Competency, in simpler words, means the natural ability or skill an employee possesses and utilizes while performing an organizational function.
It is an integral part of an individual’s personality and forecasts his/her actions in different situations. With the help of competency, an employee can easily find out how a task can be performed efficiently.
On the other hand, competence just depicts what has to be performed. Competency mapping is a method by which the competencies of an employee can be determined easily, and efforts are made to develop their careers in the right direction.
It focuses on evaluating the knowledge, experience, personality traits, outlook of an individual, etc.
It not only identifies the capabilities and vulnerabilities of the individual, but it also recognizes the competencies required to perform a task or to fulfill the organizational goals and objectives.
Various processes, such as job appraisal, staffing, training, career planning, etc., are used to integrate the identified competencies.
Nowadays, competency mapping has become very common in the majority of organizations as they have started using this method for decision-making purposes.
The data obtained from this method regarding the strengths and weaknesses of an individual helps in making decisions regarding his promotion, rewards, training needs, etc.
It holds great importance for HR activities and also elaborates on the job. Thus, the most effective model of competency should be chosen by HR personnel.
It holds great importance for HR activities and also for incumbents in understanding their jobs. Thus, the most effective model of competency should be chosen by the HR personnel.
According to Dhar, “Competency mapping is the process of identifying key competencies for an organization and the jobs and functions within it.”
According to Garrette, “Competency mapping is a process an individual uses to identify and describe competencies that are the most critical to success in a work situation or work role.”