Investing in People (iiP) is a Competency-Based Solution for staff, supervisors and HR professionals to translate vision, values and strategy into necessary behaviours that deliver for delivering high-value products and services to customers and contribute to desired business goals. Therefore, managers and HR leaders using competencies are able to tackle critical organisational challenges, and increase employee engagement.
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Thus, Investing in People offers defined expectations and definitions of success customised to your business and internal processes, to maximise the use of human capital. iiP supports the following Investing in People options:
If you wish to know more about competency frameworks, the foundation of our Investing in People system, please go on and read here:
Most importantly, Investing in People is to support the development of the most important resource – “The Human Capital”, who is essential for the continuing success of your organisation.
Investing in People ensures that all employees focus on achieving results that best serve the strategic objective of your organisation. Therefore, iiP encourages your staff to developing competencies, skills and knowledge that meet current and future needs.
Firstly, competencies refer to skills, knowledge and attitudes that lead to successful performance on a certain job under a certain organisational setting. E.g., competency requirements evolve over time driven by changes in organisation, customer base and characteristics of products and services offered to these customers etc. And, for each competency, there is a description of what it means in practice and effective behaviours.
Secondly, behavioural indicators are observable and measurable behaviours that allow conclusions about someone’s knowledge, skills and attitudes that contribute to individual success – the eligibility and the suitability for a certain job in a certain environment.
These indicators are usually categorised and specified by contribution level. Behavioural indicators describe the requirements beyond specific functional tasks. As such, behavioural indicators are specific to a person rather than to a function.
While indicators of behaviour will not be comprehensive, they aim to provide a greater understanding and consistency about expectations on individuals in an organisational setting. More importantly, supervisors can use these behavioural indicators in guiding staff members to identify potential areas for improvement.
A typical competency framework outlines core competencies, leadership competencies and functional competencies.
Core competencies are usually linked to values an organisation wishes to embark. Therefore, core competencies apply to all members in an organisation. They are often rather about attitude (right hand leg in figure 2) and mindset than about knowledge and skills.
“Business Ethics”, “Passion to Serve” or “Customer Orientation” are examples for core competencies. Since this kind of core competencies are part of someone’s value system, it is sheer impossible to develop them. Hence, these competencies require targeted recruitment.
“Business Understanding”, “Creative Problem Solving”, “Change Management” or “Self-Development” are examples for easier to develop core competencies because they are rather based on knowledge and skills.
Leadership competencies are those characteristics supervisors, managers and leaders in an organisation need in order to succeed with their organisational unit. Therefore, these competencies only apply to staff with people responsibility. Hence, leadership competencies are usually a mix of knowledge and skills (left hand leg in figure 2) and attitudes (right hand leg in figure 2).
“Leading Unselfishly” or “Respectful Communication” are examples for competencies that are based on someone’s attitudes and mindset.
“Strategic Thinking”, “Developing Others” or “Fostering Teamwork” are examples for competencies that are a result of development over time through appropriate interventions.
Functional competencies are sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes that focus on performing in certain functions. They only apply to staff within these functional areas at different levels. Therefore, functional Competencies are typically knowledge and skills based.
“Budget Administration”, “Contract Management”, “Procurement” or “Technical Mastery” are examples for competencies someone needs to attain in order to be successful in a Finance Function. Staff members not working in Finance may not need these competencies. They may have totally different competency requirements.
Not all competencies are the same in the sense that it is easier to develop certain competencies than others. Generally, the more a competency represents personal characteristics that are primarily inherent or learned early in life, the more difficult it is its development.
While no person needs to have all of the skills required to perform a particular job, over time this person should gain a broad range of skills which will enable him to make a valuable contribution in his area of work.
Gaining experience in different areas will provide him with opportunities to develop particular types of knowledge and expertise. The skills identified will be more relevant, at any given time, to some individuals than to others.
In conclusion, competency Based HR solutions help organisations to achieve organisational goals by standardising and integrating all HR activities based on competencies.
And, through the application of competencies, you are able to: