A critical review of the science and practice of competency modeling shows a new and unique way of job analyses which is becoming more popular these days. Stevens (2012) has evaluated the concept’s perspectives and drawbacks and proposed that workers in the HR departments should be careful while using a competency model as it might bring both positivity and harm. The evaluation of the competency-based approach has shown that it is important to use criterion sampling to understand the behavior of individuals and follow their performance results. This theory helped Stevens (2012) develop two main areas of acknowledgment in competency modeling: assessing managerial performance and developing core competencies at the organizational level. By following these techniques, it has become possible to boost the use of modeling in many companies.
The concept of competency became new to me as I have never used this system in my working practice. The behavioral changes in individuals seemed not important in the general job performance. However, the explanation of the competency modeling provided by Stevens (2012) helped me understand that job analyses should be performed to reveal candidates’ skills, abilities, and knowledge for specific positions. It became surprising that the concept of competency modeling has a variety of definitions that are accepted by everyone but can be interpreted in different correct ways. While Athey and Orth (1999) believe that competency modeling is about knowledge and skills, Bartram (2004) states that it is more about the performed activities (Stevens, 2012). Consequently, studying the concept from different perspectives and finding more relevant definitions that can modernize job analyses is interesting.
The practical application of the competency modeling concept has brought several implications and gaps in the author’s research. Legal defensibility has raised a documentation problem and recording of changes. Moreover, regulations as equality during the employment process and the civil rights of candidates are not counted in the competency modeling system (Stevens, 2012). During the execution of a new way of job analyses, it became complicated to integrate the whole system, and some parts of the traditional techniques were not replaced. HRD scholars and practitioners have also faced research limitations during the execution. Conceptual overlap between the concept and theoretical field of HRD happened, causing massive issues in the job analyses.
HR experts can use this article to improve their knowledge of transformational job evaluation. Moreover, the mistakes and problems described in the report can help them to avoid similar mistakes and make the execution of the competency modeling smoother. The importance of training described in the article provided by Stevens (2012) allows HR workers to stay forward-looking and implement new strategies that can help increase the success of the specific company. Moreover, stay motivated to use advanced technologies and move from traditional ways that could be more efficient.
I recommend my peers to read the article as it shows how ordinary working tasks can be improved and interactive for those losing motivation. Furthermore, it should be interesting for those young people aiming to digitalize the surrounding world and make more inventions that can reduce the participation of the human mind in monotonous tasks. Even though the described concept is not fully successful, my peers need to know what problems may occur and how possible solutions can be found to avoid repeating the issues in the future.
Reference
Stevens, G. W. (2012). A critical review of the science and practice of competency modeling. Human Resource Development Review, 12(1), 86-107. Web.