When competency based assessment is adopted as a central strategy it is then further linked to the other HR processes of the organization like selection and hiring, performance management and learning and development. But, before implementing competency based assessment in the organization, it becomes important that the HR department does a comprehensive groundwork. Let us explore what are the critical considerations for the same:

• Assessing the feasibility of the process is important as it depends on the buy in and involvement of a large number of people and critical resources

• It is also important to assess the extent of desirability of people to be open and accepting to a new strategy or approach. It becomes all the more important when the organizational culture has not been very performance oriented

• The exact goals to be achieved by the strategy needs to clearly understood and shared with all the people who would be affected by it

• An elaborate plan of how these goals shall be achieved and what role would the competency based assessment would play with a special emphasis on how people would be affected also needs to be shared

While these may be a few important points, however, introducing a new strategy or approach in the organization which has a lasting impact on a large number of people is never easy. Once the premise for competency based assessment is clearly established it becomes comparatively easier to initiate the change in other HR processes.

The next step of the process then becomes identifying critical organization competencies, developing a framework and cascading the framework in the organization. This is to ensure, that the employees are well aware of the competencies for different level with a clear understanding of desired behaviors to be displayed in their specific job roles.

The cascading of the competency framework can be done internally by the HR team members or external consultants can be called in to conduct workshops and seminars to introduce and promulgate the competency framework within the organization.

Once the competency framework becomes known and is accepted by the employees, the next step becomes integrating it with the assessment processes used in the organization.

The assessment processes then have to realign to evaluate the specific competencies, some examples will help in understanding how this process happens:

1. The interview with the prospective job incumbent will now have to be a competency based structured interview where not just past experiences and technical knowhow will be evaluated but the versatility of the skills, organizational fit and personal motivations will also be explored

2. The performance appraisal system of the organization would now rely on ratings received by employees on competencies relevant to their roles making the process transparent and objective for both the managers and employees

3. The reward system of the organization would consider competencies to decide compensation and benefits for the employees

4. The skill gaps and training need assessment will now refer to competency framework to understand the developmental needs of the employees

Constant review of the process would further help in improving, strengthening and reinforcing the culture of assessments based on competencies.

1. Assessments are conducted for several purposes in the organization, whatever the purpose is, it needs to be communicated clearly to all participating members, assessors and administrators

2. The assessment should happen only on the pre-defined criteria, no new aspects should be added later nor any aspect however profound should be measured or referred to, which might not be in the list of pre-defined criteria for assessment. These dimensions and aspects are to be clearly defined to the participants

3. It is also highly recommended that any competency or dimension is measured more than once to clearly establish its presence or absence in the participants

4. The selection of participants for assessments should be a standardized process so that people of similar level, knowledge and skills are put together for assessment. Also it is avoidable to put senior and subordinate together in the same assessment

5. The assessor selection should be done keeping in mind the level of the participants, cultural context and sensitivity for e.g. For senior managers, junior level of assessors should not be involved

6. It is also important to clearly establish the management of assessment data within the organization
   • How would the collection and coalition of data happen
   • The people who would handle data and write reports
   • How would the reports be used
   • With whom would the reports be shared
   • How long the reports will be stored and for what purposes shall they be used
7. The simulation exercises should be developed by well qualified and trained professionals which would be used during assessments

8. The reliability and validity of the assessment tools have to be established prior to use

9. The internal assessors from within the organization participating in assessment need to be adequately trained

10. Integrating the feedback with the assessment process

11. There should be careful considerations regarding the different cultural context in which assessments will take place. There are some assessment techniques which work well in some cultures while they fail to bring out the desired behaviors in certain others. For e.g. Individual exercises work well in Western culture but Asians prefer team exercises

12. While video recording or writing verbatim for roe plays or other exercises, the consent of the participants should be sought so that they do not feel threatened. If they refuse, the assessors should convince them of the necessity and only then use such recording methods

13. The assessors need to sometime play the role of facilitator for the participants especially in assessments done for developmental purposes so that participants can display behaviors

14. A review mechanism to track developments post assessment could also be considered

These are some ethical considerations for assessment. Some of these points may not be applicable when assessments are done for selection and hiring purposes however transparent and open communication regarding results and feedback on performance goes a long way in creating credibility of the assessments conducted. For internal processes it also helps create a culture of objective potential and performance evaluation.

The organizational leadership therefore plays an important part as they directly influence the performance and the people of the organization. A well-defined and uniform competency framework is the first step towards an organized approach to the human resource management of the organization.

There is a constant need to increase efficiency and create and deliver value in each transaction. Therefore it is imperative that a more scientific approach like competencies be used to define and understand the knowledge, skills and attitude required to perform a job effectively. Evaluating an employee’s performance based on pre-defined competencies and their behavioural indicators, in turn is called competency based assessment.

The preliminary condition for a competency based assessment is a well-defined competency framework of the organization. Ideally, the competency framework needs to be in alignment with the long term organizational goals and its vision and mission. These competencies then need to be interpreted in the context of the tasks performed by employees at different levels, so a competency like fosters teamwork will be defined differently for a senior leader like COO and would further have to be contextualized for a junior manager.

The competencies are like the Pole Star for the organization especially the senior leaders and act as a constant check for the employees to direct and redirect their efforts to yield specific results. Since, competencies can be assessed and analyzed; it gives a fairly objective evaluation of an employee’s performance.

The best part about the competencies is that they can be learnt unlike personality traits which are characteristic to an individual. If the organization identifies criteria critical to its success in the form of core competencies, they can be cascaded down to the whole organization.

Having a competency framework and assessments based on it provides a comprehensive picture of the skill map of the organization, the development needs, and potential leaders and thus define the approach to effective talent management.

From the perspective of the employees, they get a better understanding of the potential progression of their careers which further augments their engagement with the organization.

Within the competency based assessment approach the organizations can find a structured model to integrate their management practices as well. A systematic approach like this can help define organizational priorities clearly and align the human resource strategies to create and build on key behaviours which are desired and would be rewarded. It also creates individual employees accountable and responsible for their performance and learning and development while creating a culture of transparency.

And most importantly competency based assessments go a step further to understand the individual and organizational fit to make correct hiring decisions, the starting point of the employee’s life-cycle in the organization.

Let us begin with the starting step of the employee’s life cycle in an organization, the selection and hiring process. Competency based assessment of a candidate for a particular job profile leads to an objective decision rather than one based on gut feeling or instincts. Competencies also provide information regarding the organizational fit of the candidate and also about the diversity of skills, knowledge and aptitude he/she possesses which can be used diversely by the organization.

Taking up, performance appraisal next which is another important process for an organization, competency based assessment lends transparency and credibility to the process. In absence of clearly defined criteria on which the performance is evaluated, the entire appraisal process is treated as unfair and opaque by employees.

Competencies and subsequently assessments based on them ensure that an employee is being evaluated on criteria which are relevant and applicable to his/her job and he/she is aware of those criteria, which gives them not just a sense of transparency but empowerment as well.

Training and development initiatives of the organization also get realigned to address strategic business needs with the implementation of competencies and assessments based on them. Competencies provide a clear picture of the organizational requirement of the level of skills and expertise required by a particular cadre of management and assessments give information regarding what are the gaps.

This information further helps in understanding the talent pool the organization has and what are the areas where the skills and expertise need to be enhanced. Training and developmental programs can thus be aimed at focus areas and yield tangible results for the organization rather than conducting initiative which have little or no relevance.

A comprehensive competency framework provides direction to the senior management team of the organization as well. The processes of succession planning and leadership development find a solid foundation in competency frameworks to build and strengthen the second line of the organization.

With a clearly defined competencies required at senior level and the assessments done to find out the current level provide information regarding the nature of coaching, guiding and mentoring required to create a leadership pipeline. This pipeline created out of the existing employees ensures their alignment to the organizational values, culture and processes thus creating acceptance within the organization. It also helps when external people are hired at senior levels as the guidelines and requisites are already there in the form of competency frameworks.

Competency based assessments and their reviews also accredit prior learning through work experience or educational qualification etc. It helps motivate people when, what they know and can do, is acknowledged by the competency based assessment.

Competence based assessment also help in evaluating the training and other development initiatives conducted for the employees. It helps create a detailed before and after picture to be compared based on displayed behaviors and examples. It also gives information whether training provided is relevant for a particular role or level or not as well as helps create such programs which actually address the core issue rather than beat around the bush.

There are certain clear benefits of the competency framework for the organizations:

1. A common understanding of critical success factors and desired behaviors within the organization
2. Integration of organizational process to competencies helps the interpretation of big picture concerns in day to day working [e.g. Situation of a new product launch and the competency Customer Focus valued by the organization]
3. Better management and effective decisions regarding cost intensive processes like selection, hiring and promotions
4. Assessment, feedback and communication regarding performance becomes standardized thus facilitating a common culture

Generally competencies have behavioral indicators as their building blocks, related behaviors are grouped under a competency and similar theme of competencies are further grouped together to form clusters. Ideally, a cluster of 8-12 competencies are found to be sufficient but one can also come across frameworks containing more than 15 competencies.

Key points to consider while developing a competency framework:

• The description should be as specific as possible to remove any traces of ambiguity
• The language needs to be simple to make it comprehensible by the larger audience
• The structure has to be simple and logical
• The framework should be relevant for all the people using it and being affected by it
• The framework should take into account unexpected changes that might affect organizational transactions, which means that it should clearly outline the behaviors that describe the manner in which the job incumbents are to perform in immediate and midterm future
• There should be no duplication or repetition of behaviors in the framework
• The behaviors should be distinct and describe just one aspect or one behavior, combination of two aspects may lead to a situation where an individual might be good at the first but poor at the second aspect

Let us look at an example of a competency framework for a CEO of an SBU:

Do you observe the rating scale in the above diagram? It transcends from a behavior displayed which is ineffective or needs development to a behavior which is highly effective. The above way of measuring competency is called Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale or BARS.

BARS is nothing but the description of the behaviors for ineffective and effective performance as shown above which when displayed by the participant or the person under observation in exercises like role plays, presentations or structured interview; is then anchored or placed at the appropriate point on the scale.

The measures and descriptions of the scales are developed through a comprehensive process of job analysis using methods like critical incident technique, structured interviews etc. The scale usually ranges from 3-5 but in rare cases can go up-to 7 which becomes complex and difficult to use and therefore avoidable.

A competency framework might be developed from the scratch in a place where it does not exist or an existing framework can be expanded to make it more useful. Whatever might be the case but it would be useful to consider the following:

• Involvement of people in developing the framework, which creates a buy-in and an ownership
• Keeping people well informed about the developments while also explaining the objectives and reasons behind them
• Identifying and creating competencies which are relevant to the organization

With a robust competency framework and HR processes in alignment to the framework gives an organization a competitive edge in the dynamic labor market and facilitates the brand of the organization as an employer.

Ice-Berg Model

The pictorial representation of the model is as below:

Let us take a look at the different components of the model:

So, is there a relation between the competencies which are above the surface and those which lie beneath? In the book Competence at Work Models for Superior Performance, the authors Lyle M. Spencer and Signe M. Spencer explain that a behaviour is incompletely defined without intent.

The aspects of competencies which lie below the surface like attitude, traits, thinking styles etc directly influence the usage of knowledge and skills to complete a job effectively.

Let us try to understand it through an example.

Suppose an organization is promoting an open door policy which literally means that a manager or supervisor would keep the doors of his/her chamber open to become accessible to their subordinates and encourage sharing of opinions and feedback.

A manager sitting at the farthest corner of the office keeps his door open all the time, how does one evaluate whether it is for fresh air, claustrophobia or an indication that his subordinates are invited to reach out to him anytime. Therefore, intent behind a displayed action is necessary to understand the action and its implication fully.

In more complex jobs, these behavioural aspects, motives and traits become more important than the skills and knowledge required to do the job. Think of a soldier at the war front, he knows how to use the weapon he is holding, but thinks that the war is unjust and refuses to fire.

In organizations, senior level hiring is therefore a time consuming and elaborate affair as it becomes necessary to establish the alignment between the organizational and individual motivation and aspirations.

Developing the two levels of competencies also takes different routes. The visible competencies like knowledge and skills can be easily developed through training and skill building exercises however the behavioural competencies are rather difficult to assess and develop. It takes more time and effort intensive exercises, like psychotherapy, counseling, coaching and mentoring, developmental experiences etc.

In the traditional method of hiring, most of the organizations looked at just the visible components of competencies; the knowledge and skills, believing that the behavioural aspects can be developed through proper guidance and good management. However, with major shifts in the conventional methods of people management, the hiring process has also undergone a change therefore a lot of emphasis is being put on the hidden behavioural aspects as well to make a sound decision.

Hence, a complete picture regarding the competence of a person consists of both visible and hidden aspects and it becomes necessary to understand both to arrive at identifying the best man for a job.

An assessment center is basically a series of assessments carried out using several techniques like simulation, psychometric test and exercises to take critical decisions like selective or rejecting a candidate for recruitment, for promotions and appraisals etc.

There are some basic considerations for running an assessment centers which is again the corporate adaptation of an army process.

Assessment centers need to have clearly defined competencies with behavioral indicators and scales for evaluation and the techniques used for assessment should assess these very competencies and behaviors.

No other competency or behavior apart from the one identified earlier, however profound, is evaluated.

There are several techniques used and multiple assessors are involved to assess candidates in different simulation and exercises.

Simulations exercises are an integral part of both assessment and development centers.

They basically are situations, exercises and conditions which imitate the real life working scenario of the assessee.

They find a special place in assessments because they allow opportunities to observe and assess the assessee’s behavior pertaining to each job related competency.

Examples of simulations include group exercises, in-basket exercises, structured interviews, presentations, and fact-finding exercises.

Development Center

Development Centers and assessment centers are often confused as being the same as they use the same techniques to evaluate employees. But there are certain clear differences between them.

A development center like an assessment center uses assessment techniques like simulation, psychometrics etc, but the purpose of it is totally different. A development center as the name suggests is conducted only for the developmental purposes of the employees.

It is conducted to assess potential, to identify strengths and development needs and the end result is a well documented individual development plan for each participant.

The Development Center can be as long as 3 days where each day the participants undergo simulation exercises.

It also, has a pre defined competencies and behaviors as reference point which are assessed during assessments but unlike assessment centers feedback is an important component of development centers.

During assessment centers it is only the decision that is shared with the candidates but in the development center, the candidate is provided feedback after every exercise and towards the closing of the development center an elaborate feedback session may be conducted which lays the foundation for the development of an individual development plan for the participant.

As the spirit of a development center is to create an open and transparent atmosphere for learning, mistakes are not treated negatively but are looked upon as learning opportunities by both assessors and assessee.

The role of the assessors in the development center also becomes larger as they now have to also play the part of learning partner with the assessee.

They are more open to hear the assessee and help them realize and explore their areas of strengths and development.

A development center when used in the organization has a greater acceptability amongst the employees as it is seen as a non-threatening and objective assessment of development areas.

Involvement and buy in of line managers can be beautifully integrated in the development center process by sharing information with them regarding the performance of their subordinates or team members and seeking their feedback about the participants on their on the job performance.

This creates a partnership which is crucial for the individual development plan created after development center to be acted out and the goals outlined, achieved.

An objective, transparent and respectful conversation needs to be conducted during feedback to drive home the points which the participant needs to work upon.

Giving feedback is never easy not even for an external consultant conducting an assessment in the organization and when assessments are done internally it becomes all the more important that the feedback process is handled delicately.

It sure does not mean that the points which address the negative aspects of a candidate’s personality are left un-discussed; neither has it to be sweet talked or disguised.

There are certain considerations which can guide an assessor during feedback:

• A cliche which works effectively, is to open the session with a positive feedback

• It also helps in knowing the expectation of the participant from the feedback session, it acts as a compass for the assessor

• The assessor needs to be very specific and stick to the pre-defined parameters or competencies to make reference

• Whenever possible examples should be cited to help the participant understand better

• Involving the participant is important, feedback has to be a dialogue and not a monologue which means that the participant should be given an opportunity to discuss their career aspirations, motivations, experience of the assessments etc

• Assessors need to be patient and display great listening skills to create the required trust and rapport with the participant

• The participant should be allowed to explain the intent behind their actions and differing opinions whenever appropriate

• The assessors should refrain from passing a judgmental statement, their statements have to be suggestive rather than stated as absolute truths

The feedback provider has to remember that feedback is also a mechanism to learn for people. We might as well make a reference to the Johari Window, here:

The feedback should aim that the participant gets aware of both the areas of strength and areas of development. It should encourage introspection, help participants draw inference and reach conclusions.

People are very good at hiding any feeling of hurt and upset. However, beneath the fa ade lies a demoralized and de-motivated individual.

For example, some participants might start thinking “if that is what I am like, am I really going to get where I want” or “Is this they think of me” such situation require very careful handling of feedback else it can become the road to frustration.

If the desired level of trust does not exist between the assessor and the participant, the facilitation of the feedback discussion becomes very difficult and the purpose is defeated.

If assessors share the outcomes and feedback with the participant without allowing discussion or comment, the feedback session becomes a fiasco.

Where participants do not share hopes, aspirations or intrinsically commit to their development actions no further progress can take place.

Some participants may also blatantly refuse to accept the observation and information provided by assessors and could externalize reasons to validate their behaviors, even questioning the entire assessment process.

For example, “these exercises are not relevant to my work situation” or “I work in the XYZ industry and this is not the case there” or “this is just an exercise we did, actual work is very different”.

This is an attempt at blocking discussion around their performance being examined.

Participant age and demographic profile also strongly impact their perception and expectations from assessors.

Older, more experienced and senior participants feel vulnerable being observed by juniors or internal colleagues.

Hence, a lot of planning is required before the feedback session. It helps if the assessor can know the profile of the participant before-hand as it later helps in navigating the feedback discussion appropriately.

And in the end it is important to remember the very basic principle of androgogy that adults learn if they find the learning relevant to what they do.

It is important to link feedback to the everyday work of the participant and how improving can have positive effects on their work also can be outlined.

This helps in greater acceptability of feedback.

It would be interesting to explore a little about some of the most used methods and best practices for assessments in organizations across the world.

The first and the simplest method is that of observing the candidate at his/her work. The natural work environment makes the candidates much relaxed and they display their job related competencies at ease without the usual anxiety that accompanies assessment.

This makes the job of the observers easy as well as they get concrete and relevant examples of behaviors to be assessed simultaneously, as they can see them in action.

Structured Interviews are another popular method which are open ended questions asked to the candidate which help explore a particular job related competency better.

It happens by asking very specific questions regarding a past performance, cited as example for a competency by the candidate and the observer tries to establish the competency by asking questions about it. A little script would help in understanding better:

Observer: Can you tell me an incident or an example from your work-life where you displayed the competency engaging and inspiring others

Candidate: Yes, last year when I was posted in the XYZ mines in South India, we were running a green initiative on behalf of the organization where we planted around 1000 saplings in the forest area around the mines.

Observer: Who had suggested the idea? At what level were you involved? Did you face any problems? How did you manage them? What do you think was the response of your team to this initiative? Did anyone oppose this? How did you create a buy in for this project? Etc.

The list of questions can be long but the observer has to essentially bring out the fact that if a competency or behavior is displayed, there is a well-defined intent behind it as well.

The next assessment methodology worth exploring is simulation exercises. As these exercises represent situations from the work life of the candidate, they can easily relate to it and therefore job related relevant behaviors are exhibited. Some of the important tools used under simulation exercises are:

• Role Play- Using role play in simulation exercises reveal a great deal of information regarding the behaviors.

  The role play may have a little situation described which is given to the participant and similar information is provided to the observer however the observers are provided with certain leading questions which help to elicit the behaviors to be observed.

  It is also a good idea to video record the role play which can be played later during washouts with other observers to clearly identify specific behaviors.

  In some conservative organizations, instead of role plays verbatim are written which also serve the similar purpose of recording the behaviors for later reference.

• In Basket- It basically contains some mails, memos and other information on which the candidate has to take decisions after appropriate prioritization. It is a time bound exercise and if it is conducted as a detailed written exercise, the candidates also have to explain the reason behind their decisions.

• Case Study- A case studies for the assessment sake can be defined as detailed information regarding the different aspects of an organization, person or situation depending upon the competencies to be judged and has some problem themes running through it.

  The candidate is required to carefully analyze various relevant aspects of the problems and issues and reach a conclusion regarding the same with a logical reason to support his/her decisions.

Psychometric assessments/Aptitude Tests are another popular method for not just assessing the competencies but also understanding the strengths, personality types and motivation of the candidates.

There are psychometric tests which measure specific competencies like teamwork, sales orientation, emotional quotient etc. Cognitive ability tests provide great information regarding the aspects like conceptual problem solving, business and financial acumen etc.

As the approach to competencies are changing, the way it can be assessed is also undergoing a few changes, new methodologies like Appreciative Inquiry and Development Dialogue with the candidate are also being adopted to understand and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and also as methods to address performance issues and give feedback.

Let us understand the concepts behind these two terms. As one can figure out from the term Appreciative Inquiry, it basically is a process which sticks to focusing on the positives or strengths of a person.

The idea is that if the positive experiences are focused on it is easier to figure out the strengths of people which then makes it easier to talk about weaknesses and development areas subsequently.

A Development Dialogue is a one-on-one discussion between a senior and a subordinate or can even take place between an observer and a candidate. It covers areas like career goals, motivations an aspirations, development needs etc.

We often hear the saying, Right Person for the Wrong Job, being used to refer to people who are either too qualified or too competent for the job that they are assigned to.

Conversely, HR (Human Resources) and Line Managers also complain about how a particular employee is a “bad fit” for the job, meaning that he or she does not the skills or the aptitude for the role that they are assigned to.

This is where Competency Mapping can address these pervasive problems of appointing the “right” person for the right job.

Competency Mapping is a process which creates a matrix of the desirable skills and aptitudes as well as qualifications and pre-requisites for the roles/jobs and then “maps” or matches the employee’s corresponding attributes.

If the correct “fit” is obtained or even if there is a substantial convergence between the two axes, then the particular employee can indeed be assigned to the job or the role specified with the expectation that he or she would be an asset, and not a liability to the organization. So, Competency Mapping is useful for HR/Line Managers.

Competency Mapping is a Continuous Process and Must be Done From the Hiring Stage Itself

How to go about determining the right fit using Competency Mapping and when and where the process must be use d and actualized?

To start with, organizations often prepare JDs or Job Descriptions that specify the necessary qualifications, experience, soft skills, and other requirements.

The JD can be a good starting point to put in motion the process of Competency Mapping. Other than this, based on our working experience, we suggest that organizations constitute a working group of Managers, Senior Managers, and experienced HR personnel to come up with an elaborate matrix of the JD and other aspects critical to the job or the role, and then, start the process of Competency Mapping once the interviews commence.

In other words, do not wait for the hiring process to be completed and instead, front run the same by matching the Matrix items of the candidates who have made it to the final or the penultimate rounds.

Indeed, we can personally vouch for the increased chances of the right “fit” if the Competency Mapping is done at the hiring stage itself.

Of course, it would be time consuming and tedious, and so, we suggest that the “pool” of probable candidates be mapped.

How Competency Mapping Can Help Corporates Save Millions of Dollars in Employee Costs

Having said that, it should not be construed that Competency Mapping is over once the hiring concludes.

On the contrary, it is recommended by HR experts that this should be a continuous process that should cover the entire gamut of the HR lifecycle including hiring, assigning the selected candidates for the roles, appraisal and incorporating periodic feedback from the immediate managers into the Matrix of Competencies. After this, the decision to either retain or move employees out of the roles that they are currently in can be taken.

Indeed, Competency Mapping should be done on a periodic basis, so that organizations can ruthlessly eliminate those who do not have any of the hard or soft attributes needed for the job.

The reason we used a strong word is because research has shown that organizations tend to lose Millions of Dollars due to the Bad Fit problem, as such employees become deadweight or like someone who is being paid to just pass the time.

In other words, there are no free lunches and so, there is no point for organizations to persist with White Elephants. There is also a chance that a bad fit for one role can become an excellent fit for other roles.

Why the Combination of Technology and Human Instinct Can Better Competency Mapping

In recent years, with the use of technology, corporates have been bettering the Competency Mapping game and we suggest that they continue deploying automated tools along with the decision making by humans. We have seen how top tier firms like Citigroup use software for competency mapping right from the hiring stage itself.

We have also seen how intuitive managers can use their personal gut feeling to weed out bad fits and we have also come across managers who are simply helpless about bad fit employees becoming a liability.

So, the point we are making is that Competency Mapping is not just about the Matrix of skills and attributes, but much more than that, as it requires cold and tech driven matching of the Matrix items, and the human element that is so crucial to “getting it right”.

Further, bad fits can be identified at any stage and as we mentioned earlier, they can become an excellent fit somewhere else, thereby actualizing synergies that can help the organizations. Indeed, there is no point in either persisting with bad fits, or someone else losing out if they are better deployed elsewhere. In effect, there can be substantial gains from Competency Mapping processes.

The Bad Fit Problem Can be a Thing of the Past, Rationalizing Costs in Recessionary Times

Last, with recessionary fears looming over the horizon, there is more than ever a need now for organizations to cut costs and enhance gains and this is where Competency Mapping can come in handy or indeed, be valuable to corporates.

All said and done, some employees are good interview candidates and others lack the necessary competencies. Competency Mapping helps in solving both these problems and more so, the Bad Fit vexation can be a thing of the past.

To conclude, each Job Description has specific requirements and to assume equivalence is an expensive oversight and instead, Competency Mapping can be done.