Competency-Based Human Resource Management

Competency-Based Human Resource Management

By David D. Dubois and William J. Rothwell Davies-Black Publishing, 2004, 291 pages List price: $49.95, ISBN: 0-89106-174-6

Human resource professionals used to be regarded as traffic cops--by themselves and others. HR was all about ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.

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But now HR has additional roles, such as helping an organization get the best out of its workforce. Competency-Based Human Resource Management presents a new method for managing that talent. Authors David Dubois and William Rothwell, SPHR, say HR should stop describing jobs and tasks. Instead, HR should focus on the individual characteristics that make top performers exemplary.

Traditional job descriptions are becoming obsolete, the authors say, noting there may be mismatches between a person's capabilities and his job description, or the information in the description may be inaccurate. Dubois, a consultant and author, and Rothwell, an HR professor, urge organizations to reexamine jobs not in terms of tasks performed but in terms of the competencies needed.

Competencies are "characteristics individuals have and use ... to achieve desired performance." Knowledge and skills are competencies, but so are self-image, social motives, mindsets and other traits HR may find tougher to define. The book outlines different models that help describe competencies. It compares traditional indicators of workers' skills--degrees held, past jobs, etc.--with competency inventories covering workers' flexibility, team leadership and motivation.

The book includes competency-based approaches to:

* Recruitment and selection. Traditionally, HR matches the work defined in a job description with the qualifications on an employee's or applicant's resume to fill a job. Here, HR establishes competency models for job categories, departments, work roles and more. HR then matches individual employees' competencies to those models for a better fit of employee and role.

* Training. Training for competencies sounds easier than it is, the authors warn. You have to train not only for skills and knowledge but also for motivation and personality traits--variables that set apart the best performers. The book includes a checklist for deciding whether to use traditional or competency-based training, and outlines approaches for training both individuals and teams.

* Performance management. A step-by-step model shows how to make performance management competency-based, from designing the system blue-print to briefing executives and managers to testing the system before launching it.

Dubois and Rothwell also discuss how to determine whether competency-based HR is appropriate for your organization. They give tips on how to brief senior management, operations management and employees on competency-based HR initiatives. Appendices include assessments to help employees determine whether they are satisfied with their roles.

COMPILED BY LEIGH RIVENBARK, A FREELANCE WRITER AND EDITOR IN VIENNA, VA.

Inclusion of a book does not imply endorsement by SHRM or HR Magazine.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for Human Resource Management
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group