Competency models in organizations essays example

[Institution Title]
Organizations rely on the use of competency models because for several years it has been proven effective in its purpose of identifying skills and qualities needed in the completion of the task they need at the organization. However, while it has proven its success some organizations still prefer to customize their competency model instead of adapting a traditional model. One perfect example of this is AT&T. From observing the performance of AT&T it can be gathered that customizing the competency model can also serve the advantage of the organization. According to a study conducted in 2005 by Dave Bartram, the traditional model based the criteria to abilities and personalities that is measured using personality tests. However, a great deal of these tests had been designed for other industries . Given this observation, several advantages and disadvantages can be identified about competency model in performance evaluation.

Advantage of Customizing Competency Model

Customizing competency model would ensure that the variables are according to the culture and trends operating within the organization. Since the traditional model is based on the culture and trends of the organization it was initially designed for, there might me some inconsistencies with the other organizations who will use it. Thus, the result can be unreliable. Another advantage of customizing is that the organization can limit the items to was is exactly needed in the organization. It will not have to include items that are unnecessary thereby saving a lot on time, resources and energy in evaluating.

Disadvantage of Customizing Competency Model

However, customizing also has some disadvantage. The traditional model has be tried and tested. This means results yielded from the traditional model have already been validated. That warrants the results of customized competency model invalid unless the organization is willing to validate it which could take a lot of time and resources. Another disadvantage of customizing relates to standardization. Traditional models uses a standardized method which makes the process systematic. The systematic approach to evaluating makes the process less tedious and it also minimizes error.

Consequences of Customizing versus using a Traditional Model

In evaluating the competency of offshore customer support representatives, customizing the competency model can be a disadvantage. The culture of the country where the CSR is based is different with the culture of the country it caters. Therefore, using a competency model that would evaluate the skills and qualities of a CSR according to their base country would not run parallel to the specific demands and needs of the culture that it is serving. Thus, problems might arise relating to the clash of cultural belief and principles. In this case, a traditional competency model should be adapted to ensure that the culture of the one serving it’s the culture of the one being served. On the other hand, the advantage of customizing will help in identifying the characteristics of a CSR based offshore that would fit the criteria of the qualities that a typical CSR based onshore would have. This would help create parallelism in terms of skills and behavior.

References

Bartram, D. (2005). The great eight competencies: A criterion-centric approach to validation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1185–1203.