Talent Management project On

Competency modeling in IT industry

Guided By: Submitted By: (DR. GANESH SINGH) Faraz Khan

Kanika Sharma Pratibha Yadav

Rahul Pandey Soumyani

Chatterjee1

IILM Graduate School of Management 16, Knowledge Park II, Greater Noida-201 306

ACKNOWLEGDEMENT

It is our privilege to take the opportunity to thanks all those who have directly or indirectly helped us in the completion of this present Project work.

We are delighted to thanks DR.GANESH SINGH for his able guidance, constructive criticism and generous help throughout project. We would also like to express our appreciation for the encouragement and direct assistance, excellent cooperation, valuable suggestion and help given by him at every step of our project.

Words fail to express our humble gratitude and profound regards to our Parents for their affectionate encouragement and blessing which always being a source of inspiration for us without which, it could not have been possible to achieve the objective.

Content

1.

COMPETENCY

A competency is an underlying characteristic of a person, which enables

him to deliver superior performance in a given job, role or a situation. This

characteristic may be called an ‘attribute bundle’, consisting of knowledge,

skills, traits, social role, self-image and motive. The ‘underlying

characteristic’, manifests itself in the form of behaviour, which helps

identification and measurement of the competency.

This is a competency era. It is beyond doubt that it is beneficial and cost

effective, to have competent people to occupy higher-level positions.

Alternatively, Competency also refers to the intellectual, managerial, social

and emotional competency.

There are two basic levels of competencies: technical and behavioural. The

first level, Technical Competencies are predominately about acquired

knowledge and technical abilities and skills. These competencies are often

easier to see, train for and develop. Examples of technical competencies

include knowledge of applicable legislation and case law, knowledge of

valuation methodology.

The second level of competencies is Behavioural Competencies, such as

communication skills or team member skills. These competencies can be

harder to see and develop but are key indicators of how an individual

approaches his/her work.

The Eleven Identified Competencies Deduced From Several

Studies Are As Detailed Below

Technical Knowledge

1. Legal & Legislation

2. Appraisal

3. Systems

Thinking Skills

4. Analytical Thinking and Judgment

5. Planning & Organizing

Personal/Professional Effectiveness

6. Communications Skills

7. Innovation & Change Management

8. Customer Focus

9. Professional Conduct

Team Skills

10. Team Member Skills

11. Team Leadership Skills

THE FIVE TYPES OF COMPETENCY CHARACTERISTICS

ARE AS BELOW

1. Motives: The things a person consistently thinks about or wants that

cause action. Motives “drive, direct, and select” behavior toward certain

actions or goals and away from others. E.g. Achievement-motivated people

consistently set challenging goals for themselves and use feedback to do

better.

2. Traits: Physical characteristics and consistent response to situation or

information. E.g. reaction time and good eyesight are physical trait

competencies of combat pilots.

3. Self-concept and values: A person’s attitude, values, or self-image.

E.g. Self-confidence, a person’s belief that he can be effective in any

situation is a part of that person’s concept of self.

4. Knowledge: Information a person has in specific content areas

5. Skill: The ability to perform a certain physical or mental task.

Many organizations in India and abroad are channeling their efforts to

mapping competencies and implementing assessment and development

centers.

THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF COMPETENCIES

Generic Competencies

Competencies which are considered essential for all employees, regardless

of their function or level. - Communication, teamwork, result oriented,

interpersonal.

Managerial Competencies

Competencies which are considered essential for employees with

managerial or supervisory responsibility in any functional area including

directors and senior posts – Management skills, team player, people skills.

Technical / Functional

Specific Competencies which are considered essential to perform any job

in the organization within a defined technical or functional area of work. –

Business awareness/domain knowledge, presentation, analytical thinking,

strategic thinker, problem solving, listening skills, business writing,

leadership & credibility, planning & organizing, initiative & creativity

Differentiating competencies

Competencies that mostly differentiate superior performers from mediocre

performers - Results orientation, influence, and initiative.

Threshold competencies

Competencies in which a minimum level of proficiency is required for job

success, but a higher level of proficiency is not highly correlated with

superior performance. Threshold competencies however do not

differentiate superior from average performers.

Transformation competencies

Competencies at which managers and employees are generally weak,

which if improved will most likely to result in improved performance.

COMPETENCY MAPPING

Competency mapping is a process through which one assesses and

determines one’s strengths as an individual worker and in some cases, as

part of an organization. It generally examines two areas: emotional

intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ), and strengths of the individual in

areas like team structure, leadership, and decision-making. Large

organizations frequently employ some form of competency mapping to

understand how to most effectively employ the competencies of strengths

of workers. They may also use competency mapping to analyze the

combination of strengths in different workers to produce the most effective

teams and the highest quality work.

It is also defined as a process of identifying key competencies for a

particular position in an organization, and then using it for job-evaluation,

recruitment, training and development, performance management,

succession planning, etc. "The competency framework serves as the

bedrock for all HR applications. As a result of competency mapping, all the

HR processes like talent induction, management development, appraisals

and training yield much better results," states well-known HR consultant

Ullhas Pagey.

TECHNIQUES USED IN COMPETENCY MAPPING

HISTORICAL APPROACHES TO COMPETENCY MAPPING

Competencies are derived from specific job families within the organization

and are often grouped around categories, such as strategy, relationships,

innovation, leadership, risk-taking, decision-making, emotional intelligence,

etc.

“Job evaluation” based competency mapping include the following

steps:

Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a Role

Profile Questionnaire – The primary goal, is to gather from

incumbents what they feel are the key behaviours necessary, to

perform their respective goals.

Using the results of the job analysis, we develop a competency based

job description.

With a competency based job description, we begin mapping the

competencies throughout the human resource processes. The

competencies of the respective job description becomes the factors

for assessment on performance evaluation

By taking the competency mapping one step further, we use the

results of the evaluation, to identify in what competency individuals

need additional development or training. This will help in focusing the

training needs on the goals of the position and company and help

employees develop, toward the ultimate success of the organization

“Role Profiling/Job Analysis Tools” – It helps companies to extract

knowledge of core competency requirements from internal experts, and

allows the company to have any number of job expert raters to contribute

ratings on a standard competency scale for any job title or position.

“Experts Panel” – In this method, a panel of experts (superior performers,

immediate supervisors, consultants, HR managers) is constituted and are

asked to brainstorm about the knowledge, skill, attitude, self-concept, and

motivation required of people for superior performance of a particular job.

This panel after detailed deliberation for a few hours and in some cases for

a couple of days will list out the competency requirements.

“360 ° multi-rater feedback” – Such surveys allow employees to rate

themselves on global competencies and specific behaviours. Predefined

groups of supervisors, peers, direct reports, or customers who perform

ratings of persons on the same items, with the resulting report provide a

detailed analysis of self- other gaps in perceived competency behaviours.

“Behavioural Event Interview” – Behavioural Event Interview (BEI)

basically intends to find out what people really do instead of hearing the

stories about what they wanted to do or what they propose to do. In other

words BEI finds out the knowledge, skill, motives, traits, and self-concept

from their behavioural actions, which are verifiable, rather than through

abstract explanations. The BEI method includes Thematic Apperception

Test (TAT) probes, which yield data about the interviewees’ personality and

cognitive style like what they think about, feel and want to accomplish in

dealing with the situation. This enables interviewers to measure

competencies such as achievement motivation or logical ways of thinking

and solving problems.

“Critical Incident Technique” – The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was

developed by John Flanagan, to identify behaviour that contributes to the

success or failure of individuals or organizations in specific situations. To

analyze a situation using CIT, a researcher first asks people familiar with

the situation for a recent example of effective or ineffective behaviour that

is, a critical incident. Then it is determined from answers to some

questions, which identifies themes represented by the incidents, and asks

other involved parties to sort the incidents into proposed content

dimensions. The CIT is a method for evaluating systems in functioning

work environments. It relies on the idea that critical incidents will be

memorable, making their capture possible either through interview,

observation, or self-reporting.

“Survey Method” – In the survey method, the HR department or the

consultants based on their understanding of the job roles will prepare a

questionnaire containing various competencies. The questionnaires will be

then distributed to the role holders, their supervisors and any other persons

(like HR professionals and consultants) who are thoroughly knowledgeable

about the concerned job roles. The information collected through the

questionnaire is then analyzed using descriptive statistical tools to

determine the core competencies required for successful performance of

the said job.

“Repertory Grid” – George Alexander Kelly was born in (1905-1967)

Kansas, U.S.A.

In 1955, the two-volume work, The Psychology of Personal Constructs,

(PCT) was published and gained immediate recognition as a unique and

major development in the study of personality. In 1965 he moved to

Brandies University where he was appointed to the Riklis Chair of

Behavioural Science. Even today no reading in personality theory is

complete without the theory of personal constructs developed by Kelly.

The key points of PCT to remember are:

Perceptions influence expectations, and expectations influence

perceptions.

The medium through which this happens is known as the construct

system.

Construct systems are unique to the individual and develop

throughout life.

Repertory Grid will help to draw out and make explicit the expertise that

every manager has, and help lay out their problems in such a way that

solutions may become more obvious. It allows the interviewer to get a

mental map of how the interviewee views the world, and to write this map

with the minimum of observer bias. Kelly’s practice is then not to have this

map ‘interpreted’ by an expert, who judges where the problems and

stresses are; rather Kelly’s approach is to discuss the map with the

interviewee, to talk about things that perhaps the interviewee had not faced

about himself before, to discuss with the interviewee the survival value of

that particular map as a means of navigating around his or her life-space.

In the repertory grid process the respondents will identify a set of superior

performers and another group of ineffective performers. They to justify their

identification of people will identify a set of variables:

Knowledge

Skill

Attitude

Ethic

Self Concept

Appearance, etc

Which are associated with superior and average performers.

It is difficult to suggest which method is more useful or more accurate.

Some methods are easy to use but quality of data may be inadequate.

Some others may yield superior quality data but expensive and time

consuming. Certain methods and tools are such that they cannot be used

in all the cases. Some jobs may require the use of more than one method

or tool for their mapping.

HOW DO COMPETENCIES RELATE TO INDIVIDUAL CAREER

DEVELOPMENT?

First and foremost, competencies must be demonstrated by individuals.

Perhaps the most common place where they are demonstrated is within the

scope of a particular job or project involvement.

One of the first encounters with competencies for most individuals is in

securing employment with a new organization. Organizations that are

purposefully using cutting-edge methods to choose talent for positions or

project roles are engaging in what is called “competency-based

interviewing and selection”. These interviewing and selection methods are

being used not only for hiring external applicants, but also for staffing

internal roles, as described later in this article.

Many organizations that use competency-based interviewing and selection

are also later using the same competencies to assess performance, to

encourage future development plans from individuals, and to plan for

succession in the organization. Therefore, the individual employees in such

an organization will have an ongoing need to use and map their

competencies.

WHY SHOULD INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES MAP THEIR

COMPETENCIES?

A list of compelling reasons includes, at a minimum, the following. An

individual:

Gains a clearer sense of true marketability in today’s job market;

once the individual knows how his/her competencies compare to

those that are asked for by the job market in key positions of interest.

Demonstrates self-confidence that comes from knowing one’s

competitive advantages more convincingly, and from being able to

articulate those advantages in specific language.

Secures essential input to resume development - a set of important

terms to use in describing expertise derived from prior career

experience.

Gains advanced preparation for interviews, many of which may be

delivered using a competency-based approach called “structured

behavioral interviewing” or “behavioral event interviewing.

Develops the capability to compare one’s actual competencies to an

organization or position’s required/preferred competencies, in order to

create an Individual Development Plan.

Support specific and objective assessment of their strengths, and

specify targeted areas for professional development.

Provide development tools and methods for enhancing their skills.

Provide the basis for a more objective dialogue with their manager or

team about performance, development, and career-related issues.

Building Your Competency Model

The steps to building a Competency Model include:

Step 1: Understand the Competency Library.

Step 2: Develop position description/s for your targeted classification/s.

Step 3: Identify the competencies that the superior performers in the classification possess.

Step 4: Validate the competencies identified in Step 3.

Step 5: Reconcile the validation results with those obtained in Step 3.

Step 6: Review and finalize the results of Step 5 with the executive leadership team.

Step 1: Understand the Competency Library

In this step, your agency’s Human Resources Manager and other key HR staff will become familiar with the Competency Model and the Competency Library.

The Competency Library includes 34 competencies that might be appropriate for a Competency Model for a specific classification or family of classifications. Most of them describe characteristics that are desirable in any job. However, the purpose of constructing your Competency Model is to identify the set of critical competencies that distinguish superior performance in your target classification/s.

Competency Library

Action Oriented

Consistently maintains high levels of activity or productivity; sustains long working hours when necessary, works with vigor, effectiveness and determination over a sustained period.

Adaptability (Do not use with Facilitating Change.)

Adapts well to changes in assignments and priorities; adapts behavior or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles; approaches change positively and adjusts behaviors accordingly.

Applied Learning (Do not use with Continuous Learning and Professional Development.)

Able to learn and properly apply new job-related information in a timely manner. Has the ability to absorb and comprehend job-related information from formal training and other formal and informal learning experiences.

Building Trust

Interact with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s motives and representations and those of the organization. Is seen as direct and truthful; keeps confidences, promises, and commitments.

Coaching

Providing timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen knowledge/skills areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem.

Collaboration

Builds constructive working relationships with clients/customers, other work units, community organizations and others to meet mutual goals and objectives. Behaves professionally and supportively when working with individuals from a variety of ethnic, social and educational backgrounds.

Communication

Clearly conveys and receives information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the listener, helps them understand and retain the message, and invites response and feedback. Keeps others informed as appropriate. Demonstrates good written, oral, and listening skills

Conflict Management

Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to reduce tension and/or conflict between two or more people; able to size up situations quickly; able to identify common interests; facilitates resolution.

Continuous Learning and Professional Development (Do not use with Applied Learning)

Is committed to developing professionally, attends professional conferences, focuses on best practices, values cutting-edge practices and approaches; takes advantage of a variety of learning activities, introduces newly gained knowledge and skills on the job.

Cultural Competence

Cultivates opportunities through diverse people; respects and relates well to people from varied backgrounds, understands diverse worldviews, and is sensitive to group differences; sees diversity as an opportunity, challenges bias and intolerance.

Customer/Client Focus

Makes customers/clients and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; shows interest in and understanding of the needs and expectations of internal and external customers (including direct reports); gains customer trust and respect; meets or exceeds customer expectations

Decision Making/Problem Solving

Breaks down problems into components and recognizes interrelationships; makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions. Compares data, information, and input from a variety of sources to draw conclusions; takes action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.

Delegating Responsibility

Comfortably delegates responsibilities, tasks, and decisions; appropriately trusts others to perform; provides support without removing responsibility.

Developing Others

(non-supervisory relationship; supervisors use Guiding and Developing Staff)

Helps plan and supports the development of individuals’ skills and abilities so that they can fulfill current of future job/role responsibilities more effectively.

Facilitating Change (Do not use with Adaptability.)

Facilitates the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace; encourages others to seek opportunities for different and innovative approaches to addressing problems and opportunities.

Follow-up

Monitors the work of direct reports to insure quality standards and thoroughness; considers the knowledge, experience, and skill of staff members when determining extent of review.

Formal Presentation Skills

Effectively presents ideas, information and materials to individuals and groups. Effectively prepares and provides structured delivery; facilitates workshops or meetings in a structured manner, can facilitate and manage group process.

Guiding and Developing Staff (supervisory competency: non-supervisors use Developing Others)

Focuses and guiding others in accomplishing work objectives; rewards and recognizes others, both formally and informally, in ways that motivate them. Sets high performance expectations for team members; sets clear performance expectations and objectives; holds others accountable for achieving results.  Successfully finds resources, training, tools, etc. to support staff needs. Works with staff to create developmental opportunities to expand knowledge and skill level; provides effective feedback and guidance for career development.

Influence

Uses appropriate interpersonal skills and techniques to gain acceptance for ideas or solutions. Uses influencing strategies to gain genuine agreements; Seeks to persuade rather than force solutions or impose decisions or regulations.

Initiative

Takes action without being asked or required to; achieves goals beyond job requirements; being proactive; taking prompt action to accomplish objectives.

Innovation

Uses creativity and imagination to develop new insights into situations and applies new solutions to problems. Comes up with new and unique ideas.

Managing Work (supervisory competency: non-supervisors use Planning and Organizing)

Shows ability to plan, schedule, direct work of self and others; balances task requirements and individual abilities; organizes materials to accomplish tasks; sets challenging yet achievable goals for self and others.

Negotiation

Effectively exploring alternatives and positions to reach agreements and solutions that gain the support and acceptance of all parties.

Planning and Organizing (non-supervisory competency: supervisors use Managing Work)

Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resources requirements; determines necessary sequence of activities needed to achieve goals.

Quality Orientation

Monitors and checks work to meet quality standards; demonstrates a high level of care and thoroughness; checks work to ensure completeness and accuracy.

Risk Taking

Seeks opportunities and calculates risks to accomplish results that can lead to substantial benefit knowing the real possibility of significant negative consequences.

Safety Awareness

Being aware of conditions and circumstances that affect one’s own safety or the safety of direct reports.

Strategic Focus

Understands how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences; keeps the big, long range picture in mind; builds a shared long-range organizational vision with others. Committed to course of action to achieve long-range goals and influences others to translate vision into action.

Stress Tolerance

Maintains effective performance under pressure; handling stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization.

Team Leadership (supervisory competency: non-supervisors use Teamwork)

Communicates a vision and inspires motivation; engages with others (direct-reports and peers) in team process to solve problems; works to find a win/win resolution of differences; is aware of how management style impacts staff productivity and development; modifies leadership style to meet situational requirements; helps team stay focused on major goals while managing within a context of multiple directives.

Teamwork (non-supervisory competency: supervisors use Team Leadership)

Participates as an active and contributing member of a team to achieve team goals. Works cooperatively with other team members, involves others, shares information as appropriate, and shares credit for team accomplishments.

Technical/Professional Knowledge and Skills

Possesses, acquires, and maintains the technical/professional expertise required to do the job effectively and to create client/customer solutions. Technical/professional expertise is demonstrated through problem solving, applying professional judgment, and competent performance.

Visionary Leadership

Keeps the organization’s mission, vision, and values at the forefront of employee decision making and actions; ensures alignment of organization’s strategic plan and agency practices with vision, mission and values.

Work Standards

Sets high standards and well-defined, realistic goals for one’s self; displays a high level of effort and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervisor; is motivated to achieve.

Step 2: Analyze and Develop Position Description/s

In this step, development and/or updation of the position description/s for the targeted classification/s are done Having complete, accurate and up-to-date descriptions for the targeted job/s provides a solid foundation for building Competency Model.

Step 3: Identify Competencies

In this step, use of focus groups to identify and rank the competencies that the superior performers in your targeted classification possess.

Have separate focus groups for the employees and the supervisors/managers to foster an environment of open discussion.

Make the focus groups as diverse as possible. In large organizations, have three or four focus groups for each

classification (or classification family). Have two facilitators for each focus group – one to lead the discussion

and one to observe and take notes. Limit the size of each focus group to eight to twelve participants.

Step 4: Validate Competencies

In this step, you’ll validate the list of competencies and rankings obtained in your focus group meetings.

Step 5: Reconcile Competency Results

In this step, the results obtained from two sets of focus group meetings are reconciled .

Step 6: Executive Review and Finalization

In this step, the competencies for the targeted job/s with the leadership team get reviewed and get final approval.

 

Indian IT Industry

In India, the software boom started somewhere in the late 1990s. The profile of the Indian IT Services has been undergoing a change in the last few years, partly as it moves up the value chain and partly as a response to the market dynamics. The market competition is forcing organizations to cut down on costs of products. The professional IT services on the other hand are becoming increasingly expensive. Despite the global economic slowdown, the Indian IT software and services industry is maintaining a steady pace of growth. India’s most prized resource is its readily available technical work force. India has the second largest English-speaking scientific professionals in the world, second only to the U.S. It is estimated that India has over 4 million technical workers, over 1,832 educational institutions and polytechnics, which train more than 67,785 computer software professionals every year. The enormous base of skilled manpower is a major draw for global customers.

.

IT Sector - Top Players

S. NO.

Companies

1. TCS

2. Infosys

3. Wipro

4. HP

5. IBM

6. Satyam

7. HCL

8. Patni

9. Polaris

10. Cisco

Advances in Information Technology and Information Systems delivery over the past decades have restructured industries and created enormous value. Interestingly however, research shows companies traditionally have a very difficult time capturing the value from their investment. Any surplus created by these improvements is often competed away and given back to customers. Decision makers are focused on demonstrating that information Technology expenditures result in positive net returns to the company. IT managers are faced with a fundamental question: How does the organization use Information Technology to create sustainable competitive advantage and capture value in its industry? This thesis proposes a framework, the Core Competency Model, to help companies think about Information Services strategy and Information Technology deployment. Instead of seeking to create competitive advantage through IT investment alone, it introduces the concept of core competencies. IT resources can be quickly duplicated by competitors, as has been shown in the research.

Core competencies, the complex blending of unique resources and capabilities, are much more difficult to duplicate and form the basis for true sustainable competitive advantage. At its heart, the Core Competency Model suggests that the role of the IS group is to support

the formation and enhancement of the organization's core competencies. It further identifies several capabilities and resources that the IS group must possess to fully support the core competencies of the enterprise. This model, if truly utilized, would change the nature of a company's internal dialog on IT spending. Debate over which business units should get which IT resources would be replaced with discussion of the strategic direction and core competencies of the company. Decisions concerning IS resource allocation and IT spending would follow very naturally from this discussion. The Core Competency Model provides a framework for this dialog, beginning with the strategic identification of core competencies, and ending with the tactical analysis of the Information Systems group's capabilities and resources

ITAA Releases IT Competency Model

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) is the premier IT and electronics industry association working to maintain America’s role as the world’s innovation headquarters. ITAA offers the industry’s only grassroots-to-global network, carrying the voice of IT to companies, markets and governments at the local, state, national and international levels to facilitate growth and advocacy.

Arlington, VA – The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) have launched a new information technology (IT) competency model to help individuals prepare for job opportunities in the technology industry. “We now have a common language for the dialogue between the educators and executives who are working together to rebuild the talent pipeline,” said ITAA President and CEO Phil Bond. The model provides a clear description of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform well in IT professions. In India however competency development and mapping still remains an unexplored process in most IT organisations despite the growing level of awareness. After

all, Level 3 of PCMM is focused on the competency framework in an organisation. Is the underlying principle of competency mapping just about finding the right people for the right job? The issue is much more complex than it appears, and most HR departments have been struggling to formulate the right framework for their organisation.

The competency movement has caught on much better in the non-IT sector than the IT sector. Only a few IT organisations which are at the higher end of the HR value chain are known to be doing some work in this area; most are more busy handling recruitment and compensation-related matters. "Unless managements and HR heads have holistic expectations from their HR departments, the competency movement is unlikely to succeed as it requires lot of time, dedication and money,adds an hr personnel, pointing out that before an organisation embarks on this journey it has to be very clear about the business goals, capability-building imperatives and core competencies of the organisation. The competency mapping process needs to be strongly integrated with these aspects.

At Zensar and L&T Infotech

Lynette D'Silva, manager, learning & development, HR, Zensar Technologies, points out that competency mapping helps identify the success criteria (i.e. behavioural standards of performance excellence) required for individuals to be successful in their roles. It helps to:

Support specific and objective assessment of their strengths, and specify targeted areas for professional development.

Provide development tools and methods for enhancing their skills.

Provide the basis for a more objective dialogue with their manager or team about performance, development, and career-related issues.

"If an individual is able to discuss the above with his manager, it will

help him to chalk out his growth perspectives in the company," states D'Silva.

Zensar has a behavioural competency model which is based on various job roles in the organisation. D'Silva describes the process of implementation:

Having defined the various job roles, a focused study was initiated where job role holders were interviewed on the critical incident method and the data of success-critical factors was collated.

The job roles and deliverables were finalised on the basis of the competencies derived from the data. This data was further analysed, and on the basis of this competencies that had an impact on the job roles and deliverables were finalised.

After identifying the competencies, a job analysis exercise was carried out where the importance level of every competency was ascertained before freezing the competency model.

For team leaders and project managers, the company also runs development centres in-house; here, individuals are profiled on behavioural competencies required for their position. "This process creates awareness in the individual about his behavioural traits in detail, and helps him chalk out an individual development plan. Development centres help map an individual's potential, which is useful to both the individual and the organisation. All management development programmes are also fine-tuned to address the specific competency needs at different levels," explains D'Silva, adding that the 360-degree feedback has also been designed on the competency model, enabling managers to get feedback from their teams. This feedback is based on the rating of the

As a result of competency mapping, all the HR processes like talent induction, appraisals and training yield much better results

Ullha

Competency mapping helps identify the success criteria required for individuals to be successful in their roles

Lynette D’Silva Manager Learning & Developme

competencies which are an integral part of their managerial skill-set.

L&T Infotech, a PCMM Level 5 company, has a successful competency-based HR system. Recruitment, training, job rotation, succession planning and promotions-all are defined by competency mapping. Says Dr Devendra Nath, executive vice-president of the company, who had initiated the PCMM process in the parent company (L&T) in 1997, "Nearly all our HR interventions are linked to competency. Competencies are enhanced through training and job rotation." He adds that all people who have gone through job rotation undergo a transformation and get a broader perspective of the company. For instance, a person lacking in negotiation skills might be put in the sales or purchase department for a year to hone his skills in the area.

Dhananjay Savarkar, head of the training department, L&T Infotech, asserts that in no two organisations can competency frameworks be the same; it will vary over time even in one organisation. It is not timeless, it is contextual. "We call it the DNA of success…it is what makes star performers work in a particular way. Isolate the DNA and make it available to ten others," says Savarkar. When the company started competency mapping the whole process took eight months for six roles and two variations. Eventually, 16-18 profiles were worked out. The company uses PeopleSoft for competency mapping. "Behavioural competencies do not change every month. Two appraisals are done subsequently… every project-end for skills, and annual for behavioural competencies." He acknowledges that there was resistance from the line people, but when the numbers started flowing they sat up. Every quarter, an SBU-based skills portfolio is published. Nath says that it has been a very rewarding experience. As far as training and development is concerned, instead of asking people to attend classes, they themselves get pulled to the classes. Introduction of competency mapping has also involved introducing skill appraisals in performance appraisals. This has also led to

training people on how to assess subordinates on competencies. Notes Nath, "The best human resources development is when people in the line department do HR. Where the HR department is the enabler, the line people see the advantage and drive us." Competency-based HR makes this almost-utopian dream attainable.

Competency Profile of a Project Manager in an SBU at L&T Infotech

HCL

HCL telecom services in the unified communications (UC) area include

product engineering services, deployment services, management

services, and process mapping services. The Unified Communications

service line addresses both the enterprise customers, to whom we can

be integration partners, and OEMs, with whom we can partner to

augment their development work.

HCL telecom UC product engineering services include:

Development

Testing

Customization

Documentation

Interoperability

Localization

Geo customization

Support

Proof of concept

The UC deployment services comprise:

System and application integration

SOA enablement

Implementation

3rd party on boarding

As part of its management services, HCL telecom UC practice offers:

Support for hosted services

Unified customer care

Unified service management

The process mapping services include:

Process management

Process consultancy

HCL telecom UC competencies include:

Product design and sustaining

Mediation components

Mobility and voice enablement

Dashboards

User interface

Web, SOA, and security

ROI analysis and assessment

APO

The benefits for our customers from our UC practice would be:

Increased productivity

Reduced costs

Increased control

Optimized enterprise TCO leading to increase in sales

Tools Available

The tools and products available with the UC practice are:

Voice-based mailing system application

CTI application for emergency services

Appointment notification service

Visual voice mail and MMS application

Smart call convergence client

SIP-based IVR application server

WIPRO COMPANY

Wipro Technologies is a global services provider delivering

technology-driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives

of our clients. Wipro delivers unmatched business value to customers

through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks and

service delivery innovation. Wipro is the World's first CMMi Level 5

certified software services company and the first outside USA to

receive the IEEE Software Process Award.

Wipro Infotech is the leading strategic IT partner for companies across

India, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific - offering integrated IT

solutions. They plan, deploy, sustain and maintain clients’ IT lifecycle

through their total outsourcing, consulting services, business solutions

and professional services. Wipro Infotech helps clients’ drive

momentum in their organization - no matter what domain they are in.

WIPRO INFOTECH -Consulting

Wipro Infotech offers consulting services that support your strategic

business objectives in today's competitive business environment. As

organizations move up the value chain, they help drive clients’

business momentum in the light of challenges arising from

globalization, competition and the dynamics of customer loyalty. The

various consulting practices enable the client to achieve execution

excellence, cost leadership and business agility through IT, resulting in

sustainable business leadership in your industry.

Leveraging people, process and technology experience, Wipro

Infotech aligns the right set of practices to complement your business.

Every successful project execution highlights the practitioner

experience of our consultants. They drive home clients’ business

advantage by providing advisory and implementation frameworks,

delivered through a strong focus on core business issues, strong

process orientation and industry domain knowledge. From ideation to

completion, they are there with the client at every step of the project to

resolve any issues. Their partnership with each client is built on trust

and excellence in performance leading to successful results.

Wipro Infotech Consulting practice gives you the full benefit of:

Strategic cost reduction: Strategic sourcing, supply chain

process consulting, procurement technology enablement, low

cost country sourcing.

Business transformation: Business process improvement

through Six Sigma, Lean, Triz, TOC and Integrated Quality

Management System through ISO, CMMi, PCMM advisory and

implementation

Security governance: Advisory and assurance, identity

management, technical risk assessment, compliance to

standards

Strategy: Enterprise architecture and IT strategy, technology

selection and optimization, IT governance through ITIL, COBIT,

ISO 20000, shared services advisory and roll out

E-governance: Capacity planning, e-governance strategy and

roadmap, electronic government procurement system.

Elaborating the range of service for E-Governance:

e-Governance Strategy and Road Map

Capacity Planning

Process re-engineering services

Program management

E-Tendering solution

What is E-government?

It is the transformation of government to provide efficient, convenient &

transparent services to the citizens & businesses through Information

& Communication technologies.

What is not e-government?

E-Government in not about ‘e’, but about Government!

It’s not about computers and websites, but about citizens &

businesses!

It’s not about translating processes, but about transforming

processes!

WIPRO consulting in E-governance

Responsiveness, efficiency and transparency are the keywords of

governance. E-enabling various public departments have resulted in

faster response time and greater coordination to deliver on promises

to the citizens. Wipro Infotech assists in streamlining processes and

policies to facilitate better public participation through the

implementation of e-governance initiatives.

Their approach to e-governance involves the 6C Model - cyber law, citizen

interface, capital, connectivity, capacity and content. Using these parameters

they assess the maturity level in e-governance. While framing clients’ e-

governance strategy, Wipro Infotech takes into account risk assessment and

securing e-transactions for complete quality and safety assurance.

Organizational and qualified human resource developments are some of the

key capacity-building issues that they address.

Indicative career paths in consulting

Like all organizations, Wipro Infotech also has a career path

framework which tells the transition of an employee from one level to

another, after serving the organization for particular time period and

project tenure. The five levels also known as ‘Bands’ at Wipro Infotech

is identified as A1 – A3, B1, B2, C1, C2 and the highest level which

succeeds C2. This framework is a applicable to all the consulting

divisions under Wipro Infotech including E-Governance Consulting

Practice.

The diagrammatic representation of the career path is shown as

below:

The five Bands also give us the designation basket for its employees

which are as under:

Band A1: Indicating Designation – Support

Band A2: Indicating Designation – Analyst

Band A3: Indicating Designation – Senior Analyst

Band B1: Indicating Designation – Associate Consultant

Band B2: Indicating Designation – Consultant/ Project Leader

Band C1: Indicating Designation – Practice Manager/Senior

Consultant

Band C2: Indicating Designation – Principal Consultant

Whereby the first 3 Bands i.e. A1 – A3 constitute largely of

Programmers/Developers, who are fresh graduates from different

colleges.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

“A Study on Competency Mapping for the Practice E-Governance

Consulting at Wipro Infotech” keeping in view the different bands and

the years of experience of the employees.

When Wipro Infotech inducts new employees the primary basis for

doing the same is the years of experience a prospective employee

holds in the field of consulting and the total number of years of

experience. Apart from experience, the qualifications of a prospective

employee are also taken into consideration i.e. the university he/she

has obtained the degree from. Accordingly the new employee is put in

band levels and only after staying in that particular band for a pre-

decided tenure in the role, he/she is promoted further up the hierarchy.

In order to do an efficient implementation of Competency Mapping, a

pre-requisite for several things was felt, which are listed as under:

1. Identifying various roles people play in this Practice - which

means varied roles in the band level.

2. Identifying the basic understanding of the structure of Practice

w.r.t. roles - which means understanding the framework

pertaining to a particular band and the kind and nature of work

done under it.

3. Identifying how do people and at what level do they interact with

clients – which means identifying whether employees of the

bands interact with clients, or it is a feature of higher bands.

4. Identifying the years of experience for all employee in the

Practice – which means from the secondary database, obtaining

the years of experience of all 58 employees of the E-

Governance Consulting Practice.

5. Surveying via the mailed questionnaire method, which probes

about kind of competencies they possess

6. Identifying various competencies/skill set associated with each

band – mapping the competencies of each band

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The span of the study instead of being limited to one particular band of

the E-Governance Consulting Practice, [leaving the

Programmers/Developers]; is spread over all the other 4 bands i.e. B1,

B2, C1, C2. Since E-Governance Consulting Practice is a relatively

new Practice, and is picking up on its demands; the study on finding

competencies relevant to it will bring about dynamism in tuning the

Practice to such levels, that always it will yield to high performance

and the Practice will be able to gain more in being the most sought

after.

This stage deals with the start up to a competency development

process involving data gathering and preparation for an intervention. It

deals essentially with the following:

Identify an exhaustive set of job families in the organization. E.g.

Developers, Consultants, Associate Consultants, Senior

Consultants, Principal, Practice Heads

Obtain Role data in regard to such identified job families

Identify job roles within each job families E.g. In the Consultants

family the employees are distinguished by their years of

experience. Similarly with the other job families

Review the job roles for its clarity in regard to Job Purpose,

Objectives, Key Responsibilities, and critical success factors

Review for inadequacies, if any, and improve upon the Role

Profile form, to prepare it to be reviewed for competency

mapping requirement

Stage 1: Identify major categories of skills

Each job has its minimum skill requirements, to establish

proficiency levels of the incumbents, to perform their roles

effectively

Determine skills required to perform a job effectively

Enable each job family and jobs within those job families to gain

consistency in skills that have been stated as required to perform

a job

These skill requirements are determined on a functional and

managerial basis and demonstrate capabilities that would enable

a role incumbent to perform his or her role

Consequently, every job has its set of critical or major skills and

a set of supplementary skills. Alternatively, supplementary skills

could be a sub-set of the major skill and would be essential to

make out the role incumbent performing the major skill. For

example, ‘Presentation skills’ could be a critical skill and

‘Patience and Perseverance’ could be supplementary skills.

Similarly ‘Project Management’ could be a critical skill and

‘Ability to Handle Situations’ could be supplementary skills.

Identification of such skill sets, would establish a boundary,

within which competencies should be defined. Effectively,

competencies tend to be articulated from within the defined or

pre determined skill sets

Stage 1: Identify probable competencies

List the skills and evaluate which of them needs to be

emphasized behaviourally

Add or eliminate skills that appear to over lap and may cause

conceptual confusion for a role incumbent when it has to be

manifested behaviourally

Clarify additional skills and the reason for placing those skills in

relation to a particular job

Having identified the skills required for a particular role, possible

competencies that are critical for that role profile to be listed.

This provides a framework within which competencies

definitions, assessment sets and other band matrix issues are

resolved

Probable competency analysis would enable the evaluator to

determine, whether all the required skills have been listed and

defined. This acts as a checkpoint/benchmark

Stage 2: Data Analysis

Stage 2: Review and finalize list of competencies

Probable competencies that are identified from the last stage, is

now reviewed to check for any internal consistency, validity

versus other jobs, exhaustiveness of competencies to fulfill the

job objectives and purposes

The competencies are now finalized for each job role

It is agreed with the management teams

Stage 2: Construct competency definitions

Each competency is placed in an individual and multiple boxes with

both job family and competencies listed. An appropriate matching

process is conducted to identify where similar competencies tend to be

necessary. It is important to define the skill requirements for each of

the said competency in each of the levels. It is likely that the skill

emphasis may differ from one job to another, although it is for the

same competency

Each of the competencies are now defined in the context of the

role profile

Thus the benchmark competencies have been determined. Now the

next task is to identify the competencies and mapping them, such that

it is compared against the benchmarks. This is done by following the

Repertory Grid Technique.

Stage 3: Validation

The second mailed questionnaire used is the Repertory Grid

questionnaire, which is utilized to understand and map the various

competencies existing in the bands. This is the questionnaire which

forms the basis for the study and is also targeted at the 58 identified

employees. Here from the obtained competencies are compared with

the benchmarks and a Gap Analysis is performed to understand what

makes the band lack in which aspect, and what can be done to

improve upon it.

Based on above format the questionnaire is so designed that it

specifies each requirement, and the intricate nature of the kind of job

profile an individual holds.

Diagrammatically the Competency Mapping procedure can be shown as under:

Identify and finalize Practice for Competency mapping

Identify the Practice structure or hierarchy

Find out the inputs of competencies

List down the competencies for each band differentiating by years of experience

Define each core competency

Finalize the proficiency levels of each competency and define it

Get Approval from the department head and HR

Prepare a competency sheet

Competency mapping of each band

Gap analysis

Identify development areas and prepare action plan

Get approval from Practice Head and HR.

COMPETENCY DEFINITION / COMPETENCY DICTIONARY

Analytical Thinking

Identifies issues; obtains relevant information, relates and compares data from different sources, and identifies alternative solutions.

Career and/or Skill Plans and supports the development of others

Development

using a competency based system. Identifies skills and abilities to fulfill current or future job/role responsibilities more effectively.

Client/Customer Service

Develops and maintains strong relationships with clients (those who buy goods and services and for whom formal professional services are rendered) or customers (those who consume goods and services) by listening to the client/customer and understanding and responding to identified needs.

Mentoring

Provides guidance and feedback to help an employee or groups of employees strengthen their knowledge and skills to accomplish a task or solve a problem, which in turn should improve job performance.

Communication

Communicates information to individuals or groups; delivers presentations suited to the characteristics and needs of the audience. Clearly and concisely conveys written information orally or in writing to individuals or groups to ensure that they understand the information and the message. Listens and responds appropriately to others.

Communication – Presentations

Develops presentations using a variety of media and presents ideas effectively to individuals or groups; delivers presentations suited to the characteristics and needs of the audience.

Decision Making

Uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions and/or reaching conclusions; takes action consistent with available facts, constraints, and anticipated consequences.

Interpersonal Develops and maintains effective relationships with

Skills

others in order to encourage and support communication and teamwork. Builds and maintains ongoing, collaborative, working relationships with coworkers to achieve the goals of the work unit.

Domain Knowledge – Technical

Demonstrates a designated level of technical skill or knowledge in a specific technical area(s) and keeps up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise. May be acquired through academic, apprenticeship or on-the-job training or a combination of these.

Leadership

Demonstrated skills and abilities needed to coordinate, facilitate, and participate in a collaborative approach to the completion of tasks or assignments.

Planning and Organizing Work

Develops plans to accomplish work operations and objectives; arranges and assigns work to use resources efficiently. Advanced planning is more of a strategic nature to develop plans, organizational structures, and systems to fulfill legislative or mission driven organizational goals.

Program Management

Coordinates and administers program, activities and protocols; manages resources, monitors activities and assesses environmental risks and quality control, if any, quality control, associated with the program.

Project Management

1) Provides oversight for project(s) and all related activities in that setting to include quality assurance and safety; coordinates and manages facilities, equipment, supplies and related resources as necessary for the project; monitors environmental risks, if any and quality control; 2) establishes a set

of tasks and activities associated with an intended outcome and timeline; 3) ensures actions are performed and/or implemented to achieve the results of the project.

Strategic Thinker

Analyzing competitive position by considering the market and industry trends, existing and potential customers, and strengths and weaknesses as compared to competitors, provides analysis of policy issues develops program proposals and develops plans that address long-term customer and stakeholder needs and concerns

PROFICIENCY LEVELS OF EACH COMPETENCY

Developing

Demonstrates this behaviour in routine situations,

but needs help doing so

Proficient Demonstrates this behaviour in routine situations

without help, but in unusual or routine situations

help is needed

Highly Skilled

Consistently demonstrates this behaviour even in

unusual or non-routine situations

COMPETENCY MAPPING – REPERTORY GRID TECHNIQUE

The second mailed questionnaire used is the Repertory Grid

questionnaire, which is utilized to understand and map the various

competencies existing in the bands. This is the questionnaire which

forms the basis for the study and is also targeted at the 58 identified

employees. Here from the obtained competencies are compared with

the benchmarks and a Gap Analysis is performed to understand what

makes the band lack in which aspect, and what can be done to

improve upon it.

The Repertory Grid questionnaire is so designed such that

identification of high performers and poor performers need to be

visualized, thereafter the behaviour being exhibited by those

individuals to be a high performer/low performer is mentioned. These

behaviors listed are then mapped for each band w.r.t. their years of

experience.

LIMITATIONS

Like every study has its set of constraints and limitations, this ‘Study

on Competency Mapping for the Practice E-Governance Consulting at

Wipro Infotech’ also has its set of constraints and limitations. They

have been listed as follows:

The primary limitation of the study being, that all the employees

existing in various bands are scattered all over India, where their

client bases lie; largely at Gurgaon/Noida. This indirectly means

that many of the Consulting Practice employees don’t have an

access to their Wipro Infotech Company ID and may take longer

to respond. Neither can they be administered with better

methods of Competency Mapping like BEI, Critical Incident

Technique, Focus Group Discussion, since even a phone

interview is remotely impossible or may take considerable

amount of time to actualize.

The lowest band A1-A3 are not to be administered with the

questionnaire since they act as Programmers/Developers for all

the Consulting Practices of Wipro Infotech , and do not pertain to

one particular Practice like the E-Governance Consulting.

By in large the awareness of what is Competency Mapping and

why it needs to be done in an organization, as well as what

benefits will it bring to an individual or group of people and in

turn the organization; is low

The above stated reason also is validated by the reluctance of

employees to identify high performers and low performers as

asked in the Repertory Grid Technique.

The employees were asked to identify 3 High Performers and 3

Low Performers from their job role, correspondingly the

underlying behaviour. However to be on the safe side the

employees have identified either their immediate

bosses/superiors/subordinates/people who've left the Practice

and who are not in their job roles.

No Gap Analysis can be done, as Repertory Grid Technique has

been followed. Gap Analysis is more proficiently done when an

individual is interviewed and his/her competencies are compared

to the benchmarks

Thus individual development followed after Gap Analysis cannot

be implemented.

Companies like Zensar Technologies and L&T InfoTech follow competency mapping. Other big companies like TCS, HCL Technologies, SBI, Idea Cellular, Exide Industries, Birla Cellulosic, etc. have got their employees trained in competency mapping course but it remains unclear if they strictly follow the line.  According to Lynette D'Silva, manager-HR, learning & development, Zensar Technologies, "Competency mapping helps identify the success criteria required for individuals to be successful in their roles." But, organisations strictly following the process of competency mapping do face some hurdles in achieving overall efficiency.

Firstly, the organisations do the ultimate mistake of realising the map as the desired end result. The map is nothing but a colossal waste of time and money without proper analysis. Secondly, the mission must be to sustain a knowledge flow that is more profitable to the organisation. If the organisation is already rich beyond wildest dreams then the mission should be to measure against the current "ideal" knowledge flow.

Competency Mapping related Observations

Awareness of competency mapping and why its done is low in

the division

Growth Enablers are being utilized in the best manner as quoted

in the general WIPRO framework

For the Practice E-Governance Consulting, the two major

competency areas of focus are:

Domain Knowledge

Client Orientation

Type of Competency found in Practice E-Governance Consulting

- Technical/Functional/Role Specific

SUGGESTIONS

A brief introduction should be given to employees about

competency mapping and its positives

When it comes to rewards and recognition, merely rewarding

someone will not be that beneficiary as much as citing the

reason before others i.e. for which competency that the

individual possesses he/she is being rewarded

Competency Model can be used for:

Recruitment

Training and development

Career and succession planning

Rewards and recognition

Performance management [as in Performance Appraisals

i.e. 360˚ feedback]

Development plans for the employees’ can be conducted via:

Formal training

On-the-job training

Job Rotation

Special Assignments

Self-study/learning

Coaching/ mentoring

Better methods of Competency Mapping can be used like the

most standardized BEI Technique, Critical Incident Technique,

Focus Group Discussions & Direct Observation to obtain the

Gap Analysis

CONCLUSIONS

From the initial stages of interaction with clients till the final stages of

finishing the project, Wipro Infotech has always believed in satisfying the

clients to utmost level, be it timely deliverables, to handling of clients, to

taking calls, to procurement and so forth. Apart from the technicality

involved at all stages of project handling, an important ingredient of

success at Wipro Infotech is the different Competencies each employee

holds within himself/herself. And Wipro Infotech ensures that none of it

goes unused, hence they have formulated ways and means like Growth

Enablers that give a brilliant pathway to the career framework of their

employees. This in turn is tapped to fullest extent when people work in

teams. Right from Associate Consultants, Consultants, Senior Consultants,

Principals to Practice Heads; each one of them are proficient enough from

their ends as an individual, and when they form teams they have a

collective force of Competencies which make them stand unique from other

Consulting Practices within Wipro Infotech and competing firms.

Their main Competency lies in the kind of expertise they hold for Domain

Knowledge as well as Client Interaction/Orientation, and the diverse

projects undertaken by them exhibit the same. Throughout the study it has

been found that each level at different Bands, there is a demand of a high

level of Domain Knowledge and from Band B2 onwards a great echelon of

Client Interaction/Orientation. Apart from these some other Competencies

that echoed throughout were Analytical skills, Presentation Skills, and

Communication Skills. There is a continual need felt for improving upon

their expertise and developing, as well as fine tuning themselves as per the

market requirements of the clients. This never-ending process results to the

various activities Wipro Infotech engages in for team building purpose,

which indeed plays a vital role for the individual competencies to emerge

into an amalgamation of a strong team. To name a few of the activities they

have: birthday bashes for each employee of the various Bands [either as a

celebration or sending e-mails to them at client bases]; quarterly

celebrations; an employees’ 5 year completion at Wipro; yearly consulting

celebrations; internal discussions whereby good work is appreciated;

monthly reports by the Head, Consulting division whereby the High

Performers’ names’ are mentioned.

However since Wipro Infotech – Consulting is a relatively new entrant in the

Indian Industry scenario [nearly 5 years old] they still have a long way to

go, and conquer many pinnacles leading to projects success and client

satisfaction. To do this in a most effective way, there is a need to

understand further what all Competencies their High Performing employees

possess, and how can they be tapped and extended onto others who

relatively perform lower than them. For the same purpose various

techniques of Competency Mapping are implemented, though the very first

step towards a quintessence rise is creating an awareness among their

employees of ‘What is Competency Mapping all about, and how will it help

them and in turn the company?’ Thereafter the results obtained can be

more effectively implemented by doing a Gap Analysis and hence a

Personal Development of the employee.