Competencies
As an organization develops, it must take into account the members of the organization and the various level of competency within them. In general competency is defined as The state of being competent; fitness; ability; adequacy; power.1 However in an organization context is means more. Whereas skills alone often imply tasks and activities for which someone can be trained, competencies flesh out the value of employees. They reflect the know-how, experience, acumen and interpersonal dynamics that complement skills. Going a step further, "core competencies" are those that refresh, enhance and sustain organizational performance and effectiveness.2
Competencies involve both individual levels and organization. Most enterprises define two types of competencies: organizational and work-specific. Organizational competencies, which are coarsely defined, shape cultural identity, define group values and guide development, retention and recruitment. By defining organizational competencies, the…organization begins to present and market itself both to the enterprise and to employees. Work-specific competencies, which are finely detailed, directly shape individual productivity; refer to a particular role and aptitude; progress through stages of supervision, scope and complexity; and help guide individual development. Work-specific competencies are defined by levels - for example, beginner, advanced and expert, or apprentice, journeyman and master. The number of levels depends on how rigorously an enterprise wants to manage the competencies, how clearly it can distinguish those levels and whether the competency can be applied in a repeatable fashion to certain roles.3
How do companies use competencies? Enterprises use organizational and work-specific competencies in numerous ways: to define culture, to recruit the right people, to anticipate sourcing strategies, to improve performance, to connect compensation and value, to shape professional development, to assess organizational exposure and to enhance organizational effectiveness. Although many enterprises apply competencies to short-term performance and training opportunities, larger opportunities lie in using both organizational and work-specific competencies to prepare the organization for its future.4
Lastly, [c]ompetency levels typically revolve around the degree of supervision a person either requires or provides; the simplicity or complexity of the work tackled; the scope of the work tackled; the type of decisions made; the risk associated with decisions; the confidence with which the individual fulfills high-profile roles; the type and level of people with whom the individual interacts; and the impact of the results achieved.5
Does any of this apply to the OTO? It is an interesting question to explore. The OTO certainly gives tasks to individuals it deems as capable. It also defines those tasks to some degree and has some level of supervision, more so on the lower levels. But competencies are more than that and even where those are apparent, they operate on the work-specific level. What is the sate of the organizational competencies? What is the OTO doing to shape group identity, the organizational culture, group values, retention, etc. Are these competencies clearly defined? If so are the universally applied? What about in the work specific areas. Is there a finely detailed environment directing the growth of individual and their competencies? If so, how effective is it? If not, should there be? Lastly are the existing competencies being used to improve the organization? Its members? If so how? How effective is it? If not, what is being done about it? Or do we even have a mechanism for examining these things and measuring them? Are the results all subjective? Or are there objective metrics to measure?
Looking at the members, their development in the organization as well as the development of the organization offers a great environment to examine these questions. Do we ask these kinds of questions? If so how often? If not, should we? What will our response to the answers be? Do we even have the means to answer them? If not maybe we should start looking at that too.
References:
1 http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=competency
2 http://gotsource.ky.gov/dsweb/Get/Document-2626/Why+Enterprises+Are+Talking+About+Competencies.htm [NOTE: The article is in particular about IS organizations but the questions have larger application.]
3 ibid
4 ibid
5 ibid
Competencies involve both individual levels and organization. Most enterprises define two types of competencies: organizational and work-specific. Organizational competencies, which are coarsely defined, shape cultural identity, define group values and guide development, retention and recruitment. By defining organizational competencies, the…organization begins to present and market itself both to the enterprise and to employees. Work-specific competencies, which are finely detailed, directly shape individual productivity; refer to a particular role and aptitude; progress through stages of supervision, scope and complexity; and help guide individual development. Work-specific competencies are defined by levels - for example, beginner, advanced and expert, or apprentice, journeyman and master. The number of levels depends on how rigorously an enterprise wants to manage the competencies, how clearly it can distinguish those levels and whether the competency can be applied in a repeatable fashion to certain roles.3
How do companies use competencies? Enterprises use organizational and work-specific competencies in numerous ways: to define culture, to recruit the right people, to anticipate sourcing strategies, to improve performance, to connect compensation and value, to shape professional development, to assess organizational exposure and to enhance organizational effectiveness. Although many enterprises apply competencies to short-term performance and training opportunities, larger opportunities lie in using both organizational and work-specific competencies to prepare the organization for its future.4
Lastly, [c]ompetency levels typically revolve around the degree of supervision a person either requires or provides; the simplicity or complexity of the work tackled; the scope of the work tackled; the type of decisions made; the risk associated with decisions; the confidence with which the individual fulfills high-profile roles; the type and level of people with whom the individual interacts; and the impact of the results achieved.5
Does any of this apply to the OTO? It is an interesting question to explore. The OTO certainly gives tasks to individuals it deems as capable. It also defines those tasks to some degree and has some level of supervision, more so on the lower levels. But competencies are more than that and even where those are apparent, they operate on the work-specific level. What is the sate of the organizational competencies? What is the OTO doing to shape group identity, the organizational culture, group values, retention, etc. Are these competencies clearly defined? If so are the universally applied? What about in the work specific areas. Is there a finely detailed environment directing the growth of individual and their competencies? If so, how effective is it? If not, should there be? Lastly are the existing competencies being used to improve the organization? Its members? If so how? How effective is it? If not, what is being done about it? Or do we even have a mechanism for examining these things and measuring them? Are the results all subjective? Or are there objective metrics to measure?
Looking at the members, their development in the organization as well as the development of the organization offers a great environment to examine these questions. Do we ask these kinds of questions? If so how often? If not, should we? What will our response to the answers be? Do we even have the means to answer them? If not maybe we should start looking at that too.
References:
1 http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=competency
2 http://gotsource.ky.gov/dsweb/Get/Document-2626/Why+Enterprises+Are+Talking+About+Competencies.htm [NOTE: The article is in particular about IS organizations but the questions have larger application.]
3 ibid
4 ibid
5 ibid