INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

The term ‘Competency' refers to the entire spectrum of talents, traits and practical knowledge
that each of us possess. Competency is the specialized ability to do things well and the know-
how to perform a given task effectively. The important thing to remember is that Competency is
not static. While they may be rooted in natural-born talent, they are developed through a wide
variety of experiences in life. This means that practice will help refine existing Competencies
and learn new ones.

No matter what the age is, all have their own unique set of Competency which helps build their
self-confidence and add to their self-esteem. Competency is directly linked not only to how well
a job is done but also as to how fulfilled employees feel doing it. Certain Competencies give a
lot of personal satisfaction, and these are usually the ones that one is good at. So, for any work
done to be enjoyable, one must be able to use a good number of such Competencies.

Competency is critical to the ability to function in the paid workplace. But there's more to it than
that. One needs to build Competency if he or she wants to play an active role in the community
and help find solutions to the complex challenges that face the modern society.

Human Resources management adds value when it helps individuals and organizations do better
than their present level of performance. Both functional and behavioral Competencies have
acquired major significance in achieving exemplary job performance within an individual’s
roles, responsibilities and relationship in an organization and its internal and external
environment.

Competence and Competency may be sounding the same but there is a difference between
them and people usually get confused.
 COMPETENCE:
Competence describes what people need to be able to perform a job well. They are about
stripping the jobs down to their component parts and linking them together the two basic
elements of performance – what is to be done and to what standard.
Competence can be defined at three levels:

1. Core Competence – this refer to what an organization has to be good at doing to succeed. This
applies to the organization as a whole.

2. Generic Competence – this is shared by a group of similar of jobs- financial accountants,

system analysts, team leaders etc. It covers the aspect of work that they have in common, and
define the shared capabilities required to deliver the results they are expected to achieve.

3. Role-Specific Competence- this it is unique to a particular role. It defines the special tasks that
he can to be able to do; in addition to any generic competence he may share with other people
carrying out broadly similar roles.

COMPETENCY:

Is a capacity  of an individual that  leads  to  the  behavior, which meets the job demands within 
the  parameters  of  the   organizational   environment  and   in  turn  brings about desired results.

Competency is “a cluster of related knowledge, attitudes, skills and other personal characteristics
that …

Affects a major part of one’s job

Correlates with performance on the job

Can be measured against well-accepted standards

Can be improved via training and development”

Competency is a cluster or mix comprising of Knowledge, Skills and Attitude.

Competencies are built up over time and are not innate. It typically takes experience on the job to
build.

Competencies are the characteristics of a manager that lead to the demonstration of skills and
abilities, which result in effective performance within an occupational area.
Competency also embodies the capacity to transfer skills and abilities from one area to another.

In other words, COMPETENCIES are the behavioral differences between outstanding

performers and average performers and thus are the building blocks to organizational success.

Competencies are the set of knowledge, skills and behavior attributes which are required to
perform effectively in a particular job position. They are demonstrated capabilities and
behavioral manifestations that are known to lead to success more often then not. Competency
could also be defined as behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or ability.