DEFINING TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Technical competencies are most often produced for generic roles within job families or functions, although they can be defined for individual roles as ‘role-specific competencies’. They are not usually part of a behaviour-based competency framework, although of course the two are closely linked when considering and assessing role demands and requirements. Guidelines on defining technical competencies are provided in Chapter 13.

KEYS TO SUCCESS IN USING COMPETENCIES

The keys to success in using competencies are:

● frameworks should not be over-complex; 

● there should not be too many headings in a framework – seven or eight will often suffice; 

● the language used should be clear and jargon-free; 

● competencies must be selected and defined in ways that ensure they can be assessed by managers – the use of ‘behavioural indicators’ is helpful; 

● frameworks should be regularly updated.