Competency Development and its Impact in the Workplace

Competency is a determining factor in an employee’s performance. Their motivation, understanding and knowledge of their field, and their attitude towards work are important in their success at the workplace.

How does an organization develop competency among its employees?

Competency is defined as the ability of a person to work efficiently, thus producing positive results. Dynamism is essential for a company’s growth, and one of the driving forces of this growth is the collective productivity of the employees. Developing the practice of efficient, smart working is one of the primary focuses of organizational development, and it is the need of the hour as it adheres to the ever-changing scenario of workspace functioning. Job profiles are getting more and more specific, hence roles are changing. This requires targeted development, and that, in turn, helps the organization grow.

Besides employees, competency development benefits organizations in other facets like raising the bar of performance, providing a clear picture of which HR policies can be enforced and which ones scrapped, and making appraisal decisions clear.

Here are a few things a company can do to develop an employee’s competency:

1. Conducting seminars, workshops, and lectures for specific skill sets. Job profiles have become more multi-faceted lately. One person is capable of performing several tasks at the same time, so it is essential to hone their skills accordingly. Hosting workshops, lectures, and seminars or sending them for any happening around can be a big boost in increasing competency. With stronger skill sets, their tasks can be done more efficiently.

2. Recognizing the talents of individual employees, and mentoring them. In flat organizations, higher authorities are more or less versed with the capacities of their employees. However, with the growth of the company, things gradually change. With so many employees at hand, how does one keep track of the development of each of their talents? This is where competency planning and development comes into the picture. Interact with each employee on a regular basis, recognize their strengths, and mentor them with it during each project till they are proficient in handling the same. This benefits the individual as well as the company.

3. Exchanging and rotating minor jobs among employees. As mentioned earlier, today’s organizations welcome individuals who can juggle different things with ease. As an effective competence development practice, tasks or positions can be rotated among the employees that belong to the same department. The reason why this is a great idea for developing competency is that it gives an employee an insight into the other person’s job profile, thus broadening their perspective. This perspective makes it easier to co-ordinate with each other and other departments. Adding to that, this process could prove to open new doors for employees in terms of their skills.

4. Being in constant communication with the needs and demands of employees. This is the most important way to gain insights into the workforce’s grievances and thoughts about the company. Being in regular touch with employees and their opinions about how the company can be better can prove useful in several ways, and that can cause competency development. After all, the workforce can make or break an organization, so it is essential to pay heed to them.

Competency development, like any other OD activity, can be a daunting task, but it can help you reap benefits if done right. The main idea is to make the workplace a place of learning, exchanging ideas, and empowering one another to do better for individual and collective success.

To know how what competency development plan fits your organization best, get in touch with us. We are a team of experts in the field of HR and OD consultancy based in Mumbai and Pune. We specialize in OD and HRM for companies in every field. Call or e-mail us to know more.