Competency

“If you think they can do it, it is confidence, if you do it, that’s competence.” – Morris Code

Introduction

Will you allow an incompetent person to fly an airplane?

Will you allow an incompetent person to cut your hair in a barbershop?

Will you allow an incompetent gym trainer to train you about your health?

Will you provide training to your gardener about Computers?

Will you force your child to study Engineering even if the child’s interest is in History?

Objective

As per Richard Boyatzis, “A competency is an underlying characteristic of the person that leads to or causes effective or superior performance.” 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, technical know-how, etc.

The corporate world is witnessing a transformational shift. Our highly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) environment demands that the competency of the personnel at the different positions should be ascertained and monitored periodically based on their Education, Experience, Training and Skillset.

Read More: https://bit.ly/PESTLEANALYSIS

Definition:

Competence (ISO 9000: 2015, Cl 3.10.4): Ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results

Skill (ISO 30401: 2018, Cl 3.30): Learned capacity to perform a task to a specified expectation

Knowledge (ISO 30401: 2018, Cl 3.25): Human or organizational asset enabling effective decisions and actions in the context

Detailed Information

A Quality Management system (QMS) is most effective when all employees understand and apply the skills, Training, Education and Experience needed to perform their roles and responsibilities. It is the responsibility of the top management to provide opportunities for people to develop these necessary competencies.

Do we need it?

Whenever a task is given to a person and the intended results are not achieved, the first thing is whether that person is competent to deliver the result. When we use the right person for the task, we can get the intended result.

For that, we need to do the assessment (gaging). To check that there are 4 key factors. Once we understand these 4 factors, we can be sure that the person delivers the task. But in case we realize that there is some gap, based on the competence mapping and gap analysis, we can take some action. It will result in the motivation of the person and employee attrition/satisfaction can be controlled/achieved effectively.

There are 4 key indicators through which competency can be defined and monitored. They are

Education
Experience
Training
Skill Education: Academic education is a key backbone for any individual who is working in an organization. Systematic education will lead to the integral development of the person and will accelerate mindful progress. It helps an individual to develop and generate cognitive abilities, critical thoughts, and physical abilities and establishes values & beliefs. An educated person will perceive a problem in the right way and offer an adequate solution, using the knowledge they have gained. For any position in the organization, criteria can be defined for the minimum education level for each position.

Example:

Position: Machine Operator

Location: Machining shop
Machine: CNC machine
Education: ITI in electronics or computers

Position: Design Engineer

Location: New Product Development
Work: Product Design by using Software
Education: Diploma/Engineering in Mechanical/Computer Engineering

Experience: Industry experience is the time a person spent and knowledge gained from working in a particular industry or sector. The meaning of industry experience can vary depending on the context—sometimes it is very specific, like manufacturing a certain product, but it can also be broader, like working within the media or IT. Industry experience is more specific than work experience, which refers to all jobs that a person held in any industry. Industry experience is most important for those whose work involves technical skills and specialized knowledge that take years to gain.

Example:

Position: Machine Operator

Location: Machining shop
Machine: CNC machine
Experience: 6 Months in the similar industry

Position: Design Engineer

Location: New Product Development
Work: Product Design by using Software
Experience: 2 years of experience in
product design preferably in the similar industry

Training: As technology advances and work methods and strategies improve, there is always a need for employers and employees to align with these changes. One of the best ways to enhance knowledge and skills is through professional/technical training. Training is an integral part of the human resource development process in almost all organizations. It is the cornerstone of effective management because it makes employees more efficient, and productive, increases organization stability & flexibility, improved morale, reduced supervision & direction, economical use of resources etc.

Example:

Position: Machine Operator

Location: Machining shop
Machine: CNC machine
Training: 1 Month on the job training or training record from the previous organization

Position: Design Engineer

Location: New Product Development
Work: Product Design by using Software
Training: Minimum training of 3 to 6 months on the CATIA software or an evidence from the previous organization

Skill: It is the expertise or the talent needed to do a job or task. Skill allows a person to do a particular job. There can be different types of skills that a person may have to become successful in life. The skills can be related to leadership, management, team building, analytical, technical etc.

Example:

Position: Machine Operator

Location: Machining shop
Machine: CNC machine
Skill: to identify any malfunction (Noise, vibration etc.) in the CNC machine and can find its source

Position: Design Engineer

Location: New Product Development
Work: Product Design by using Software
Skill: to identify the bug in the product design software and find a possible solution to remove them

Industry Example:

Production Engineer: Moulding Shop

Education: Diploma or Engineer in Plastic Technology/Mechanical

Experience: At least 2 years in any plastic moulding manufacturing

Training: How to set up the moulds, how to do job setup, how to achieve the production target

Skill: Identify the moulded component defect, Statistical studies

Industry Challenges:

How often the competencies are defined based on Education, Experience, Training and Skill?
How often the selection of the personnel or their posting in any process is based on Education, Experience, Training and Skill?
How often these competencies are regularly reviewed, monitored and updated?

Read More: https://bit.ly/SWOTAnalysisEV

References:

ISO 9001: 2015

IATF 16949: 2016

IATF 16949: 2016, Sanctioned Interpretation & FAQ

ISO 10015: 2019, Quality Management-Guidelines for competence management and people development

Industry Experts

This is the 160^th article of this Quality Management series. Every weekend, you will find useful information that will make your Management System journey Productive. Please share it with your colleagues too.

In the words of Albert Einstein, “The important thing is never to stop questioning.” I invite you to ask anything about the above subject. Questions and answers are the lifeblood of learning, and we are all learning. I will answer all questions to the best of my ability and promise to keep personal information confidential.

Your genuine feedback and response are extremely valuable. Please suggest topics for the coming weeks.

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