Discussion of the Concept of Competency Mapping
Competency mapping is a process used in business management. It deals with behaviors exhibited by employees. The process is easy enough to understand that even very small companies can find it useful. However, it has such enormous implications for businesses that as many as half of Fortune 500 companies now use it in some form, according to Advesh Consultancy Services.
Competency mapping is the process of figuring out what competencies, or underlying characteristics that let you perform at or above expectations, are critical to success. It also involves putting those competencies to work for you in other processes you may have in your business, such as accounting or recruitment.
Competency mapping operates on the underlying principle that behavioral and knowledge attributes can be learned, and that the behaviors and knowledge sets people outwardly exhibit are only a small portion of the behaviors and knowledge sets that people are capable of showing. Those who use competency mapping believe that if a person knows what characteristics are critical to performing well in a given role or situation at work, he can work at developing those characteristics and bringing them to the surface.
Productivity, Competition and Revenue
If a person is able to develop or exhibit more readily desired behaviors and knowledge for a given context, in theory he can reach a higher level of performance for that context. From the business perspective, this has an enormous, positive implication for productivity. If productivity increases because people develop the competencies necessary in order to succeed, a company may gain a competitive edge over other businesses and earn more revenue.
Hiring, Fit and Retention
Competency mapping identifies the behaviors or knowledge a person needs to develop or already have in a given job or work situation. Employers thus can develop competency maps for each job they have in the business. During the hiring process, members of management can try to determine whether a specific candidate has the potential to exhibit the behaviors and knowledge desired for the available job. This may enable the employer to find the employee who is truly the best fit for the work. With a good fit, employee turnover rates may go down. This means the company saves money because they do not have to recruit and train new employees.
Wanda Thibodeaux is a freelance writer and editor based in Eagan, Minn. She has been published in both print and Web publications and has written on everything from fly fishing to parenting. She currently works through her business website, Takingdictation.com, which functions globally and welcomes new clients.