Custom Search
Custom Search

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Proficiency Levels of Competencies

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

(You will benefit more if you also read all of my previous write-ups on this site).

(If you wish to read or listen to the audio of the long article written by me on this subject covering all the posts I published here, please refer URL: Life Management: Competencies http://knol.google.com/k/shyam-bhatawdekar/competency-matrix/6txz9nck6g3/4#)

In one of my previous posts here, I mentioned about competencies or skills having four levels of proficiencies. According to the proficiency level, a person can be classified as:

1. Unconsciously incompetent (or ignorant or almost ignorant)
2. Consciously incompetent (or learner)
3. Consciously competent (or conscious practitioner) and
4. Unconsciously competent (or master)

Every professional requires a mix of number of skills or competencies. Some are his core competencies and others are subsidiary competencies. Now he should be at unconsciously competent level of proficiency in his core competencies i.e. he should have mastery over those competencies. However, being less than having mastery in other subsidiary competencies will not make him a lesser professional since those are only subsidiary or supporting competencies. And he is already perfect in core competencies required for his job.

For example, a vocal singer should be really good at singing though he may not be really all that good at playing the musical instruments. He will still be OK with possessing just about some degree of competencies in some musical instruments. That will help. Or he should be just about somewhat good at communicating with the audience though he may not be the best speaker.

Therefore, it will be a good idea to analyze the core competencies and other supporting competencies that you would need for doing your job effectively. Having done that, you must work out the levels of proficiencies you will like to achieve in each of these competencies.

In most of the corporate organizations, you may find that each of the competencies that is required in that organization is divided into say, 4 or 5 proficiency levels. Each organization will decide and design on the number of these levels and define these levels for each competency or skill, for both- the soft skill or hard skill- as per its specific needs. It will be peculiar for each organization. Yet, just to illustrate, in a generic way, the definition of each level for each competency may look like this:

Level 0: Ignorance: no knowledge or skill proficiency in that particular area or type of competency.
Level 1: Some familiarity and some skill proficiency: but cannot function independently or apply it effectively.
Level 2: So so or average working knowledge and so so or average skill proficiency: can function fairly independently and can apply with reasonable effectiveness.
Level 3: Strong working knowledge and strong working skill proficiency: seldom needs to consult or ask others for guidance or advice in this area and can apply very effectively.
Level 4: Expert knowledge and expert skill proficiency: has mastery over the area, has detailed and in depth knowledge and understanding, master craftsman skill proficiency wise, can apply with tremendous effectiveness and is sought after for advice and guidance by others when they are not in a position to solve the problems.

Having done this, then, for each job position, the organization fixes the level of proficiency of that particular competency that the incumbent who would occupy that position should possess. For example, if a job position requires 2 core competencies C1, C2 and 3 supporting competencies S1, S2 and S3, the organization may specify their proficiency levels as, may be, highest level 4 for core competency C1, level 3 for C2 and lower levels like level 2 for supporting competencies S1 and S2 and level 1 for S3. When the organization recruits a person to fill up this particular job position, the interviewers will like to check up whether the interviewee has these 5 required competencies at the required proficiency levels.

(You can download eBook "Competencies and Competency Matrix" from http://nbuu.co/cm)

Read "Management Anecdotes" authored by Shyam Bhatawdekar at: http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/

You may also like to read short articles on "Out of Box Ideas" at: http://wow-idea.blogspot.com/