1. Meaning of Competence and Competencies
Terms pervade much of HRM literature
Terms are often used confusingly
Competence – ability to carry out a specific task
Competency – refers to behaviour

2. Government Initiatives
Investors in people
Sector Skills Councils (SSCs)
Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs)

3. Competence Movement
Tension between what a trainee knows and what they can do after training
Knowledge rather than practical skills carries status
Government policy around schools – heightened emphasis on practical vocational skills

4. NVQs Bringing together a range of vocational qualifications
Developed for all occupational areas
Five levels – basic to more complex

5. Training for Competence
Criterion related
Developing ability of trainees to perform tasks related to job
Expressed in terms of performance outcomes and specific indicators

6. NVQ Standards Divided into job roles
Key roles then subdivided into units of competence
Then subdivision into elements of competence with attached performance criteria and range statements

7. Example – Level Three Management Standards
Table 17.1  Level three management standards

8. Principles of Competencies Leading to National Qualifications (1 of 2)
Open access
Focus on what people can do
Qualification same wherever training takes place
Feature performance standards as basis of assessment
Flexibility and modularisation
Accreditation of prior experience and learning

9. Principles of Competencies Leading to National Qualifications (2 of 2)
Establishment of learning contract
Flexibility in assessment achieved by the portfolio principle
Continuous development
Standards determined by designated lead bodies
Assessment
GNVQs

10. Problematic Aspects of NVQs (1 of 2)
Assessment process can be laborious
A lot of terminology around NVQs
Generality of standards leads employers to modify for own use
Difficult to measure satisfactory quality of assessment
Standards are reductionist
Functional approach can be narrow

11. Problematic Aspects of NVQs (2 of 2)
Early management standards gave incomplete representation of management
Lack of attention to learning and cognitive processes
May not stimulate further development
Some resistance to idea that educators are not competent to set the training agenda

12. Characteristics of Behavioural Competencies
Trait
Motive
Skill
Self image
Social role

13. Threshold Competencies (1 of 2)
Table 17.2  The seven threshold competencies identified by Richard Boyatzis
Source: R. Boyatzis (1982) The Competent Manager. New York: John Wiley.

14. Threshold Competencies (2 of 2)
Table 17.2  The seven threshold competencies identified by Richard Boyatzis
Source: R. Boyatzis (1982) The Competent Manager. New York: John Wiley.

15. Clusters of Management Competencies
Goal and action
Leadership
Human resourcing
Focus on others
Directing subordinates
(Boyatzis, 1982)

16. Goal & Action Cluster Concern with impact Diagnostic use of concepts
Efficiency orientation
Proactivity
(Boyatzis, 1982)

17. Leadership Cluster Conceptualisation Self confidence
Oral presentations
(Boyatzis, 1982)

18. Human Resource Management Cluster
Use of socialised power
Managing group processes
(Boyatzis, 1982)

19. Focus on Others Cluster
Perceptual objectivity
Self control
Stamina and adaptability
(Boyatzis, 1982)

20. Directing Subordinates Cluster
Developing others
Spontaneity
Use of unilateral power
(Boyatzis, 1982)

21. Typical Content of a Competency Framework
Figure 17.1 Typical content of a competency framework (Source: This material is adapted from The Competencies Handbook by S. Whiddett and S. Hollyforde (1999), p. 14, with the permission of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, CIPD House, Camp Road, London, SW19 4UX.)

22. Advantages of Behavioural Competencies
Way of expressing what is valued by an organisation
Provide a critical mechanism for integrating HR practices to strategic approach to HR
Competency framework can be used across HR practices
Employees can be given a consistent message about what is valued and expected

23. Problematic Aspects of Behavioural Competencies
Complex research processes required
Due to research process competencies will be backward looking
May not include every aspect critical to superior performance
A wider perspective needs to be taken
People’s behaviour may not always be consistent

24. Summary IIP, SSCs and LSCs encourage the competence movement and NVQs
Competence is concerned with job standards and output
Competency refers to behaviour or input
Main vehicle for learning to achieve competence is NVQs
NVQs continually criticised