Petra Stella Ebert & Cornelia Tanzer
The article focuses on the development of effective competency models and their subsequent integration into everyday HR processes. At first, we review the relevance of competency models for organizations and discuss the questions ‘general versus organization-specific model’ and ‘pragmatic approach or strategically integrated model’.
The essence of the article is formed by a practical guideline for constructing a competency model in nine steps: At first the official task has to be clarified and the status quo needs to be analyzed, followed by the integration of all relevant stakeholders within the organization into the process.
Critical incidents/behaviors for success are collected and condensed into competencies, which in turn receive a behavior-based operationalization. The systematic use of the competency model and up-to-dateness are secured by the integration with all HR processes, as well as regular reviews.Lastly, we summarize the benefits and success factors for the organization.