Competency final Exam

Question 1

Define competency:

Answer 1

A personal characteristic that drives behaviour, which leads to superior performance

A competency is a measurable characteristic of an individual that is causally related to effective or superior performance. A characteristic is not a competency unless it predicts something meaningful in the real world
It can include things such as:
● Deeply held motives and values (“below the surface”)
● Traits and attitudes (“below the surface”)
● KSA’s (more easily observed)

Question 2

What is a threshold competency? Give an example.

Answer 2

Threshold competencies are characteristics that any job holder needs to have to do that job effectively—but that do not distinguish the average from superior performer.

For example a good salesperson must have decent knowledge of all the products they sell but that knowledge doesn’t necessarily have to be outstanding. *Think of this as the minimum competency level to perform at an average level.

Question 3

What is a differentiating competency? Give an example.

Answer 3

Differentiating competencies are characteristics that superior performers have but average performers lack.

For example, customer-focused and empathetic salespersons can put themselves in the shoes of potential clients to really understand which products are important to them and which are not.

Question 4

What is a core (strategic) competency?

Answer 4

Specific competencies to the organization. They are values and strategies required by all employees. They are used to assess ‘fit’ in an organization.

In an organization (such as the YMCA) that is known for its commitment to its community, they might search for employees who also share this commitment.

Question 5

What is a technical (occupational) competency?

Answer 5

Competencies that are specific to jobs, role, or occupational groups.

An example of this is a job for accountants. They have to prove they have the technical competency of accounting skills such as getting a CHRP designation. This could also be best used for any other ‘technical’ industry such as working with computers or welding.

Question 6

Competencies range from very deeply held concepts of traits, values and attitudes to more visible or “surface level” knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviours. This is often visually represented with an iceberg. Identify and discuss three reasons this distinction is significant when implementing competency based approaches to human resource management? #1

Answer 6

1. When using a competency based approach to hire, you need to identify what traits, values, and attitudes are necessary in order to be a good “fit” for your organization. If you are able to identify these “underlying” competencies in your candidates, you increase the likelihood of recruiting and selecting people who will succeed in their role and be a good long-term fit with your company. This is in contrast with simply hiring for the surface level KSA’s. Instead, if you hire for fit (attitudes, beliefs, etc that are harder to train), you can train for the KSA’s which are easier to develop.

Question 7

Competencies range from very deeply held concepts of traits, values and attitudes to more visible or “surface level” knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviours. This is often visually represented with an iceberg. Identify and discuss three reasons this distinction is significant when implementing competency based approaches to human resource management? #2

Answer 7

2.

Question 8

Competencies range from very deeply held concepts of traits, values and attitudes to more visible or “surface level” knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviours. This is often visually represented with an iceberg. Identify and discuss three reasons this distinction is significant when implementing competency based approaches to human resource management? #3

Answer 8

3.

Question 9

What is the objective of a behavioural event interview?

Answer 9

The objective of the BEI is to get very detailed behavioral descriptions of how a person goes about doing his or her work. The central objective of the BEI is getting the interviewee to describe in detail at least 4 but preferably 6 complete stories of critical incidents.

Question 10

Description of how a BEI is conducted:

Answer 10

i. introduction and explanation - introducing yourself and explaining the purpose and format of the interview. Purpose of this step is to establish a sense of mutual trust
ii. job responsibilities - getting the interviewee to describe his or her most important job tasks and responsibilities
iii. behavioral events - asking the interviewee to describe, in detail the 5 or 6 most important situations he or she has experienced in the job - 2 or 3 “high points” aka major successes and 2 or 3 “low points” aka key failures
iv. characteristics needed to do the job - asking interviewee what he or she thinks it takes for someone to do the job effectively
v. conclusion and summary - thanking the interviewee for his or her time and summarizing key incidents and findings from the interview