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Competency Modelling
Defining Performance Effective Criteria
Students whose CGPA is more than 8.0 and got summer internship package of >= 40K. Student should
also be a winner or a campus finalist in any of the case study competition.

Identify Criterion Sample

 Superior – 4
 Average - 2

Collect Data
For the above-mentioned criterion sample, we did BEIs and Task Analysis.

Analyze Data
From BEIs conducted We were able to find out following competencies which were further grouped in
clusters after affinity exercise.

1. Achievement Orientation
2. Leadership
a. Social & Communication Skills
b. Team Work
c. Managing Team
d. Managing Self
3. Execution
a. Decision Oriented
b. Planning & Action Oriented
4. Solving & Simplifying Complex Problems
a. Analytical Skills
b. Problem Solving
c. Innovative

Definition and scaling

1) Achievement Orientation :- Ability to set & achieve challenging goals.

2) Leadership: Ability to manage teams with effective communication of ideas while managing self.

a) Social & Communication Skills

Definition: Effectively communicates and engages with relevant stakeholders in order to ensure
proficient communication.

Master Threshold Unsuitable

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 Communicates and  Communicates and  Unable to communicate or

engages with stakeholders engages with certain engage effectively
from multiple areas with individuals and
effective communication communicates value in
of value certain situations

b) Teamwork
Definition: Works well with others and involves multiple stakeholders. Takes everyone’s opinion
into account and focuses on getting buy in from the people involved.

Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Engages and works well  Works with multiple  Unable to work with
with all stakeholders stakeholders within the teams or involve multiple
beyond the required set confined boundaries stakeholders and prefers
and exceeds expectations working alone

c) Managing team
Definition: Proficient in working with people, able to guide, motivate and mange teams in order
to achieve the final required goal

Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Engages and works well
with all stakeholders
beyond the required set
and exceeds expectations
 Works with multiple
stakeholders within the
confined boundaries and
motivates, inspires and
gets the job done
 Unable to work with teams
or involve multiple
stakeholders in order to
achieve common
organizational goal

d) Managing self
Definition: Proficient in managing self-image in order to uphold the required necessary values.

Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Maintains a consistent
image and is very
proficient in achieving
goals and meeting
deadlines
 Maintains a consistent  Unable to maintain self-
self-image and meets image or meet personal
deadlines and submission timelines/deadlines
up to the satisfactory
mark

3) Execution: Ability to plan & take decisions which gives opportunity to act on the ground

a) Decision oriented
Definition: Ability to make decisions under complex situations in order to effectively deliver
results
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Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Takes decisions under  Moderate at taking  Unable to make effective
immense pressure and decisions and meets decisions
effectively navigates expectations  Blames other
nuances circumstances for lack of
decision taking

b) Planning & action orientation

Definition: Leverages new opportunities with potential for significant organizational advantage
after reconciling risks and outcomes

Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Focus on long term  Takes quick advantage of  Reacts to market
planning and development available market opportunities as they
 Focuses attention on opportunities occur; responds well after
highly significant  Leverages opportunities to the opportunities have
opportunities with high optimize own and team manifested
potential performance  Focus on opportunities
that create an immediate
and short-term advantage

4) Solving & Simplifying Complex Problems: Ability to analyze & simplify complex problems and
come up with Innovative solutions

a) Analytical skills
Definition: Ability to break down, downsize and evaluate large scale/complex problems in order
to effectively produce results and value

Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Analyses complex reports  Moderate at
and situations with ease understanding processes
and delivers effective and situations and
value performance up to the
required mark
 Not very good with
understanding or breaking
down complex problems

b) Problem solving
Definition: Ability to solve complex business problems with ease in order to achieve
organizational goals

Master Threshold Unsuitable

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 Analyses complex reports  Moderate at  Not very good with

and situations with ease understanding processes understanding or breaking
and delivers effective and situations and down complex problems
value performance up to the
required mark

c) Innovative
Definition: Ability to think outside the box and bring in and incorporate new and fresh ideas in
order to enhance organization effectiveness

Master Threshold Unsuitable

 Has the ability to think  Works with the given way  Has a very structure way
outside the box on of working or laid out of thinking and is only
multiple occasions and processes and has comfortable working with
parameters and brings in sporadic moments of the given factors or laid
fresh ideas and creativity innovation and creativity out processes
into the work

Assessment Center
1. Job Analysis (Student Profile)

The first step in designing an AC is carrying out an analysis of the attributes of a student in IMT,
specifically someone who delivers superior performance which can be measured through his/her
academic acumen and placement record. This includes identifying and observing the tasks that a
student is expected to perform during his/her 2-year time at college and may be expected to perform in
the future company roles.

The BEI analysis carried out during the competency modelling exercise can be used for job analysis
along with observation of the basic college activities and placement practices. Based on this analysis,
the following can be said about the attributes and responsibilities of a student at IMT:

 Ability to multitask and manage time efficiently

 Ability to work in teams and collaborate for project work
 Ability to coordinate and lead organizing events and perform committee related tasks
 Good communication skills and presentation skills
 Ability to negotiate and maintain relationships with stakeholders of the college based on which
committee the student is a part of
 Minimum education qualification and work experience requirement
 Possessing basic competencies that most companies look for irrespective of the industry

2. Focus of observation
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The observation in the AC is focused towards identification of the student’s potential to succeed in a
management position. This is because the performance of the college will be measured by the talent
pool of candidates that will be injected into the industry once the students graduate from IMT. This can
be observed by observing the behavior of the candidates during the assessment center activities as well
as through the interviews (BEI) where candidates can talk about their past experiences.

3. Variables to be assessed

The variables for assessment have been chosen based on the parameters of success in a corporate
environment. This means that these variables suggest superior performance of students in college
activities leading to the ability of the candidates to show superior behavior in the companies, which
further translates to a good placement record for the college. The competencies being assessed are as
follows:

 Communication and Social Skills: All students joining an MBA course and who are planning to
step into the corporate world require a good command on their communication. English is a
requirement in most MNCs considering the constant interaction with foreign clientele. Most
sales roles require a good grasp of the local language of the region of operation. So, the
candidates need to be assessed on their proficiency in a language and whether they are able to
articulate and present their thoughts in an organized fashion. The candidates should also be
able to understand and empathize with their teams i.e. they should possess social skills in order
to work collaboratively as well as learn effectively.
 Decision Orientation: The candidates should show decision making capabilities with a basis for
the decision i.e. they should be able to take quick decisions with a good reasoning and a
justifiable line of thought. They should also be able to negotiate and defend their decision in a
group. While organizing events and looking into the college’s routine work, students will come
across situations in which they have to make decisions on their own as well as in a group.
 Teamwork: Most corporates look for people who can work in teams which is a testament to the
candidate’s adaptability. So, IMT should focus on it and select students who are high on this
capability. It will benefit the college as it is a student run college and most of the college
activities like fests and competitions require the respective committee members to work as a
team.
 Analytical Skills: The candidate should be able to work out the pros and cons of a situation and
critically analyze it before taking any decision. This competency is required in college as well as
at work. It shows how logically and conceptually strong the candidate is.
 Managing Self: The candidate should have clarity about his/her goals and should exhume
confidence and belief towards those goals. They should be an organized and collected person
and should be able to manage himself/herself in case of a difficult situation.
 Managing Teams: The candidate should show management or leadership qualities by listening,
empathizing and inspiring other members. He/she should be able to lead teams by having a
strong vision and commitment. In case they are made the PoC or the head of an event or a
committee they will face the responsibility of the entire event in which case they will have to
delegate some work. So, they should be able to effectively manage teams at college as well as in
a corporate environment.
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 Planning and Action Oriented: The candidate should be able to plan out and take sufficient
action towards the set goals and priorities. He/she should be organized and clear on their goals
and what is required of the task.
 Problem solving: The candidate should easily identify and recognize the problem areas in any
situation and address them in the most appropriate manner. He/she should have a sound mind
and should be able to investigate without any bias. He/she should reach the solution of the
problem through a logical analysis.
 Innovative: This competency assesses how creative and innovative a candidate is. This
competency is not a necessity for an MBA school candidate, however, it is preferred in certain
product innovation companies. Considering the current industry dynamics, candidates having a
higher acumen towards Innovative earn brownie points with recruiters.
 Achievement Oriented: The candidate should be a risk taker with the result in mind.

4. Exercises

The exercises chosen for this AC are based on the requirements of the student profile and the
competencies that have to be assessed. Each of the exercises are described below:

 Case: The first round should be an individual case study analysis to assess the analytical skills,
action orientation and problem-solving skills. The case study will allow the assessors to
understand whether the candidate has been able to understand the case, the business scenario
and the problem statement. It will shed light on whether the candidate is able to come up with
a justifiable solution. Since most case studies don’t have one correct answer so the assessors
will look at how well the candidate has analyzed the case and how well they can justify the
solution that they are giving.
 In-tray: This exercise will be a pre-cursor to the group exercise. Before the group is given a
group exercise, the candidates will be given the same exercise individually to see how they
prioritize the tasks under the group activity. This will indicate whether the candidate has
analyzed the situation, how creative they are in terms of prioritizing the tasks and how well and
quickly are they able to make decisions regarding the priorities of tasks.
 Group/Negotiation exercise: This is a group exercise which will help assess the communication
and social skills of candidates through negotiation and group discussion. The responses of the
in-tray exercise will form the basis of discussion and negotiation and the candidates will
communicate and defend their own choices. This exercise will also show the team work
capabilities and the ability of the candidates to manage and work in teams.
 Presentation: The presentation exercise requires the candidates to present their final decision
as a group. Through this exercise the assessors can assess the decision orientation and
achievement orientation of the candidates by looking into how focused the group was towards
reaching a conclusive decision and how inclined were they towards achieving the required goal.
This exercise also assesses the ability of the candidates to present their ideas in front of a group
thus showing their presentation skills.
 BEI: This is a one-on-one interview in which the assessors ask questions related to certain
behavioral events occurred in the candidates personal and professional lives. The conversation
has to be recorded as a transcript and then analyzed by the assessors in order to pick up
behaviors that elicit the required competencies of a student. So, this exercise can show multiple
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competencies out of the grid. However, the selected few which are important to assess have
been marked in the competency grid.
 One-on-one: In this interaction, the candidate is asked hygiene questions and also given
situational questions to understand how well the candidate can manage himself/herself while
being creative.

The following chart will show the fidelity of the techniques and where they lie on the continuum:

Simulation
Signs - Case and Structured
exercises - In- Work samples -
Psychometric Interviews - BEI
tray and Group Presentation
test and one-on-one
exercise
Each exercise can be used to assess a different behavior or dimension which has been shown through
the competency grid given below.

Competency Grid:

S. No. Applicant Name: Rating Grid

Center: Group No.:
Assessor Name: Date & Time:
Case In-tray Group/Negotiation Presentation BEI One-to
one
1 Communication
and Social Skills
2 Decision
Orientation
3 Team work
4 Analytical Skills
5 Managing Self
6 Managing Teams
7 Planning and
Action Oriented
8 Problem Solving
9 Innovative
10 Achievement
Orientation

5. Potential Assessors

The potential assessors can be chosen from the stakeholders involved in running the college which
would include the professors, administrative staff and the PGP office staff. The professors are the most
qualified to identify and observe behaviors of the candidates and they are also the ones who are
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responsible for teaching and grooming the candidates throughout the 2-year period. So, they should be
chosen to be the observers in the Assessment Center. They have industry experience and industry
knowledge to be able to judge and assess candidates for the required characteristics and competencies.

6. Assessor Training

The professors have to be informed and trained regarding the competencies and skills that have to be
assessed during the AC. The objectives of the AC have to be clearly communicated to the professors
along with the exercises that are being used. Each exercise, dimensions being assessed and the rating to
be used should be defined and clarified to the assessors. The rating scale should also be explained and a
discussion should be carried out regarding the interpretation of the rating scale. The assessors should
reach a common understanding of the rating scale to allow a consistent judgement across all assessors.

7. Rating Forms

Assessment forms should be prepared and given to the assessors with a list of task wise behaviors or
exercise wise behaviors and the rating description. Each behavior has to be given a rating based on how
often the behaviors are being shown during the exercise. So, the rating form should allow the assessors
to record the frequency of depiction of each behavior. Towards the end of the exercise, the assessors
should discuss and take a few minutes to give the final rating based on the frequency of occurrence of
each behavior. The rating scale description for the AC is defined as follows:

 1 – Never
 2 – Hardly
 3 – Sometimes
 4 – Neither more nor less
 5 – More than sometimes
 6 – Most of the time
 7 – Always

8. Feedback and Integration

Since this is an Assessment Center so there is no feedback involved. If this was a Development Center
then the assessors would have given feedback to the candidates. However, under exception cases, the
college can provide feedback to certain candidates who are rejected. This initiative can be taken in case
candidates are willingly seeking for feedback and will create a positive image of the college.

Once the AC is complete and assessors have given a rating to the candidates for each exercise, the
rating from all assessors should be consolidated and a final score should be generated. This score shows
whether the candidate possesses the competencies required for a superior performance at college
further depicting that they will be superior performing candidates at their respective workplace. This
will generate a positive sentiment among recruiters and improve the placement record of the college
thus, benefitting it.