Do you think all the competencies listed in your module readings are realistic benchmarks to expect from every employee? Why or why not?

A Competency is a core component of talent management. A competency is a specific talent, skill, or attributes that high-potential employee’s exhibit and executive management wish to align to. Competency assessments are designed to guide selection, promotion, development, and succession planning for the success of each employee and the entire organization.

Competency modeling is described as the underpinning of human resources (HR) systems and the social architecture that all successful businesses need (Berger & Berger, 2011). There are different types of competency models used for different purposes (such as for shaping work culture, establishing new values, establishing career path, and implementing succession planning). Whatever method is used, it should be modified to meet the needs of the organization.

Organizations cultivate competencies with assessment and modeling that reinforce the organizational goals.

Remember: A successful talent management approach has three fundamental elements: a creed, a strategy and a system. A talent management system has four core components: assessment tools, multirater assessment, diagnostic tools, and monitoring processes. A successful talent management model contains five key assessment tools: competency assessment, performance appraisal, potential forecast, measurement scales for performance and potential, and succession and career planning.

“Competencies and competency models are commonly practiced in most of the organizations. There is a strong business case for competencies as they lead to significant HR development that provides organizations with a competitive edge. The case for competency management has grown strong since David McClelland wrote his seminal paper in the year 1973: "Testing for Competence Rather than Intelligence,” which created a stir in the field of industrial psychology. Competencies by themselves are insufficient for performance unless defined in behavioral terms. There are ample evidences to support that competencies form the basis for effective and superior performance. While organizations have used the idea of competencies for over fifty years, the expansion of competency models within the private and now, in public sector has resulted into proliferation of definition, tools, models, and application” (Vazirani, 2010).