Competency in the HR Management Context

Competency in the HR Management Context

Introduction

The HR trends in organizations have undergone a major change as companies are now focusing on selecting the most competitive employees and developing them so that the present and future requirements of the organization can be maintained. The Job descriptions are clearly defined and then employees are hired that fit exactly in the profiles. This enhances the capabilities of the organization making it more efficient. The result of a competitive workforce is that the entire organization prospers and gains an advantage over other competitors.

Hiring employees is not an easy task as several considerations need to be kept in mind. Employees are not something that can be hired for a short period of time and then replaced. They are an asset that should be maintained for a longer period of time. The longer an organization can maintain its employees, the better it is for them as experienced employees are needed to ensure that the organization can achieve its goals (Walsh, 2013).

Discussion

Competencies may be in the form of attitudes, capabilities, skills, knowledge, or behavior. These elements have been defined as important characteristics needed by employees in order to give the organization an advantage. Due to their importance, they have been the main focus of selection and development. The determination of competencies for each role is essential before the selection can begin.

The performance of employees mainly depends on the combination of several competencies. These include key, team, functional, and leadership competencies. The combination of these competencies determines the role which an employee can play in the organization that would help it to improve its efficiency (Muller, 2009).

Organizations that realize the importance of employee competencies realize the fact that intellectual capital needs to be developed and maintained so that the organization can develop on the success of the employees. If these competencies are missing, organizations need to focus on developing them by providing necessary training and development programs so that the skills lacking in the employees can be developed which would result in the development of human capital. The proper identification of competency needs and the provision of training based on the deficiencies is a must in order to develop the skills and build effective partnerships. The developments programs provided to employees may consist of both internal as well as external programs but the main goal is to educate employees so that they may grow and benefit the organization.

The development of competencies can translate the organizations strategies into action and clarify the behavior of employees. Standards are also developed so that performance may be measured and feedback provided. Competencies also assist employees to identify their skills and make efforts by themselves so that their deficiencies may be eliminated (Kennedy-Luczak & Thompson, 2004).

Employees are as asset that continues to improve over time. However, in order for this to be a reality they need to be constantly motivated and provided the best care so that they do not decided to leave the ...