A competency evaluation is the evaluation of somebody’s capabilities towards the necessities of their job. These requirements are defined in a competency model. To be valuable, competency models ought to comprise only tasks and skills which might be critical to success within the position, not every activity they perform in their job (which comes from a traditional job task analysis).
The assessment is performed on those recognized tasks and skills for which a ranking is chosen primarily based upon how they do that task, which defines their proficiency level. In other words, a competency assessment measures how (behaviors) somebody does the what (task or skill). The individual’s chosen proficiency level is then compared with the target level, defining proficiency or skill gaps for each task and skill.
For example, a manager assessment without a self-assessment will not provide the outcomes you seek since there will be no buy-in to the results. Start with a self-evaluation, add a manager evaluation, and optionally add those from subject matter experts.
Most organizations are blissfully unaware of the quantity and measurement of their skill gaps. They know they have them, however they don’t know how large or widespread they are, and they can’t inform organizational plans, priorities, and strategy. Think about that for a moment. When you don’t know what you may and may’t do, how can you achieve success? How are you going to really define your group’s strengths, which opportunities it’s best to pursue, or what it’s best to do about it?
In case you are a senior leader and you don’t have competency assessment data or skill hole evaluation, you ought to be scared. You’re making choices which might be primarily based on inadequate data. When it comes to understanding organizational capability, you don’t need to be within the dark. A competency assessment shows us the light. And then one of the best choices will be made, including the place we need to upskill and reskill staff.
In case you are in a learning, expertise, or effectiveness function, you are capable of eliminating this data void. Delivering competency assessments and using them to create a tradition of learning such that upskilling and reskilling can happen continuously, must be part of your job description. Typically, that’s ensuring that folks have the skills required to do their current and future jobs. Without skills assessment data, you don’t have any ability to mitigate skill gaps effectively.
Once you know who does and doesn’t have the required skills:
You can provide personalized learning to shut these gaps.
You can pair high performers of a selected skill with those that have that skill hole to close gaps quickly with task-based mostly mentoring.
Your expertise acquisition strategy will be more targeted so you hire these with the skills the group lacks.
A competency evaluation will also be used by individuals to assess their readiness for different roles. Individuals will not make assumptions about their readiness for a role or guess at the necessities—they will really know. They will use the personalized learning recommendations as a career development plan template to take specific motion to plan for the position they desire.