COMPETENCIES OF

CHANGE AGENTS
HABIB S. BANTUAS
Competency
• Underlying characteristic of a person
• Results in effective and/or superior performance
Change Agent
• A person who acts as a catalyst for the change management process.
Competencies of Change Agents
• Cognitive Competencies
• Functional/Technical Competencies
• Personal (Effectiveness) Competencies (Self-control, attitudes, traits,
values etc.); and
• Inter-personal Competencies
• Consulting/Problem Solving (Competencies)
Cognitive Competencies
• Required for perceiving and thinking and are again a combination of
number of competencies:
Analytical Thinking – enables a person to understand a situation by breaking
it apart into smaller pieces, or tracing the implications of a situation in a step-
by-step causal way.
Conceptual Thinking – involves understanding a situation or problem by
putting the pieces together and seeing the large picture.
Functional/Technical Competencies
• Skills required to perform effectively in a particular discipline,
functional or technical area
• There are four dimensions to Functional/Technical/Professional
Competencies:
Depth of Knowledge and Skills
Breadth of Knowledge and Skills
Expertise Acquisition Motive
Distribution/Dissemination of Expertise
Personal (Effectiveness)/Self Management
Competencies
• Help a person to be effective in achieving his goals, actions even amidst
environmental difficulties and pressures.
• Self Control
• Self Confidence
Intensity indicating how much challenge or work the individual has confidence to
face
Dealing with failure
• Flexibility
• Organizational Commitment
• Initiative
A few other Personal Competencies:
• Communication – written/oral presentation
• Assertiveness
• Visioning
• Thoroughness; and
• Persuasion
Inter-Personal Competencies
• Essential for dealing with other people effectively.
• Communication
Ensuring that the message conveyed has been fully understood
Ensuring that the conveyed message has been accepted by the receiver; and
Ensuring the receiver of the message has got motivated ta act for coing what
he has accepted to do.
• Inter-Personal Understanding
Depth or complexity of understanding others ranging from.
Listening and responding to others.
Inter-Personal Competencies
• Help/Service Orientation
• Influence and Impact
• Understanding and Using Power Dynamics
• Relationship Building
• Negotiation
Consulting Competency
• General Skills
• Contracting Skills
• Sensing and Diagnosis Skills
• Problem Solving and Decision-Making Skills
• Implementing Skills
• Evaluating Skills
• Maintenance Skills
• Diagnosing
• Consulting
• Linking