1. Competencies, Individual Development & Overall CB Performance
CAMBRIDGE 2019
Competencies, Individual
Development & Overall
CB Performance

2. Competencies are …….
Skills
Knowledge
Experience
Attributes
Behaviours
That an individual needs to perform a job effectively (Hirsh & Schrebler, 1995)

4. WHY DO WE USE COMPETENCIES?
Competencies provide us with the following:
A consistent measure of performance, making it easier to be more objective when assessing and monitoring performance
A structured way of describing behaviour – a common language for the organisation
A tool to help managers give constructive feedback – competencies provide examples of required level of behaviour
A self assessment tool to help individuals identify strengths and development needs
A mechanism to support the development of a closely targeted Individual Development Plan for an individual’s current role and future potential

6. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Recruitment & Selection
Job description
Induction
Performance
Management
Rotation & Secondment
Competencies
Reflecting job requirements & organisational culture
Staff
Appraisal
Promotion
Succession Planning & Talent Management
Rewards &
Sanctions
Learning &
Development
N.B.: Salaries & Financial Rewards Omitted

7. All competencies must be measurable: Quantitative or Qualitative

8. USING COMPETENCIES TO UNDERPIN PERFORMANCE
MUST
Be simple, memorable and measurable
Be shown and seen as relevant
Be carefully created / defined for complete coverage
SHOULD
Be forward looking
Raise individual and organisational performance
Be incorporated in recruitment, T&D, appraisal, JE etc
COULD
Be re-visited to re-think organisational culture, or
Be a fad that takes time and soon falls into disuse!

9. U.K. SENIOR CIVIL SERVICE COMPETENCIES

10. Setting Direction – Changing & Improving

11. LEADING & COMMUNICATING

13. Hiring In U.K. Civil Service (C.S.)
In the past Government & C.S. recruitment relied heavily on competency-based interviewing. Direct link to the Civil Service Competency Framework
Provided a structured approach whereby every candidate was tested with the same questions in the same order.
Candidate would give an answer including an example of a task or activity they completed in the past & also outline the actions taken in that particular situation
Hiring managers found that that this was very rigid.
Focused only on past behaviour
Did not allow for a more holistic view of the person.
Resulted in a narrower range of candidates being selected.
Clash with ethos of Government, to be a role model in terms of diversity and equality.
New hiring process :
Success Profiles launched in early 2019, now the formalised strategy for all Government roles.
All Government departments now using this new system.

14. Where do competencies come from?