Competency Mapping Questionnaire

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Annexure IV Questionnaire Name………………………………………. Designation………………………………… Department……………………………….. Objective This is sent to you as a part of my MBA project I am undertaking in this organization on the topic competency mapping’ from Human Resource perspective. From the organizational point of view this questionnaire is a part of development exercise to know the strength and the areas needing improvements (possible blind spots) in terms of various competencies at various levels of the Manufacturing department, namely top level, managerial level, executive level, and staff level. (Please return the completed questionnaire to me on or before…………………) Please rate each competency using the 5-point rating scale Exercises outstanding performance on this competency far exceeds acceptable standards 5 Exercises very good performances on this competency better than acceptable standards 4 Exercises quite acceptable performance on this

Transcript of Competency Mapping Questionnaire

Page 1: Competency Mapping Questionnaire

Annexure IV

Questionnaire

Name……………………………………….

Designation…………………………………

Department………………………………..

Objective

This is sent to you as a part of my MBA project I am undertaking in this organization on the topic ‘competency mapping’ from Human Resource perspective.

From the organizational point of view this questionnaire is a part of development exercise to know the strength and the areas needing improvements (possible blind spots) in terms of various competencies at various levels of the Manufacturing department, namely top level, managerial level, executive level, and staff level.

(Please return the completed questionnaire to me on or before…………………)

Please rate each competency using the 5-point rating scale

Exercises outstanding performance on this competency far exceeds acceptable standards 5Exercises very good performances on this competency better than acceptable standards 4Exercises quite acceptable performance on this competency and meets requirements 3Performance on this competency is not quite up to acceptable standards. A development is needed 2Performance on this competency fails to meet acceptable standards. A major development is needed 1

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(Questionnaire used for both self and others rating)

Competencies at Top Level

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate

1. Vision and Purpose1 Sees new possibilities to take the organization to a higher

realm5 4 3 2 1

2 Optimistic. Sees everything with a positive outlook 5 4 3 2 13 Creates and communicates compelling vision or direction 5 4 3 2 14 Inspires and motivates others with enlightened insights 5 4 3 2 1

2. Developing people1 Assembles strong teams 5 4 3 2 12 Empowers and trains people 5 4 3 2 13 Provides rewards, feedback and recognition 5 4 3 2 14 Communicates effectively with people 5 4 3 2 1

3. Values and ethics1 Aligns with company values 5 4 3 2 12 Adheres to code of conduct 5 4 3 2 13 Ensures that the standards and specifications are kept 5 4 3 2 14 Rewards right behaviors 5 4 3 2 1

4. Commitment1 Widely trusted 5 4 3 2 12 Takes ownership on the assigned responsibilities 5 4 3 2 13 Impartial and fair in exercising the responsibilities 5 4 3 2 14 Delivers results on commitment 5 4 3 2 1

5. Performance1 Sets and achieves ambitious goals 5 4 3 2 12 Drives for continuous improvement 5 4 3 2 13 Ensures that health, safety and social objectives are

integrated into business activities5 4 3 2 1

4 Gets results consistently 5 4 3 2 1

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Competencies at Managerial level

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Basic knowledge and information1 Command of basic facts: Understand the business and

have sound knowledge of basic facts surrounding the business such as short and long term goals, product knowledge and the roles and relationships between various departments.

5 4 3 2 1

2 Relevant professional knowledge: Know the background of management principles including planning, organizing controlling and directing

5 4 3 2 1

2. Skills and attributes1 Continuing sensitivity to events: Aware of what is going

on and is perceptive and open to information; hard information such as figures and facts, and soft information such as feeling of other people

5 4 3 2 1

2 Analytical, problem solving and decision-making skill: Weigh the pros and cons in an uncertain and ambiguous situation, calling for a high level of judgment or taking appropriate decision without much delay

5 4 3 2 1

3 Social skills and abilities: Develop, negotiate, resolve conflict, persuade, use and respond to authority and power so as to get things done

5 4 3 2 1

4 Emotional resilience: Deal with emotional stress and strain that arises as consequence of working situations of authority, leadership, power, targets and deadlines

5 4 3 2 1

5 Pro-activity: Respond to the needs of the instant situation, but while making such a response consider the long-term aims and goals and the impact of immediate decision

5 4 3 2 1

3. Meta Qualities1 Creativity: Come up with unique ideas or solutions –

either ones own ideas or ideas from another source5 4 3 2 1

2 Mental agility: Grasp problems quickly, think about several things at once, understand the whole situation quickly and ‘think on ones feet’

5 4 3 2 1

3 Balanced learning habits and skills: Use a range of learning process including use of inputs like teaching, discovery from ones own personal experiences and reflection

5 4 3 2 1

4 Self-knowledge: Aware of ones own beliefs, goals, values, feeling, behavior and the part they play in influencing their actions

5 4 3 2 1

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Competencies at Executive Level (Q.A &Q.C Division)

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Assertiveness: Able to state one’s opinion firmly and

positively5 4 3 2 1

2 Integrity: Gain trust and confidence by interacting with fairness, honesty and truthfulness

5 4 3 2 1

3 Self- sufficiency: Exercises the professional duties without assistance

5 4 3 2 1

4 High emotional stamina: Relaxed & poised. Maintain effectiveness even under pressure

5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level competencies1 Command of basic facts: Understand the business

holistically and have a sound knowledge of the basic facts of Millipore business

5 4 3 2 1

2 Quality consciousness: Work always with quality awareness

5 4 3 2 1

3 Organizational awareness: Have wide knowledge about the organization, its departments and functions

5 4 3 2 1

4 Knowledge on standards and specifications 5 4 3 2 13. Job related skills/competencies

1 Presentation skill: Able to present ideas, concepts, plan and procedures clearly to the target group

5 4 3 2 1

2 Analytical and problem solving skill: Weigh the pros and cons in an ambiguous situation and takes appropriate decision without delay

5 4 3 2 1

3 Concern for excellence: Work with burning desire to perform outstandingly

5 4 3 2 1

4 Negotiation skill: Discuss and share opinions so as to arrive at a constructive agreement.

5 4 3 2 1

4. Communication and interpersonal competencies1 Listening skills: Listen to others views with patience 5 4 3 2 12 Precision in communication: Listen to others and express

the idea with clarity and precision5 4 3 2 1

3 Persuasiveness: Able to move others in getting things done

5 4 3 2 1

4 Sensitivity: Aware of what is going on in the work place and responds in a suitable manner to situations as they arise

5 4 3 2 1

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Competencies at Engineers Level (Production Engineers)

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Stress tolerance: Cope up with work strains that arises as

a consequence of working situations of targets, deadlines, work load and pressure from superiors

5 4 3 2 1

2 Self starting and proactive: Respond to the needs of the instant situations voluntarily

5 4 3 2 1

3 Detail consciousness: Explore into the necessary details, so as to get the exact information needed

5 4 3 2 1

4 High energy level: Operate and maintain fast pace and tempo at the work place

5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level competencies1 Operational knowledge: Know each and every details of

production process5 4 3 2 1

2 Numerical interpretation: Comfortable with numerical facts and exercises quantitative reasoning effectively to derive solution

5 4 3 2 1

3 Identifying bottlenecks and rectifying them: Recognize situations that retards wok progress and gives immediate attention and rectification to the problem

5 4 3 2 1

4 Knowledge on production concepts, standards and specification

5 4 3 2 1

3. Job related skills/ competencies1 Information collection: Gather relevant data from

different sources that are needed to perform the job5 4 3 2 1

2 Analytical skill: Use relevant facts, data and analytical tools to draw accurate and meaningful conclusion

5 4 3 2 1

3 Creativity: Come up with unique ideas, insights and solutions

5 4 3 2 1

4 Technical expertise: Know in detail about the technology used in production

5 4 3 2 1

4. Interpersonal and leadership skills/competencies1 Precision in communication: Express the ideas with

clarity and precision5 4 3 2 1

2 Motivating: Encourage the technicians and operators to work towards the organizational goal

5 4 3 2 1

3 Appraising and developing: Evaluate the performance of technician and operators and provide corrective steps whenever required

5 4 3 2 1

4 Organizing: Arrange works systematically and provides structure and order to works

5 4 3 2 1

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Competencies of Design Engineers

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Stress tolerance: Cope up with work strains that arises as

a consequence of working situations of targets, deadlines, work load and pressure from superiors

5 4 3 2 1

2 Self starting and proactive: Respond to the needs of the instant situations voluntarily

5 4 3 2 1

3 Detail consciousness: Explore into the necessary details, so as to get the exact information needed

5 4 3 2 1

4 High energy level: Operate and maintain fast pace and tempo at the work place

5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level Competencies1 Knowledge on accuracy: Able to check the correctness of

the drawing5 4 3 2 1

2 Product knowledge: Know the physical structure of each product and its parts

5 4 3 2 1

3 Knowledge on the latest design packages 5 4 3 2 14 Identifying bottlenecks and rectifying them 5 4 3 2 13. Job related competencies/skills1 I.T Skills: Have excellent I.T knowledge and able to apply

this knowledge to the work for the effective performance of the job

5 4 3 2 1

2 Time management: timely plan the works and complete them as scheduled.

5 4 3 2 1

3 Self management: Exercise the expected professional duties without repeated guidance and monitoring

5 4 3 2 1

4 Creativity: Come up with unique ideas, insights and solutions

5 4 3 2 1

4. Interpersonal and communication skills/competencies1 Team spirit: Work with the spirit unity and shares

knowledge with one another5 4 3 2 1

2 Flexibility: Alter and deviate individual work plan to suite to the changing needs of the organization and the department

5 4 3 2 1

3 Precision in communication 5 4 3 2 14 Receptive to corrections: Accept corrections and advices

from the superiors and experts5 4 3 2 1

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Competencies of Technicians and Operators

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Adaptability: Conform and adjust to changing

circumstances and work environments5 4 3 2 1

2 Stress tolerance: Cope up with work strains that arises as a consequence of working situations of targets, deadlines, work load and pressure from superiors

5 4 3 2 1

3 Self motivated: Able to work with limited supervision 5 4 3 2 14 Honesty: Honest and sincere towards the work and

responsibility5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level competencies1 Detailed knowledge of materials and tools used for

assembling5 4 3 2 1

2 Operational knowledge of machines and tools 5 4 3 2 13 Knowledge on product standard and specification 5 4 3 2 14 Knowledge on product testing 5 4 3 2 13. Job related skills/competencies1 Technical skills 5 4 3 2 12 Learning oriented: Work with an attitude to learn new

things5 4 3 2 1

3 Concern for excellence: Always work with positive attitude to produce qualitative result

5 4 3 2 1

4 Initiative: Take voluntary steps to address existing and potential problems at the work place

5 4 3 2 1

4. Interpersonal and communication skills1 Team oriented: Enjoy working in groups and able to

contribute to and learn from the group5 4 3 2 1

2 Clarity in oral expression: Communicate clearly with other

5 4 3 2 1

3 Receptive to corrections 5 4 3 2 14 Committed to responsibilities: Exercise the

responsibilities with trust, sincerity and commitment5 4 3 2 1

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Questionnaire to assess the importance of each competency in the overall

performance of the job at Top Level

Please rate the importance of each competency using the 5-point rating scaleThis competency is of vital importance to a successful performance of my job 5This competency is definitely important to the successful performance of my job 4This competency is relevant but not important to the successful performance of my job

3

This competency is of highly marginal relevance to the successful performance of my job

2

This competency is not relevant to the successful performance of my job 1

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate6. Vision and Purpose

1 Sees new possibilities to take the organization to a higher realm 5 4 3 2 12 Optimistic. Sees everything with a positive outlook 5 4 3 2 13 Creates and communicates compelling vision or direction 5 4 3 2 14 Inspires and motivates others with enlightened insights 5 4 3 2 1

7. Developing people1 Assembles strong teams 5 4 3 2 12 Empowers and trains people 5 4 3 2 13 Provides rewards, feedback and recognition 5 4 3 2 14 Communicates effectively with people 5 4 3 2 1

8. Values and ethics1 Aligns with company values 5 4 3 2 12 Adheres to code of conduct 5 4 3 2 13 Ensures that the standards and specifications are kept 5 4 3 2 14 Rewards right behaviors 5 4 3 2 1

9. Commitment1 Widely trusted 5 4 3 2 12 Takes ownership on the assigned responsibilities 5 4 3 2 13 Impartial and fair in exercising the responsibilities 5 4 3 2 14 Delivers results on commitment 5 4 3 2 1

10. Performance1 Sets and achieves ambitious goals 5 4 3 2 12 Drives for continuous improvement 5 4 3 2 13 Ensures that health, safety and social objectives are integrated into

business activities5 4 3 2 1

4 Gets results consistently 5 4 3 2 1

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Questionnaire to assess the importance of each competency in the overall

performance of the job at Managerial level

Please rate the importance of each competency using the 5-point rating scaleThis competency is of vital importance to a successful performance of my job 5This competency is definitely important to the successful performance of my job 4This competency is relevant but not important to the successful performance of my job

3

This competency is of highly marginal relevance to the successful performance of my job

2

This competency is not relevant to the successful performance of my job 1

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Basic knowledge and information1 Command of basic facts: Understand the business and have sound

knowledge of basic facts surrounding the business such as short and long term goals, product knowledge and the roles and relationships between various departments.

5 4 3 2 1

2 Relevant professional knowledge: Know the background of management principles including planning, organizing controlling and directing

5 4 3 2 1

2. Skills and attributes1 Continuing sensitivity to events: Aware of what is going on and is

perceptive and open to information; hard information such as figures and facts, and soft information such as feeling of other people

5 4 3 2 1

2 Analytical, problem solving and decision-making skill: Weigh the pros and cons in an uncertain and ambiguous situation, calling for a high level of judgment or taking appropriate decision without much delay

5 4 3 2 1

3 Social skills and abilities: Develop, negotiate, resolve conflict, persuade, use and respond to authority and power so as to get things done

5 4 3 2 1

4 Emotional resilience: Deal with emotional stress and strain that arises as consequence of working situations of authority, leadership, power, targets and deadlines

5 4 3 2 1

5 Pro-activity: Respond to the needs of the instant situation, but while making such a response consider the long-term aims and goals and the impact of immediate decision

5 4 3 2 1

3. Meta Qualities1 Creativity: Come up with unique ideas or solutions – either ones own

ideas or ideas from another source5 4 3 2 1

2 Mental agility: Grasp problems quickly, think about several things at once, understand the whole situation quickly and ‘think on ones feet’

5 4 3 2 1

3 Balanced learning habits and skills: Use a range of learning process including use of inputs like teaching, discovery from ones own personal experiences and reflection

5 4 3 2 1

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4 Self-knowledge: Aware of ones own beliefs, goals, values, feeling, behavior and the part they play in influencing their actions

5 4 3 2 1

Questionnaire to assess the importance of each competency in the overall

performance of the job Executive level

Please rate the importance of each competency using the 5-point rating scaleThis competency is of vital importance to a successful performance of my job 5This competency is definitely important to the successful performance of my job 4This competency is relevant but not important to the successful performance of my job

3

This competency is of highly marginal relevance to the successful performance of my job

2

This competency is not relevant to the successful performance of my job 1

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Assertiveness: Able to state one’s opinion firmly and positively 5 4 3 2 12 Integrity: Gain trust and confidence by interacting with fairness,

honesty and truthfulness5 4 3 2 1

3 Self- sufficiency: Exercises the professional duties without assistance 5 4 3 2 14 High emotional stamina: Relaxed & poised. Maintain effectiveness

even under pressure5 4 3 2 1

5. Knowledge level competencies1 Command of basic facts: Understand the business holistically and

have a sound knowledge of the basic facts of Millipore business5 4 3 2 1

2 Quality consciousness: Work always with quality awareness 5 4 3 2 13 Organizational awareness: Have wide knowledge about the

organization, its departments and functions5 4 3 2 1

4 Knowledge on standards and specifications 5 4 3 2 1

6. Job related skills/competencies1 Presentation skill: Able to present ideas, concepts, plan and

procedures clearly to the target group5 4 3 2 1

2 Analytical and problem solving skill: Weigh the pros and cons in an ambiguous situation and takes appropriate decision without delay

5 4 3 2 1

3 Concern for excellence: Work with burning desire to perform outstandingly

5 4 3 2 1

4 Negotiation skill: Discuss and share opinions so as to arrive at a constructive agreement.

5 4 3 2 1

7. Communication and interpersonal competencies1 Listening skills: Listen to others views with patience 5 4 3 2 12 Precision in communication: Listen to others and express the idea

with clarity and precision5 4 3 2 1

3 Persuasiveness: Able to move others in getting things done 5 4 3 2 14 Sensitivity: Aware of what is going on in the work place and responds

in a suitable manner to situations as they arise5 4 3 2 1

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Questionnaire to assess the importance of each competency in the overall

performance of the job at the Engineers level

Please rate the importance of each competency using the 5-point rating scaleThis competency is of vital importance to a successful performance of my job 5This competency is definitely important to the successful performance of my job 4This competency is relevant but not important to the successful performance of my job

3

This competency is of highly marginal relevance to the successful performance of my job

2

This competency is not relevant to the successful performance of my job 1

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Stress tolerance: Cope up with work strains that arises as a

consequence of working situations of targets, deadlines, work load and pressure from superiors

5 4 3 2 1

2 Self starting and proactive: Respond to the needs of the instant situations voluntarily

5 4 3 2 1

3 Detail consciousness: Explore into the necessary details, so as to get the exact information needed

5 4 3 2 1

4 High energy level: Operate and maintain fast pace and tempo at the work place

5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level competencies1 Operational knowledge: Know each and every details of production

process5 4 3 2 1

2 Numerical interpretation: Comfortable with numerical facts and exercises quantitative reasoning effectively to derive solution

5 4 3 2 1

3 Identifying bottlenecks and rectifying them: Recognize situations that retards wok progress and gives immediate attention and rectification to the problem

5 4 3 2 1

4 Knowledge on production concepts, standards and specification 5 4 3 2 13. Job related skills/ competencies1 Information collection: Gather relevant data from different sources

that are needed to perform the job5 4 3 2 1

2 Analytical skill: Use relevant facts, data and analytical tools to draw accurate and meaningful conclusion

5 4 3 2 1

3 Creativity: Come up with unique ideas, insights and solutions 5 4 3 2 14 Technical expertise: Know in detail about the technology used in

production 5 4 3 2 1

5. Interpersonal and leadership skills/competencies1 Precision in communication: Express the ideas with clarity and

precision5 4 3 2 1

2 Motivating: Encourage the technicians and operators to work towards the organizational goal

5 4 3 2 1

3 Appraising and developing: Evaluate the performance of technician and operators and provide corrective steps whenever required

5 4 3 2 1

4 Organizing: Arrange works systematically and provides structure and order to works

5 4 3 2 1

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Questionnaire to assess the importance of each competency in the overall

performance of the job at Design Engineers level

Please rate the importance of each competency using the 5-point rating scaleThis competency is of vital importance to a successful performance of my job 5This competency is definitely important to the successful performance of my job 4This competency is relevant but not important to the successful performance of my job

3

This competency is of highly marginal relevance to the successful performance of my job

2

This competency is not relevant to the successful performance of my job 1

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Stress tolerance: Cope up with work strains that arises as a

consequence of working situations of targets, deadlines, work load and pressure from superiors

5 4 3 2 1

2 Self starting and proactive: Respond to the needs of the instant situations voluntarily

5 4 3 2 1

3 Detail consciousness: Explore into the necessary details, so as to get the exact information needed

5 4 3 2 1

4 High energy level: Operate and maintain fast pace and tempo at the work place

5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level Competencies1 Knowledge on accuracy: Able to check the correctness of the

drawing5 4 3 2 1

2 Product knowledge: Know the physical structure of each product and its parts

5 4 3 2 1

3 Knowledge on the latest design packages 5 4 3 2 14 Identifying bottlenecks and rectifying them 5 4 3 2 1

3. Job related competencies/skills1 I.T Skills: Have excellent I.T knowledge and able to apply this

knowledge to the work for the effective performance of the job5 4 3 2 1

2 Time management: timely plan the works and complete

them as scheduled.

5 4 3 2 1

3 Self management: Exercise the expected professional duties without repeated guidance and monitoring

5 4 3 2 1

4 Creativity: Come up with unique ideas, insights and solutions 5 4 3 2 1

5. Interpersonal and communication skills/competencies1 Team spirit: Work with the spirit of unity and shares knowledge with

one another5 4 3 2 1

2 Flexibility: Alter and deviate individual work plan to suite to the changing needs of the organization and the department

5 4 3 2 1

3 Precision in communication 5 4 3 2 14 Receptive to corrections: Accept corrections and advices from the

superiors and experts5 4 3 2 1

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Questionnaire to assess the importance of each competency in the overall

performance of the job at technicians and operators level

Please rate the importance of each competency using the 5-point rating scaleThis competency is of vital importance to a successful performance of my job 5This competency is definitely important to the successful performance of my job 4This competency is relevant but not important to the successful performance of my job

3

This competency is of highly marginal relevance to the successful performance of my job

2

This competency is not relevant to the successful performance of my job 1

Please tick ‘’ what you feel most appropriate1. Personal competencies1 Adaptability: Conform and adjust to changing circumstances and

work environments5 4 3 2 1

2 Stress tolerance: Cope up with work strains that arises as a consequence of working situations of targets, deadlines, work load and pressure from superiors

5 4 3 2 1

3 Self motivated: Able to work with limited supervision 5 4 3 2 14 Honesty and sincerity 5 4 3 2 1

2. Knowledge level competencies1 Detailed knowledge of materials and tools used for assembling 5 4 3 2 12 Operational knowledge of machines and tools 5 4 3 2 13 Knowledge on product standard and specification 5 4 3 2 14 Knowledge on product testing 5 4 3 2 1

3. Job related skills/competencies1 Technical skills 5 4 3 2 12 Learning oriented: Work with an attitude to learn new things 5 4 3 2 13 Concern for excellence: Always work with positive attitude to

produce qualitative result5 4 3 2 1

4 Initiative: Take voluntary steps to address existing and potential problems at the work place

5 4 3 2 1

5. Interpersonal and communication skills1 Team oriented: Enjoy working in groups and able to contribute to

and learn from the group5 4 3 2 1

2 Clarity in oral expression: Communicate clearly with other 5 4 3 2 13 Receptive to corrections 5 4 3 2 14 Committed to responsibilities: Exercise the responsibilities with

trust, sincerity and commitment5 4 3 2 1

Skills Management is the practice of understanding, developing and deploying people and their skills. Well-implemented skills management should identify the skills that job roles require, the skills of individual employees, and any gap between the two. 

The skills involved can be defined by the organization concerned, or by

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third party institutions. They are usually defined in terms of a skills framework, also known as a competency framework or skills matrix. This consists of a list of skills, and a grading system, with a definition of what it means to be at particular level for a given skill. (For an example of a mature skills framework, see the Skills Framework for the Information Age, [1], a technical IT skills framework owned by a British not-for-profit organization.) 

To be most useful, skills management needs to be conducted as an ongoing process, with individuals assessing and updating their recorded skill sets regularly. These updates should occur at least as frequently as employees' regular line manager reviews, and certainly when their skill sets have changed. 

Skills management systems record the results of this process in a database, and allow analysis of the data. 

Skills management provides a structured approach to developing individual and collective skills, and gives a common vocabulary for discussing skills. As well as this general benefit, three groups of employees receive specific benefits from skills management: 

Individual Employees: As a result of skills management, employees should be aware of the skills their job requires, and any skills gaps that they have. Depending on their employer, it may also result in a personal development plan (PDP) of training to bridge some or all of those skills gaps over a given period. 

Line Managers: Skills management enables managers to know the skill strengths and weaknesses of employees reporting to them. It can also enable them to search for employees with particular skill sets (e.g. to fill a role on a particular project). 

Organization Executives: A rolled-up view of skills and skills gaps across an organization can enable its executives to see areas of skill strength and weakness. This enables them to plan for the future against the current and future abilities of staff, as well as to prioritise areas for skills development.

Attribution: http://www.citehr.com/194333-skill-matrix.html#ixzz1zjs7TSLW

Subject - Tracking employee skills for business advantage

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When there are those all-important business deals to be closed, project

agreements to be met, who has the time to identify and appreciate

that Rekha, though not a born leader, could have the makings of a

quick learner as compared to her project teammates. Well, not

anymore. Though a rather tedious exercise, the activity of tracking

down the competencies and skills (existing as well as unexplored), is

becoming an integral programme for many IT companies. That Rekha

could have been a more valuable and productive asset for the

company is just one of the many drivers. Mapping the right skills to the

right business requirement (which companies are fast realising is as

critical to meeting business objectives as developing skills), leads to

the creation and continuous tracking of the ‘skills inventory’. 

Maintaining a skill repository may not still be very common in many IT

companies, but tapping into the power of skills (for business and

competitive advantage) has put the exercise of skills tracking at the

forefront of many an organisational agenda. Skills, which may

otherwise go unnoticed, can be leveraged and channelised towards the

company’s benefits and improving employee productivity. And how

can this be done? A little mix of intuition with science is the answer.

The significance of skills tracking

“In the IT Industry you are in the business of your employees’ skills and

knowledge. This is the most im-portant selling factor for grabbing a

new business as well as for sustaining and growing the existing

businesses,” says Palash Aggrawal, manager HR, Infogain India.

Competi-tion is further forcing organisations to be 100 percent aware

of their employees’ skills and abilities. With companies becoming

aware of their employees’ skills, more than ever before the skills

tracking exercise has achieved serious proportions, almost at par with

other regular internal employee programmes. 

While some progressive organisations had started the skills tracking

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exercise some time back, others are now following suit. “These

initiatives are becoming more integral to forward looking IT companies,

who have the tremendous need to tap into the employee talent

reservoir to provide value add to their business operations and

customers. And, in turn, help employees to explore their

potentialities,” says Sameer Wadhawan, director–HR, Cadence Design

Sys-tems (India). 

Most progressive organisations have skill evaluation as a formal

programme. An employee’s customised development plans are made

reflecting his/her skills and talents. These exercises are conducted in

addition to the informal programmes. Most large IT companies

maintain a central skills inventory of their employees. Nirupama V G,

executive vice president of Team Lease elaborates, “Companies are

currently conducting these programmes from time to time as and

when required, but the IT industry is looking at this with complete

focus. Many companies are even introducing Web-based tracking

system, which is more prevalent in the West.” Employee-skill inventory

is becoming a major source for designing training and development

programmes, as well as becoming an integral part of HRM systems—

whether automated or otherwise—in IT companies. For organisations

where formal programmes are still a distant reality on account of

resource constraints, conduction of informal exercises at least is

becoming an acceptable norm.

The need

The need for skills tracking is based on the basic premise that every

organisation has unique needs and identifying the skills and

competencies that drive success can boost performance and profits.

According to Anuj Kumar, head of corporate HR, Keane India, at any

given point of time, the organisation should be in a position to find out

the availability of any skill and the level of expertise in that skill within

the organisation. Without having specifically designed methodologies

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for tracking, this becomes a challenge in a decently sized

organisation. 

Skills identification and tracking programmes are of strategic

importance in the IT industry where one has to deal with many

technical skill sets. Also, in a fast changing environment like the IT

industry, it is imperative to have a good idea of the skill level, its

distribution employee skills to ensure better resource allocation

process. The skill tracking system helps resource coordinators to get

the right talent at the right time and engage employees appropriately.

“They can leverage and benefit the most from its internal talent pool

and plan for skill building activities as well as get on board the external

talent pool. They can also identify any shortfalls and improve job

satisfaction for team members by putting them into roles that better

match their experience and aspirations,” explains Nirupama. 

Improving productivity 

Apart from driving profitability and operational efficiency, skills

tracking is also being carried out by companies for improving

employee productivity and workforce development. Career growth,

training and development strategies are ba-sed on an employee’s

current skill sets and future requirements. Companies are also using it

as an employee motivation tool. For employees, this usually creates a

high sense of well being. 

The scarcity and cost of acquiring employees with skills; need for

keeping them engaged; helping them to do what they enjoy doing and

hence retaining them and creating an environment of innovation by

tapping on employee talent, are some of the factors driving

organisations to adopt this practice.

Methodologies for skills tracking

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Organisations have evolved different methodologies in accordance

with their specific requirements. In certain cases help from external

consultants is also solicited. Skill identification and tracking can turn

out to be a very exhaustive affair with the process involving

competency mapping for the current role as well as the next role

chosen by the employee; discussions and approval by the manager;

laying out a plan for competency enhancement and tracking the action

plan. It additionally involves analysis of current co-mpetencies for the

organisation as a whole, detailed discussions on requirement/desired

level in the future based on long-term business plans, reality check of

the plan and pursuing them vigorously. 

Aggrawal believes that the most important pre-requisite is defining the

organisation’s current and future skills and competency requirements,

which is the baseline for tracking or tapping employee skills. The

process generally starts with the interview during recruitment, the

joining and any subsequent acquisition or enhancement. Interviews

(with managers/ leaders, supervision and job incumbents), tests, focus

groups analysis, surveys and questionnaires, performance appraisal

systems, observation notes from reporting managers, client feedback

and the tracking of the employee’s achi-evements are some of the

commonly used tools for identifying existing and potential skills. 

The process

Here is the typical workflow for the skill identification and tracking

exercise: The ‘Skill Profile Questi-onnaire’ is sent to all employees

periodically and the updation is done if it is started afresh. (Once the

skill matrix is prepared a format for updation could be sent to all

periodically.) The skill matrix could also be collected from the

department heads. All collection leads to analysis for consolidating the

data received. 

The skills with respect to the particular job description are identified

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and attributes are set. This provides a standardised tracking system.

During the interview as well as the appraisal phase, reporting

managers evaluate and identify the skills with reference to the preset

attributes. 

Employees are also encouraged to update areas of proficiency

confirming to the set criteria using assessment forms. Once an

assessment has been completed, it is forwarded to a manager for

review and approval. This process is generally done on a quarterly

basis. The manager reviews each assessment, and makes a judgement

on each level entered. Levels can be adjusted by the manager prior to

approval. Once assessments have been approved, the data is available

for searching and reporting. 

The resources allocation team then assesses the data and assigns

accordingly. 

Being an exhaustive affair, having a fully developed online system is

certainly helpful. Cadence, for instance, uses assessment tools, which

are online survey-based and are followed by interaction between

employees and managers. Then depending upon the job and level in

the organisation, the employee undertakes the self-assessment or self-

assessment with multi-rater feedback thro-ugh an online survey. The

employee discusses the feedback with his manager and finalises the

development plans. Organisations have also started installing skill set

formats on company portal that provide scope for continuous updation.

Tracking potential skills

Instead of just identifying skills gap, companies are now moving

towards becoming more proactive in terms of identifying potential

strengths of employees as well and then leveraging them. These are

generally personality traits or behavioural skills. 

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Sunder Rajan, general manager—HR and administration, Infinite

Computer Solutions, points out that in addition to skill matrix forms,

potential skills are also identified as and when an exceptional

performance is exhibited by an employee. It is tracked and made to

percolate to other desired persons/ groups. Wadhawan agrees that the

organisation must focus on critical incidents. The management can

best access an employee’s potential skill by having regular interactions

and knowing them better. One of the ways of doing this is simulating

situations and seeing how the employee behaves and delivers—by

changing the environment and work profile to see how well the empl-

oyee adapts and changes depending on the need. The employee’s

behaviour and performance in such situations can be taken as

indicators for skills he/she could potentially demonstrate.

Key challenges 

Skills being abstract in nature and rapidly changing lead to a few

inherent challenges related to their identification and tracking. Kumar

explains that the real difficulty arises on account of inappropriate and

unclear definition of skill vis-a-vis the actual expertise level and

perception of employees. They may see this exercise as a prelude to

career advancement and are not very open to accept the actual level

of expertise in a particular skill. “The difficulty lies in measuring the

depth and validating it. To explain, there could be a five-point rating

scale where the person does a self-rating of each skill. Candidates are

likely to always rate themselves at a higher level,” explains Rajan.

Problems also arise when there is a difference of rating standards

between managers.

Furthermore, personality traits (like leadership skills, etc) do not

change that frequently, but can be developed with proper training. “As

a result, keeping the skill inventory up-to-date with accurate

information is a challenge,” states Nirupama. Sometimes getting a true

picture of skill sets and levels across teams also becomes a challenge. 

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These issues do put a reasonable question mark on the feasibility and

accuracy of skills tracking programmes. However, experts argue that

this exercise may not be a perfect system to begin with but based on

experience can be gradually improved and perfected. Wadhawan belie-

ves that it is important to relate to the context in which the person

operates and also that the feedback should be validated to avoid any

major pitfalls. The need for involving multi-raters should be there to

see a pattern of skill sets an employee is exhibiting, for an accurate

and complete assessment. “The programmes can also be made

effective if the framework is standardised and communicated

effectively to users,” asserts Nirupama.

Conclusion

The identification of existing and potential skills can be one of the most

challenging and sensitive areas as one cannot expect immediate

miracles. Filling skill and competency gaps takes time, effort, and

cultural adjustments. Devising systems alone cannot be enough. While

using set tools and methodologies helps in creating a degree of

standardisation within the exercise, one cannot be dependant only on

formal and scientific means of identifying people skills considering it’s

human nature one is dealing with. The art of skills tracking may well be

the origin of science. What is essential for its success is the right blend

of the two. While science can be used to gather the basic ground level

information, the touch of sensitivity and personalisation is necessary to

give this a final shape. It is up to HR to not only design the system but

also educate employees about the benefits of using them for self-

appraisal, career development, and other processes.

Factors necessary for successful skills tracking 

An environment which sees such an exercise necessary for

development 

Where employee development is encouraged 

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Adequate resource support is provided for implementing development

plans 

Proper training for managing the programmes 

Frequency of updation—the exercise needs to be conducted on a

regular basis to incorporate any changes for accuracy 

Integrating skills and competency inventories with other HR systems,

including recruiting, training and succession planning 

Key drivers and advantages 

Aligning skills with organisational needs more effectively 

Getting the right talent at the right time 

Improving employee productivity 

Engaging employees appropriately 

Identifying potential skills, which might otherwise go unnoticed 

Identifying skill gaps and any shortfalls in talent in a particular area 

Continuous skill upgradation 

Knowing employees better 

Employees understand their own skills better, increase in motivation 

Employee retention—to get a holistic view of the employee and use

this information to leverage, recognise and retain the talent pool

Attribution: http://www.citehr.com/2838

3-tracking-employee-skills-business-

advantage.html#ixzz1zjsjRLacG

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Skills and Competency Assessment

Jan 30 2011

Working with our clients across many industries, one of their most common perceptions is

that the source of their challenges lies in an under skilled workforce. We hear comments like,

“we don’t have the skills in the team right now,” or “we have one or two top performers that

carry the team.”

More striking than our clients’ perceptions that their workforce is under skilled is their own

difficulties in initiating a fast moving, practical training plan. While Trindent does not claim to

be an HR consultancy or have core competencies in skill development, we have developed a

method to help our clients more clearly identify their skill gaps and begin closing those gaps

– fast.

Before outlining the steps we work through with our clients to kick-start a training program,

we should also note that the most common barrier our clients face is the idea that the skills

gaps are insurmountable, or will require years of effort and a revolutionized hiring process to

overcome.

In short, not only do we disagree, but we think you can start closing the gaps today.

First – Create a Skills Matrix

The first step is to stop thinking of “skills” and begin thinking about what your business needs

– people to complete activities effectively. Skills are the underlying ability, but if you think

about the activities that need to be performed, it is easier to identify weaknesses that can be

addressed. For example, the general “customer service skills” does not lend to specific

activities required by the business, but “explain product features to customers over the

phone” pinpoints a specific piece of “customer service skills.”

Once you have created a list of activities for a team, match them in a matrix layout with all of

the employees who are on the team. Then quickly evaluate each employee and their

capability in completing each activity. Best practices use the following scale: 3 = expert, 2 =

capable, 1 = incapable, and [blank] = Not Applicable.

Many managers get stuck here, unwilling or hesitant to evaluate employees without an

objective measure. At this stage it is important to remember that this tool can remain

confidential and is going to be used to create a training plan, not assess compensation or

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other sensitive topics. A manager should be able to fill out the matrix by their own subjective

measure very quickly.

Here is an example illustrating a filled out Skills Matrix for a Customer Service department:

Second – Identify Gaps

Focusing on activities rather than nebulous skills, and using this simple ranking scale gives

you an easy way to identify specific activity gaps. In the simplest approach, take a quick look

at the averages to identify the weakest employee breadth averages or the weakest activity

depth averages.

Often though, our clients quickly recognize that not all activities are equally important. Going

back to the example, perhaps failures in entering customer information into Order System

has led to a rash of recent complaints and is more critical than upsell customer on “Widget

Warranty.” Or looking at it on the employee side, Paul was hired to quickly become a CS

Supervisor and may be more critical of a training need than the lower average scored Steve.

In any situation, once the skills matrix is filled out, the manager should create a training

priority list, clearly identifying specific employees will be trained on specific activities.

Third – Identify Gap Experts

Another common barrier that our clients often face is the idea that training must be

performed in a structured class-room setting or via corporate human resources training

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materials. While there are obvious benefits to the focus and clarity available in these

methods, we assert that there are faster more flexible ways too.

For example, after identifying training priorities, identify experts at the activities near the top

of the priority list. Keep in mind that the business is all one team, and resources from outside

the immediate department may be the best experts (as can be seen in the example provided

where the engineer and sales manager are included in the skills matrix despite not being

explicitly in the Customer Service team). Usually though, when keeping an activity based

perspective, Managers and Supervisors have the capabilities for most weaknesses.

Fourth – Commit to Simple Training

Here is the breakthrough step for most businesses.

Once employees and activities have been quickly assessed and gaps and experts identified,

make a practical plan to have the experts work with to close the gaps every single day.

Rather than trying to arrange for an outside expert to come in and provide the whole team

with a 2 day training seminar at the corporate training facility, have the manager train one

employee tomorrow for 15 minutes.

Once you break the mold of training being a team-wide event planned weeks in advance,

many formats will begin to come forward. Here are a few examples we have implemented

recently with our clients:

Theme days – where the Manager trains the whole team for 10 minutes each day

first thing in the morning. Each Monday is Activity 1, Tuesday is Activity 2, etc.

Manager daily plan – where the Manager takes sets aside 15 minutes in the

morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon and checks off the top two training priorities

each day.

Activity just-in-time – where specific employee(s) are asked to come to the

manager (expert) any time they encounter a need to perform a specific activity and

they work through it together.

The principle at work here is that skill weaknesses follow an 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of

problems due to skill weaknesses are created by 20% or activities or 20% of employees. By

addressing those 20% on a very regular basis, the problems will go down quickly.

Finally – Follow Up / Re-Plan

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The final step is entirely for the purpose of continuing the effectiveness of the simple training

method.

After an initial evaluation of activities and capabilities and practical pairings of experts and

gaps, the gaps will shift to new activities and employees. Therefore, best practices include

scheduling a regular reversion back to step one where activities and employees are revised

and reevaluated (theoretically, the training priorities have moved from 1s and 2s to 3s).

Often in this step, our clients realize the value in sharing the skills matrix openly with their

employees. This tactic when implemented properly can motivate employees to self-improve

by alerting them that the business values the performance of certain activities. Further it can

motivate employees to actively seek out training or development opportunities.

Summary

Employee skills are commonly a perceived weakness in businesses, and training programs –

even in world class businesses – can be slow and impractical. However managers of teams

or organizations of any size can create their own practical training plans quickly by

considering specific activities, prioritizing gaps, pairing gaps to experts, and breaking the

mold of typical business training in favor of small progress every day