can achieve those
goals. Together, these elements provide a more complete
picture of the employee’s performance, with competencies
providing clear descriptions of the on-the-job behaviors they
need to model in order to achieve the desired performance
levels.

GAP ANALYSIS AND SUCCESSION


PLANNING
Competency profiles can be used to conduct workforce
gap analyses and create succession plans by assessing the
organization’s current competency mix and comparing it
to current or future workplace or industry requirements.
Defining every role with competencies gives HR leaders a
universal view of its talent assets across the organization as
well as the gaps that can’t be filled by existing talent.
This competency data can be used to measure bench
strength, identify high-potential candidates, and develop
timely plans to develop those candidates and prepare them
for future roles.

14 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Intro to Competency
Technology
Over the past decade, rapid advances in technology CREATING JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND
have made it possible to automate the development COMPETENCY PROFILES
of competency profiles. The ability to license premade
competency content and manage it on a technology Technology has transformed the time-consuming and
platform has brought competency-based management labor-intensive process of creating competency profiles.
within reach of organizations of virtually any size. The CompetencyCore platform, for example, uses big
data and automation to scan millions of jobs and generate
This technology supports competency initiatives in three
detailed, best-practice job descriptions. An AI engine then
important ways:
streamlines the competency mapping process by analyzing
• Enables HR to create, edit, and manage job descriptions the job description and assigning the right competencies and
for each role competency levels to create an accurate competency profile.

• Streamlines the development of competency profiles for


each role
• Leverages competency profiles to drive talent
management activities

See the power of AI in Action


See how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to streamline the process of
creating competency profiles.
Cut and paste any job description into the box at the link below and watch the AI
engine analyze the content and identify the best competencies for the job.

SEE AI IN ACTION

15 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


DRIVING TALENT MANAGEMENT
ACTIVITIES
Once competency profiles are in place, they can be used
to drive the full range of HR activities. Depending on the
technology you choose, your competency platform may
enable you to:
• Generate interview guides that include competency-
based questions aligned with the role’s competency profile.
• Issue assessments that measure the employee’s strengths
and weaknesses against the competency profile for their
current role or a potential future role.
• Support employee development by generating
development plans using learning resources mapped to
specific competency levels.
• Empower employees to set new career paths by exploring
any role within the organization, self-assessing against any
role, and creating development plans to help them achieve
their career goals.
• Gain strategic insights into your talent bench strength
and develop a succession plan based on competency
requirements.
Ultimately, advances in competency technology have made
complex, multilevel content significantly easier to manage
and use across the talent lifecycle.

16 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Key Considerations When
Selecting Competency Tech
Competency technology represents a strategic investment in
your talent, and the choices you make can have a big impact
on both the quality of the competency profiles you create and
the types of talent-management activities you can support.
The following key considerations can help you define your
organization’s unique needs and ensure that the technology
you choose supports them.

IS IT “COMPETENCY-FIRST”? DOES IT REFLECT YOUR


ORGANIZATIONAL PRIORITIES?
While many talent-management platforms can technically
accommodate competencies, few are built specifically to Different platforms tend to focus on different aspects of the
support competency-based management. If you plan to use talent lifecycle, so it’s important to decide which aspects
competencies actively to drive the talent lifecycle, look for you want to prioritize before you start evaluating your
software that has been designed to support competency- options. For example, do you want to facilitate mentorship
driven talent processes from the ground up opportunities? Do you want to improve the quality of talent
you attract with your recruitment process? Do you want to
launch a career pathing program? Do you want to identify
your organization’s core competencies? Once you’ve set your
priorities, you can compare them to the parts of the talent
management cycle that each platform supports.
17 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit
IS THERE ROOM TO GROW FOR THE HOW ARE COMPETENCY PROFILES
FUTURE? GENERATED?
Once you’ve chosen a competency-based talent management Competency mapping, which is the process of identifying
platform, replacing it down the road is no easy task. Think the competencies and proficiency levels that align with the
about the functionality that your HR team and the wider requirements for a specific job, is one of the most important
organization will need in the next couple of years, and make (and labor-intensive) parts of launching a competency
sure that it aligns with the platform’s existing functionality or, initiative. Different platforms support competency mapping in
at the very least, the vendor’s technology roadmap. different ways, so this is an area to examine closely during the
evaluation process.
One of the most valuable aspects of competencies is their
ability to break down talent-management silos and connect Some platforms support a rigid process, where jobs at a
and align the organization’s talent activities. While you don’t specific level are automatically assigned a universal proficiency
want to choose a platform that includes more functionality level. An entry-level job, for example, would be assigned
than you’ll ever need or use, you do want to choose one that various competencies at a “level 1” across the board, while a
has the breadth of functionality to support the parts of the junior manager would be assigned “level 2” competencies.
talent lifecycle that are most critical to your HR practice and To ensure that your platform can build more accurate
the broader organizational mission. and nuanced profiles, look for platforms that use artificial
intelligence to suggest varying proficiency levels based on real-
world job requirements. The platform should also enable you
DOES IT SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS to adjust proficiency levels to ensure your profiles accurately
LIKE YOURS? reflect your unique industry or organization. (The ability
to compare all five proficiency levels of the competency in
Some platforms are designed for highly structured, question is essential to this task.)
hierarchical enterprises and others are better suited to small
and mid-sized businesses. Make sure your competency
platform is suited to your organizational structure and budget ARE THE PEOPLE AS GOOD AS THE
by asking the vendor for references from customers whose TECH?
organizations have a similar profile.
Remember that good technology is important, but without
good people behind it, you’re not getting the complete
IS COMPETENCY CONTENT package. To ensure that the platform you choose can support
INCLUDED? your competency initiative, evaluate the vendor’s expertise
alongside the features and functionality of its software. How
Always confirm whether the competency content itself is knowledgeable is the vendor about competencies? Do they
included in the purchase of the platform. In some cases, develop their own competencies, or do they license content
you will need to license the content separately from another from others? Do they keep competency experts (trained and
vendor, which can create a layer of complexity in terms of qualified industrial organizational psychologists) on staff? Do
managing multiple vendor relationships and importing the they offer robust implementation and consulting services?
content into the platform. Additionally, you will want to
see samples of the content to ensure that the quality meets
your expectations. Make sure the content is validated by I-O
psychologists, structured with multiple proficiency levels, and
reviewed for inclusivity.

18 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


6 Best Practices for
Launching a Competency
Initiative
Competency profiles are the foundation of any competency-
based initiative. Articulating competencies and proficiency
levels at the job level brings greater focus and continuity to
the entire talent-management lifecycle.
Based on more than two decades of experience
guiding hundreds of competency initiatives — large and
small — to successful completion, HRSG offers these six
recommendations for organizations that are planning to
develop multi-level competency profiles and transition to a
competency-based HR practice.

1 BEGIN WITH A PILOT PROJECT 2 PRIORITIZE AGILITY


Competencies bring the greatest value when they’re applied It’s easy to spend months planning the roll-out of a
to the whole workforce, but you don’t need to do it all at competency initiative in an effort to ensure success, but it’s
once. Starting with a small pilot project is a great way to smarter to prioritize speed over perfection. This enables you
explore multi-level competencies and adapt the competency to conserve resources, maintain momentum, and focus your
content and profile-building process to the unique needs of energies on encouraging adoption. Once your pared-back
your organization. initiative is live in the workplace, you can evaluate the impact
and make improvements as needed.
For example, many HRSG clients begin by creating
competency profiles for a small group of related job profiles, Action checklist:
learning from the process, and adjusting the approach
before rolling them out for the whole organization.  Explore ways to reduce the size of the project, such
as reducing the number of stakeholders, the number of
Action checklist: competency profiles to be developed.
 Identify a small group of jobs for the pilot.  Identify the impact you want to make. How will you
measure it? Can you reduce those metrics to simplify the
 Describe why this small group should be prioritized. initiative?
 Identify what you’ll learn from the pilot.  Explore whether the initiative can be broken into phases.
 Describe what you will do from the knowledge you gain. If so, what would phase one look like?

19 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


3 SUPPORT THE STRATEGY 4 COMMUNICATE THE GOAL
Organizations use competencies for many reasons, including Depending on the scope of your project and your
strengthening organizational culture, improving retention, organizational process, developing competency profiles
or ensuring the organization has the talent it needs in the can require input from HR staff, managers, employees,
future. executives, boards of directors, and other external
audiences. Invest some time and resources in developing
For example, a client who wants to improve retention your communication approach, including presentation
may focus on a department that experiences higher- materials that help stakeholders understand the competency
than-average turnover, implementing career pathing and approach, the project goals and objectives, and their role in
development opportunities for that group of employees. the process. This will both increase support for the project
Make sure you have identified your main goal before starting and enhance outcomes.
a competency-based initiative, and that this goal aligns with The key is to understand the target audience and gear
broader organizational priorities. the messages to their priorities. Show employees how
Action checklist: competencies will support them in planning and managing
their careers. Show managers how the initiative will make
 Describe the talent challenge you plan to address with hiring and managing employees easier and more effective.
this competency initiative. Show executives how competencies support the strategic
vision and goals for the organization.
 Describe how this talent challenge impacts the
organization’s ability to achieve a strategic goal. Action checklist:
 Make a list of the stakeholders you will need to engage
for this initiative.
 Identify each stakeholder group’s priorities and explore
how this initiative supports those priorities.
 Decide how you will communicate with each
stakeholder group based on their communication
preferences.
 Consider what communication materials you will need
to develop, and identify the resources you will need to
develop them.

20 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


5 DOCUMENT THE PROCESS 6 SHARE THE SUCCESS
It’s essential to document the development process for your Competencies can have a big impact on the organization
competency profiles in order to provide your organization in terms of its culture and its performance. But unless
with a measure of legal defensibility and demonstrate that you communicate those impacts — in presentations,
they were developed in a fair and inclusive way. newsletters, and other promotional channels — they can go
unrecognized. Whether it’s positive employee feedback or an
Record and file information including the names and improvement in KPIs, take the time to share the good news.
positions of people who participated, their individual It will increase awareness and organizational buy-in and
feedback, and the process by which that feedback was provide forward momentum for additional projects.
synthesized to make decisions about the competencies and
proficiency levels attributed to each job profile. You can also Action checklist:
rely on a technology solution like CompetencyCore to collect
and preserve this information.  Determine which baseline measurements you will take
before rolling out the initiative.
Action checklist:
 Determine how you will measure performance against
 Determine the legal and ethical requirements you need the baseline after the launch of the initiative.
to support.
 Decide on the timeframe for measuring performance
 Decide which specific actions and decisions need to be against the baseline.
recorded.
 Decide when, how, and with whom you will share these
 Decide how you will record and store this information, performance metrics.
whether in Word documents, spreadsheets, or a
competency platform.

21 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit


Next Steps
We hope this toolkit has been helpful in introducing you to You can also continue the learning with these helpful links:
the fundamentals of competency-based management, or in
expanding your existing knowledge of the discipline. Competency training. Learn how to launch a competency
initiative and earn globally recognized competency
Competencies are no longer only available to large certification from the Competency Academy.
enterprises that can afford to hire specialist consultants.
Licensed, off-the-shelf content and specialized competency Competency technology. Find out how technology has
software enable companies of any size or type to implement transformed the process of developing competency profiles
competencies affordably and effectively so that they can and book a demo for a closer look.
benefit from this powerful approach. Competency services. Explore customized solutions
If you have questions about how to implement competencies designed to support enterprises and their unique
in your organization, please book a complimentary organizational goals.
consultation with one of our competency specialists.

About HRSG
HRSG is a world-renowned competency specialist serving
a global clientele. For three decades, HRSG has delivered
competency content, products, and services to define talent
needs, address skill deficiencies and improve individual and
organizational performance.

22 | The HRSG Competency Toolkit

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