Behavioural Competency

Behavioural competency is the set of skills and abilities an employee requires to do well at a particular job. The skills can include communication skills, leadership skills, interpersonal skills and even creative skills. These skills put together enable an employee, or a new hire to perform the responsibilities of his job excellently. 

To develop a holistic behavioural competency standard, HR professionals would conduct a job analysis on the role, by either interviewing past and current employees of that role or by carefully studying the responsibilities of the role. Whichever way, the goal is to fully understand what the role entails, to help formulate a standard behavioural competency expectation. 

There are also other forms of competencies that employees ought to be exposed to. They include:

• Core competencies

• Functional competencies 

• Managerial competencies 

However, the concept of behavioural competencies is highly beneficial to the organization. Here are some of the benefits of creating behavioural competencies in the workplace.

• It enables employers to understand fully the skills and abilities of their employees. 

• It helps employers identify potential leaders and successors within the organization.

• It can help the employer assess the employees and provide feedback to them based on their performance.

• It helps employers to know what kind of training and development programs to introduce to their employees.   

There are different types of behavioural competencies for employees. They include:

• Analytical Competency: Analytical competency deals with the employee’s ability to work with numbers and also the technical know-how of the job. 

• Individual Competency: This deals with the personal attributes of the employee such as confidence, self-awareness, etc. 

• Interpersonal Competency: This competency is about the employee’s ability to work with other people. The skills needed here are teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, etc. 

• Managerial Competency: These are skills that enable an employee to influence people and lead them, such as decision-making, strategic planning, addressing problems, etc. 

• Motivational Competency: This deals with an employee’s ability to take initiative and be proactive in the workspace. 

There are three major ways to assess the behavioural competency of employees in the workspace. They are:

• Self Assessment: This method allows the employee to assess himself based on the standards of the office. The employee is given some time to reflect on himself and his work, then he gives an assessment of what he believes he has done. 

• Manager Assessment: This assessment is done by the manager or a direct supervisor of the employee. This method is advised only after the employee has been observed for months, and has probably just concluded a task/project. 

• Peer Assessment: This method allows employees to assess their colleagues. It could be designed as a feedback model for colleagues to give feedback on their peers.

Behavioral competency serves as the essential skill set for employees to excel in their roles, encompassing various dimensions from analytical to motivational capabilities. This holistic approach enhances talent assessment, leadership identification, and targeted training. By understanding and fostering behavioral competencies, organizations can unlock employees' potential and drive overall success.