Competency-based Human Resource Management for the Indian Civil

Service

Implementation Tool-kit
 Implementation Tool-kit on Competency-based HRM

Contents
6
1.1 In Summary 6
1.2 About the Project 6
1.3 About this Document 6
1.4 What are competencies and why are they important? 7
1.4.1 Above The Waterline - Knowledge and Skill 8
1.4.2 Below The Waterline - Personal Characteristics 8
1.5 What is a Competency Dictionary? 10
1.6 Practice 11
1.7 Do you want to know more 12
2. Introduction to the Civil Service Competency Dictionary 14
2.1 In Summary 14
2.2 Competency Definitions: Ethos 15
2.3 Competency Definitions: Ethics 16
2.4 Competency Definitions: Equity 16
2.5 Competency Definitions: Efficiency 17
2.6 Practice 18
2.7 Do you want to know more 19
3. Adapting the Competency Dictionary 21
3.1 In Summry 21
3.2 Recommended Process 21
3.3 Step 1: Identifying Relevant Competencies 22
3.4 Step 2: Understanding Jobs and Identifying Competencies Applicable 26
3.5 Step 3: Assigning Competencies and Proficiency Levels to Jobs/ Roles 27
3.6 Practice 30
3.7 Do you want to know more 34
4 Developing an Action Plan for Implementing Competencies 37
4.1 In Summary 37
4.2 Developing an Action Plan 37
4.3 Project Planning 38
4.4 Establishing a team to develop competencies 38
4.5 Sample Action Plan 40
4.6 Do you want to know more 41
5 Application of Competencies to Human Resource Management Practices 43
5.1 In Summary 43
5.2 Using competencies 43
5.3 Using competencies in recruitment and selection 44

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5.4 Using competencies in performance management 45

5.5 Using competencies in training 46
5.6 Competency Assessment 47
5.7 Practice 49
5.8 Do you want to know more 51
Appendix 52
Appendix 1: Civil Services Competency Dictionary 53
Appendix 2: Facilitator Guide for Conducting Focus Group Discussions 53
Appendix 3: Application of Assessment Tools 56

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Iceberg Model of Competencies 7

Figure 2: Competency Definition, Levels and Indicators 10

Figure 3: Pillars of Good Governance and Citizen Centric Administration 14

Figure 4: Competency Dictionary for the Indian Civil Service 15

Figure 5: Reccomended Process for Adapting the Competency Dictionary 21

Figure 6: Sample Competency Assignment Matrix 28

Figure 7: Sample output of mapping competencies to roles within an 29

organisation

Figure 8: Sample Action Plan 40

Figure 9: Application of Competencies to Human Resource Management 43

Practices

Figure 10: Application of competencies to Recruitment and Selection 45

Figure 11: Application of competencies to Performance Management 45

Figure 12: Application of competencies to Training 46

Figure 13: Measuring the risks associated with designing a Competency 48

Assessment Plan for various HR processes

List of Tables

Table 1: Definitions of Competencies under Ethos 15

Table 2: Definitions of Competencies under Ethics 16

Table 3: Definitions of Competencies under Equity 16

Table 4: Definitions of Competencies under Efficiency 17

Table 5: Conducting Focus Group Discussions 25

Table 6: Establishing a team to develop competencies 39

Table 7: Validity of Competency Assessment Tools 48

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Introduction

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1. Introduction

1.1. In Summary

This document will help to understand the process and methodology for adapting
the Civil Services Competency Dictionary at your organisation.

By the end of this section, you would know what is a competency dictionary and
what are the different elements of a competency.

1.2. About the Project

The Department of Personnel and Training is implementing a project

“Strengthening Human Resource Management of Civil Service” in collaboration with
UNDP.

This project focuses on developing the capacities of civil servants and on

strengthening their enabling environment in view of a more effective, efficient,
transparent and accountable Public Administration at National and State level that
takes to heart the GoI objective of inclusion through an enhanced delivery of
services to the marginalised and vulnerable. This project is supporting the
Government of India (GoI) in the shift towards Competency-based Human
Resource Management (HRM) for the Indian Civil Services.

1.3. About this Document

Under the project, a Competency Dictionary for the Indian Civil Service has been
developed along with an implementation tool-kit outlining the application of
competencies with HRM practices.

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This document outlines the detailed process that is required to identify competency
requirements for various positions in an organisation. It contains information,
resources and guidance to support organisations as they move forward with the
introduction and implementation of Competencies.

1.4. What are competencies and why are they important?

Competencies have been defined in many ways. However, a practical defiition of

competencies that is easy to understand, has been defined by Boyatzis (of Hay
Group, 1982). It states that competencies are those underlying characteristics of an
employee – motive, trait, skill, aspects of one’s social image, social role or a body of
knowledge, which can result in effective and/or superior performance in a job or
role’.

This definition can be explained further in the context of the Iceberg model, as
illustrated and further explained below.

Figure 1: Iceberg Model of Competencies

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1.4.1. Above The Waterline - Knowledge and Skill

Knowledge is the operational or technical understanding a person has about

something and skills are the things a person can do; for example, keyboarding
on a computer or writing a report. Some skills, like thinking about new ideas or
how to solve a problem, are actually below the waterline because it’s harder
to see someone actually doing it.

While knowledge and skills are the most common means of matching people
to jobs, it is important to note that rarely do they differentiate performance.
Most often, they represent the baseline requirements for a job. They are
necessary but not sufficient conditions or pre-requisites for outstanding
performance in the role. Excellence usually depends on the more deep-
seated characteristics of the person.

1.4.2. Below The Waterline - Personal Characteristics

The other factors related to performance are more personal and harder to see
in someone, like the rest of the iceberg below the waterline. Also, like an
iceberg, with most of the ice below the waterline, the factors below the
waterline are significant drivers of higher performance.

1.4.2.1. Social Role

Social role relates to how we project ourselves in our roles. Some doctors, for
example, may project the image of EXPERT by focusing on how much they
know about some specialty or how much skill they have at some specific
function. Others may project the image of a HELPER by focusing on what
they can do for others. How we choose to project ourselves to others
influences where we put emphasis while performing our roles.

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1.4.2.2. Self-Image

Self-image relates to the attitudes and values we hold, what is important to us

as individuals, and how we feel about ourselves. For example, if a person has
an attitude or value that serving customers is important, that person may be
more driven to provide better customer service than someone else who
doesn’t feel that way.

1.4.2.3. Traits
Traits are the characteristics or consistent responses of someone. For
example, someone may demonstrate the trait of self-control consistently
when confronted. Someone else may show a consistent concern for detail. A
person’s traits may be very helpful in a job, especially when the job calls for
the kind of traits a person has.

1.4.2.4. Motives
Motives are the things a person consistently thinks about or wants, which
cause them to take action. For example, a person may be highly achievement-
oriented and this may drive their performance on the job. Or a person may be
motivated by affiliation or friendship and this may drive their performance
because the job involves dealing with many people.

Thus, a competency is any knowledge, skill, trait, motive, attitude, value or

other personal characteristic that:
 Is essential to perform a job (threshold competency)
 Differentiates typical from superior performers (differentiating competency)

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1.5. What is a Competency Dictionary?

A competency dictionary is a collection of competencies for an organisation or set

of organisations from where competencies for specific jobs or roles can be
identified.

Name of the
Competency
Competency Definition, Levels and Indicators
Emotional Maturity
Emotional Maturity is the ability to maintain a sense of prof essionalism and emotional restraint when provoked, when f aced with hostili ty f rom others, or
Definition of when working under conditions of increased stress. It also includes the ability to work ef f ectively under stressf ul situations, remain resilient and maintain
the stamina over the long term
Cpmpetency Behavioural
Level 1:  Resists temptation to act immediately when it is inappropriate
indicators of
Restrains Emotional  Feels strong emotions (such as anger, extreme f rustration, or high stress) but does not react the Proficiency
Impulses Level

 Feels strong emotions in the course of a conversation or other task, such as anger, extreme f rustration, or high
Level 2: stress; holds the emotions back, and continues to act calmly and respectf ully towards others
Responds Calmly  Acknowledges angering actions or stressf ul situations and is able to think through and then respond in a calm and
composed manner
Proficiency
Level within  When f eeling strong emotions (such as anger or f rustration), holds back and/or removes self f rom situation to reduce
the Level 3: Manages negative impact on others.
Competency Stress  Responds constructively and prof essionally to challenges, provocation and/or disappointments
Effectively  Uses deliberate strategies or self -control to ensure ability to f unction and provide ef f ective leadership in situations of
stress or adversity
Level 4:  In stressf ul situations controls own emotions and calms others as well
Calms Others During  Demonstrates maturity and self control to engage ef f ectively when challenged or while driving an outcome through
Periods of High Stress or  Remains non-def ensive, composed and optimistic to seek a positive resolution to a highly challenging situation by
Adversity managing self and others
Level 5:
 Able to maintain f ocus and keep up the stamina f or self and others in f ace of extremely contentious situations, or
Maintains effectiveness
during repeated exposure to dif f icult demands
despite prolonged
 Applies specif ic techniques such as planning ahead to manage and minimize stress in self and others; coaches and
stressors
mentors others to do the same

Figure 2: Competency Definition, Levels and Indicators

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1.6. Practice

An exercise to identify the training needs of your team

Instructions:
PART 1
Assume your team to be a single unit for this exercise.
Identify 5 competencies from the Competency Dictionary that would make the maximum impact on the
results your team could achieve
You have 100 points to distribute among each of these 5 competencies. Allocate most points to the one
you consider most important and least points to the least important among the 5 chosen ones.
PART 2
Where does your team stand on each one of them?
Rate the current performance of the team on each of the 5 competencies
What will be the impact if these Competencies were as per your expectations?

Competency Importance Your Impact the

(points Assessment Competency would
A assigned out (Points scored have
of 100) out of B)
B

TOTAL (Max 100

Points)
Did you notice that the competencies were a mixture of knowledge, skills, attidudes, motives,
trait? Did you also notice that with the right kind of competencies, there can be a large
improvement in performance of the entire unit?

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1.7. Do you want to know more

Recommended Reference Books

The Accountable Organization: Reclaiming Integrity, Restoring Trust; (2004)

by John Marchica; Consulting Psychologists Press

High Performance with High Integrity; (2008) by Ben W. Heineman Jr.; Harvard
Business School Publishing

A Better Way to Think About Business: How Personal Integrity Leads to

Corporate Success; (1999) by Robert C. Solomon ; Oxford University Press (US) -

Integrity Works: Strategies for Becoming a Trusted, Respected and Admired

Leader; (2005) by Dana Telford and Adrian Gostick; Gibbs Smith -

Managing By Accountability: What Every Leader Needs to Know about

Responsibility, Integrity and Results; (2007) by M. David Dealy and Andrew R.
Thomas; Greenwood Publishing –

The Integrity Advantage: How Taking the High Road Creates a Competitive
Advantage in Business;
(2003) by Adrian Gostick and Dana Telford; Gibbs Smith
.
Corporate Integrity: Rethinking Organizational Ethics and Leadership; (2005)
by Marvin T.
Brown; Cambridge University Press –

Building Reputational Capital: Strategies for Integrity and Fair Play That
Improve the Bottom Line;
(2004) by Kevin T. Jackson; Oxford University Press (US) -

The Bottom Line on Integrity: 12 Principles for Higher Returns; (2004) by

Quinn McKay; Gibbs Smith

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Introduction to the Civil

Service Competency
Dictionary

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2. Introduction to the Civil Service Competency Dictionary

2.1. In Summary

By the end of this section, you would be familar with the contents of the Civil
Services Competency Dictionary (provided as Annexure 1).

The 25 Competencies in Civil Services Competency Dictionary have been

categorised in four pillars namely Ethos, Ethics, Equity, and Efficiency.

Figure 3: Pillars of Good Governance and Citizen Centric Administration

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Figure 4: Competency Dictionary for the Indian Civil Service

2.2. Competency Definitions: Ethos

Competency Definition

1.1) People First Passion for serving people with special care for the marginalised
and disadvantaged. Being approachable, welcoming, caring and
rising above bias while interacting with people. Understands the
needs of the people and constantly strives to improve the services

1.2) Strategic Ability to understand dynamic internal and external environment

Thinking and its impact. Responds to the opportunities and challenges for
the betterment of society

1.3) Organisational Understanding of the organisation’s mandate, structure, policies,

Awareness processes, norms and its interface with other organisations. It also
includes an understanding of the organisation’s informal structures,
power dynamics and constraints.

1.4) Commitment to Aligns behaviours and interest with the needs and goals of the
the organisation organizations.

1.5) Leading Others Ability to engage, energise, and enable the team to excel.

Table 1: Definitions of Competencies under Ethos

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2.3. Competency Definitions: Ethics

Competency Definition

2.1) Integrity Consistently behaves in an open, fair and transparent manner,

honors one’s commitments and works to uphold the Public
service values.

2.2) Self – confidence Belief in own capability to accomplish a task and being able to
express confidence in dealing with challenging circumstances
without being arrogant or boastful.

2.3) Attention to Detail Having an underlying drive to being thorough and meticulous and
to comply with procedures, rules, guidelines, and standards. Digs
deeper and strives to reduce uncertainties and errors.

2.4) Takes Takes ownership for outcomes (successes or failures) while

accountability addressing performance issues fairly and promptly

Table 2: Definitions of Competencies under Ethics

2.4. Competency Definitions: Equity

Competency Definition

3.1) Consultation and Ability to identify the stakeholders and influencers, seek their
Consensus Building views and concerns through formal and informal channels. Build
consensus through dialogue, persuasion, reconciliation of diverse
views/interest and trusting relationships

3.2) Decision making Makes timely decisions that takes into account relevant facts,
tasks, goals, constraints, risk and conflicting points of view

3.3) Empathy Empathy is about being able to accurately hear out and
understand the thoughts, feelings and concerns of others ,even
when these are not made explicit

3.4) Delegation Delegates responsibility with the appropriate level of autonomy

so that others are free to innovate and take the lead.

Table 3: Definitions of Competencies under Equity

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2.5. Competency Definitions: Efficiency

Competency Definition

4.1) Result Orientation High drive for achieving targets and competing against a
standard of excellence

4.2) Conceptual Understanding a situation or environment by putting the pieces

Thinking together and identifying patterns that may not be obviously
related. Connecting the dots while resisting stereotyping

4.3) Initiative and Drive Contributing more than what is expected in the job. Refusing to
give up when faced with challenges and finding or creating new
opportunities

4.4) Seeking An underlying curiosity to know more about things, people, or

information issue. This includes “digging” for exact information and keeping
up-to-date with relevant knowledge.

4.5) Planning and Ability to plan, organise and monitor work with effective utilisation
coordination of resources such as time, money, and people.

4.6) Desire for Keeps up-to-date with relevant knowledge and technology, share
knowledge latest developments with others, and advocates the application of
acquired knowledge

4.7) Innovative thinking Open to change, approaches issues differently, offers alternate /
out of box solutions and strives for efficiency by working smartly

4.8) Problem solving Understanding a situation by breaking it into small parts,

organising information systematically and setting priorities

4.9) Developing others Genuinely believes in others’ capabilities to develop and take
personal responsibility for their development. Creates a positive
environment for learning and provides developmental
opportunities for individual and team

4.10) Self-awareness Identifies one’s own emotional triggers and controls one’s
and Self-Control emotional responses. Maintains sense of professionalism and
emotional restraint when provoked, faced with hostility or working
under increased stress. It includes resilience and stamina
despite prolonged adversities

4.11) Communication Articulates information to others in language that is clear,

Skills concise, and easy to understand. It also includes the ability to
listen and understand unspoken feelings and concerns of others.

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4.12) Team-working Working together as a unit for common goal, Building teams
through mutual trust, respect and cooperation.

Extensive Consultative
Table 4: Definitions of Competencies Process Adopted
under Efficiency
A large number of civil servants in the Centre and State were consulted to develop Civil Services
Competency Dictionary. These included Secretaries to Government of India, Cadre Controlling
Authorities, PM Award Winners and Chief Secretaries of the States.

Note: The Civil Services Competency Dictionary is attached as Annexure 1

2.6.

2.7. Practice
1. What is the definition of the competency “People First” in the Civil Services Competency
Dictionary
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Under which Competency will you find the following proficiency level

Level 2: Plans and Double Checks

___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

3. Under which competencies will you find the following Behavioural indicators

Creates a culture of mutual trust and respect

Encourages others to read deeper into others’ emotions by providing
practical tips
Creates the systems promoting empathy

___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

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2.8. Do you want to know more

Recommended Reference Books

Horton, S., Hondeghem, A. & Farnham, D. (2002) Competency Management in

the Public Sector, International Institute of Administrative Science, IOS,
Amsterdam.

Hondeghem, A., Horton, S. & Scheepers, S. (2005) “Modèles de gestion des

competences en Europe”, Revue française d’administration publique,

Lavelle, J. (2007) “On Workforce Architecture, Employment Relationships and

Lifecycles: Expanding the Purview of Workforce Planning and Management”, Public
Personnel Management,

Marrelli, A.F. (1998) “An Introduction to Competency Analysis and Modeling”,

Performance Improvement,

Nunes, F., Martins, L. & Duarte, H. (2007) Competency Management in EU Public

Administrations, EUPAN – Human Resources Working Group.

Vakola, M., Soderquist, K.E. & Prastacos, G.P. (2007) “Competency

management in support of organisational change”, International Journal of
Manpower,

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Adapting the Competency

Dictionary

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3. Adapting the Competency Dictionary

3.1. In Summary

By the end of this section, you will be able to identify the relevant competencies
required for your organisation from the Competency Dictionary and identify the
competencies needed for each of the roles.

3.2. Recommended Process

Adapting the Competency Dictionary to a particular Division/ Department or Ministry

involves three main steps. These include identifying the relevant competencies,
understanding the roles and jobs and assigning competencies and levels of
proficiency to each role.

Figure 5: Reccomended Process for Adapting the Competency Dictionary

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Note: 3.3. Step 1: Identifying the Relevant Competencies

Keep these
documents handy: In order to identify competencies to suit the unique and specific needs of the
1. Annual Report
2. Strategy, Department or Ministry, it is important to have an understanding of the long- term
Vision
strategic vision of the Department/ Ministry and identify current and future
document
3. Organization organisational requirements. To gather this information, visionary interviews may be
Structure
4. Channel for conducted with the Senior Management. Focus Group Discussions may also be
Documents
Submissions organised with multiple stakeholders across all levels within the Department/
5. Induction
Ministry to gather relevant information and data on critical competencies.
Manual
6. Work Allocation
Orders

3.2.1 Conduct Visionary Interviews

The Senior Management of the organisation, (Head of the Organisation and other
members of the Senior Managewment Team) should be interviewd to understand
the strategy and the vision of the organisation.
A Visionary
Interview should
allow you to The interview is best conducted by the leader of the project along with a person
understand the
vision and strategy who is well versed in the art of investigative interviewing techniques.
of the organization.
By the end of the
interveiw, you
should be able to The focus of visionary interview is to understand the strategic plan, vision, mission
clearly identify what
the organization and values of the organisation. An understanding of the strategic drivers is also
intends to do, why
and how it intends to critical. It is also important to elicit the assumptions made on people capabilities that
carry out the plan.
Expectations from are inherent (and sometimes explicitly mentioned) in the plan.
its Human Capital is
a key ingredient of
the discussion
Visionary interviews also help to identify new initiatives underway, specific
instances of how superior performers handle specific job tasks or problems, and
effective and ineffective job behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.

From visionary interviews, you should be able to identify the broad behavioural
expectations from the employees. These may not be exhaustive, but will help in
identifying the critical behaviours expected by the organisation’s leadership.

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3.2.2 Conduct Focus Group Discussions

The objective of facilitating Focus Group Discussions with relevant stakeholders is

to obtain information on current and future organisational requirements, behaviours
required to succeed within the organisation, validate findings and draft competency
framework.

Focus Group Discussions can help to identify, review and discuss the current
challenges and those anticipated in the future. They can also help identify
applicable competencies required for effective job performance. In addition, Focus
Group Discussions can help identify examples of the different types of behavoiurs
that would be exhibited by individuals at different levels of a competency.
Therefore, the information gathered through Focus Groups can also be used as a
valuable input when developing proficiency levels of each competency.

Focus Group Discussions, therefore, help to identify competencies and behaviours

that are linked to organisation objectives and strategy.

Assembling your Focus Groups

 Have separate focus groups for employees and supervisors/managers to foster an environment of
open discussion.
 Make the focus groups as diverse as possible.
 In large organizations, have three or four focus groups for each classification of jobs (or job
family).
 Have at least two facilitators for each focus group – one to lead the discussion and one to observe
and take notes.
 Limit the size of each focus group to twelve to fifteen participants.
 Schedule two to three hours for each focus group meeting.

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A Brief Guide to Conducting a Focus Group

Welcome/  Set up the context for the roles to be discussed in the focus group
Introductions
 Set the ‘roles’ the participants are in. Clarify the perspective they bring to
the meeting.
 Let participants introduce themselves: current or past role(s), number of
years with organisation, etc.

Project  What brings us here?

Context and
Background • Invite key stakeholder to share background of the project.
• “What do you know about the project?”

Objectives  What are we trying to accomplish today?

for the
Session  Review the objectives/deliverables for the day.
 Define purpose and core accountabilities for a role
 Look for what makes the difference in the job
Agenda
 The timing of the day
 Review the Agenda for the day.

Ground Rules  To participate

 To be on time
 To respect each other
 To share your thoughts and opinions
 To have fun
 To arrive at an agreement/consensus at the end of the meeting
 Add any others that may be helpful to the participants

Overview of  WHY: Broad departmental objectives which links into the overall purpose
Why, What, of the role - why does it exist? What value does it bring?
How
 WHAT: What, at the end of the day, does the role need to accomplish and
how do we know if the role is doing what it is supposed to?
Accountabilities delineate what we hold people accountable to do in a
given role, thinking about not only key activities or actions carried out, but
also measures and expectations. This is a key foundation piece.
 HOW: This is a key piece of the puzzle. The Why and What is only part of
the picture; it’s also about How. For e.g. there could be a person who gets
the results but with whom nobody wants to work.

 Gathering the behavioral examples from the participants is the most

Behaviors
important element to a successful focus group
 This section of the focus group allows you to gather the behavioral data
directly from the incumbents. Emphasise the importance of keeping real
individuals in mind within the client’s organisation. This will ensure that the

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data gathered is not an unrealistic composite of superior performance, but

instead reflects what actual superior looks like inside their organisation.
For example, the panel may identify “Uses Influence Strategies” as a
competency or behavior, but not the how, when, or what an effective
influence strategy looks like in this particular organisation. Strive to gather
the richness of detail to make the behaviors identified “come alive” in
sufficient detail to be useful for developing the model and future
applications.
 Ask for examples:
• Take key accountabilities for the outstanding performer, and ask
the group to generate the behaviors that they have observed.
• Continue generating the first behavior from all participants, asking
probing questions to get at high-level, detailed examples of
behaviors observed in outstanding performers within their
organisation.
• Repeat this process for a typical performer in order to gain insight
on the gap between typical and outstanding.
• Obtaining thorough and detailed data on the behaviors of
outstanding performers is essential to running an effective focus
group. This is the basis for developing the competency model.
Table 5: Conducting Focus Group Discussions

Please Note:
There is a practice exercise (3.5) at the end of this Chapter. A very useful way to practice is to
read the exercise in its entirety now, but attempt to answer the questions Step wise following the
sequence of the steps listed in this Chapter.

If more than one colleague is intersted in the process, you may involve him/her and compare notes
of your findings. Discuss ‘how and why’ you chose certain competencies and take note of the
reasons behind the other person’s findings.

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3.4. Step 2: Understanding Jobs and Identifying Competencies

The next step in customizing the Competency Dictionary to the specific and unique
needs of a Division/ Department or Ministry involves understanding the roles that
exist within the organisation.

Jobs within an organisation can be understood through a process called ‘Job

Did You Know Analysis’ which involves understanding the “what” and “why” of the work to be
A typical Job
Description done. It is a process of gathering facts that would enable others to make judgment
consists of a
statement of about the work to be done. This process would involve
accountabilities of
the role holder,
that clearly define • Understanding the department structure and distinct roles
the Job in terms
• Collating existing published and unpublished sources of information
of its function and
its reporting regarding the list of distinct roles in the Organisation
relationships).
It is mandatory in • Conducting meetings with the key stakeholders to understand the structure
many coutries to
have a written job and distinct roles within the department
description
• Documenting the job descriptions for all the distinct roles. Information from
existing government documents, such as induction material, could be used
to gather the necessary information.

Since the Ministries/ Departments have a wide range of existing documents that
clearly detail the work allocation of role holders, specific interviews need not be
conducted in order to develop Job Descriptions for each role. Existing documents
such as induction material, internal delegation of authority and channel of
submission documents, may be used as an input to obtain the necessary
information required in a Job Description. Some of the key ingredients of a Job
Description include basic information on the role, organisation chart, job purpose,
dimensions, principal accountabilities, key decisions, key interactions and the
knowledge, skills and experience required for a job.

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3.5. Step 3: Assigning Competencies and Proficiency Levels to Jobs/ Roles

3.5.1 Developing a Competency Assignment Matrix

To assign competencies, it is important to understand the stated and the unstated

complexities that the job-holder handles. In order to assign competencies to the
jobs identified in Step 2, a Competency Assignment Matrix needs to be created.
The objective of this matrix is to identify different roles in the organisation, their
levels and accountabilities and cluster jobs as per different levels of complexities
and responsibility. The competencies and proficiency level requirements are then
mapped to each role. These may vary across different Division/ Department or
Ministry for the same job levels.

The Competency Assignment Matrix helps in classifying jobs in the organisation as

per their role in achieving the organisation’s objectives and their level of complexity.
Complexities within a role could be degree of public contact, nature of the problems
being solved, uncertainities being handled by the job-holder (less or no
precedences or guidelines available) or the impact the job can have on the
organisation.

The Competency Assignment Matrix, helps to understand the right competencies

and the proficiency level needed to meet the job objectives and can be used to take
better decisions on the kind of training required, job rotation and career movements.

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Proximity to Organisation Results

Planning & Policy Coordination & Evaluation Operations
Enterprise Definition: Thinking about the organisation's overall policies and strategies. Goals are very broadly
Leadership defined. Often confronting the unknown.

Strategy Definition: Thinking required to set the broad strategy for an organisation that is integral to the core
Formation purpose of the total enterprise. Necessarily long-term, considering and integrating the discontinuous
change in terms of products, markets, and technologies. In functional roles the contribution will include
both setting enterprise wide functional policies and developing corporate objectives and strategies.
Strategic
Levels of Work

Strategic Definition: Thinking to position a business or function within broadly defined organisation strategy.
Alignment Scanning the environment and anticipating the impact of external forces.

Strategic Definition: Focused on the variable application of policy locally—turning functional policy into reality.
Implemen- Thinking requires considerable degree of interpretive, evaluative and or constructive thinking to address
tation issues that are noticeably different from what has been encountered previously.

Tactical Definition: Thinking is towards clearly defined functional objectives within established policy
Operational

Implemen- frameworks, but requires solutions that represent improvements on current practice.
tation

Instruction Definition: Instruction based role where thinking activity is limited to carrying out instructed activities.
Based

Figure 6: Sample Competency Assignment Matrix

3.5.2 Mapping Competencies to Roles

Once the roles have been mapped to the Competency Assignment Matrix, the next
step is mapping of the relevant competencies to the role. The process would
include the following steps:
Sore thumbing is
the process of • Use existing material or Job Descriptions as an input to identify areas
looking for things
that “stick out like of accountability for roles at a particular level
a sore thumb”.
As the • Identifying competencies relevant to the Department or Ministry from
Competency
assignment the Civil Service Competency Dictionary
process is about
relative values, • Identify competencies that would support role holders in successfully
each job must be
assessed carrying out their duties and map competencies to accountabilities
correctly
relative to all • Determine the level of profiency for each competency required for the
other jobs.
Getting a visual role
look after all the
jobs have been • Assign the level of proficiency for each competency to roles based on
assigned
competencies and nature of role, level of responsibility and problem solving complexity
their respective
levels is a very
helpful process.

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• Validate mapped competencies with divisional heads and key

stakeholders

The following framework can be used to identify the kind of work (as defined by the
Levels of Work) and nature of work being carried out by the job-holder. The nature
of work is being defined in terms of proximity to the Organisations’ main results or
purpose.

Proximity to Organisation Results

Role 3 Accountabilities
Competencies: Strategic
Thinking
Levels of Work

Level of Proficiency: 4

Role 2 Accountabilities
Competencies: Decision Making
Level of Proficiency: 3

Role 1 Accountabilities
Competencies: Results
Orientation
Level of Proficiency: 1

Figure 7: Sample output of mapping competencies to roles within an organisation

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3.6. Practice
Practice Exercise: Mapping Competencies

From the information provided below and the Civil Service Competency Dictionary identify the
competencies and the levels of proficiency for each role.

Suggested steps
Identify relevant competencies from the Competency Dictionary (between 5-8)
Study Job Descriptions and identify competencies for each role
Identify Levels of Proficiency required for each role

After identification of the competencies and levels of proficiency, please provide the following
information
Criteria for identifying relevant competencies
Criteria for the identification of competencies and proficiency levels for each job
Criteria used for differentiating competencies and proficiency levels between jobs

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Case Study: Kendriya Vidyalaya (Please note that the material used in this case has been
adpated and may not bear any resemblance to reality)

Mission
The Kendriya Vidyalayas have a four - fold mission, viz.,
1. To cater to the educational needs of children of transferable Central Government including Defence
and Para-military personnel by providing a common programme of education ;
2. To pursue excellence and set the pace in the field of school education;
3. To initiate and promote experimentation and innovations in education in collaboration with other
bodies like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) etc. and
4. To develop the spirit of national integration and create a sense of "Indianness" among children.

Salient Features
Common text-books and bilingual medium of instructions for all Kendriya Vidyalayas.
All Kendriya Vidyalayas affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education
All Kendriya Vidyalayas are co-educational, composite schools.
Sanskrit is taught from class V to IX
The quality of teaching is kept reasonably high by an appropriate teacher-pupil ratio, approximately
18:1
No tuition fee for boys upto Class VIII, girls upto Class XII and SC/ST students and children of KVS
employees.

Organisation Structure

Governing Board

Principal

Head of Finance Head of Vice Principal Vice- Principal

Head IT
And Accounts Administration Junior School Senior School

Junior School Heads of

Administration Departments

Security Subject Teachers

Accounts Trainee teachers

Lab Technicians

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Case Study: Sample Job Descriptions

A. Elementary School Principal

1. Primary Function: The Principal will provide leadership and administration which will motivate
instructional and support personnel to strive for superior performance so as to provide the best possible
opportunities for student growth and development, both educationally and personally.
2. Line of Authority: Directly responsible to the Superintendent of Schools except in the areas of
curriculum and instruction where the responsibility is to the Director of Educational Services, unless
modified by the Superintendent of Schools.
3. Supervision of Others: Direct supervision over Teaching Staff, Administration Staff,
Secretarial/clerical staff, all regular instructional and other professional staff members assigned to the
school.
4. Areas of Responsibility: In addition to the primary function, the principal is responsible for:
- Developing/ administering the general school routine, coordinating all activities within the school.
- Participating in the selection of new teaching and classified personnel as per approved policies.
- Observing, counseling, and motivating staff toward performances to attain educational goals.
- Utilizing all available school facilities, materials, and staff service personnel.
-- Encouraging/ initiating continued improvement in curriculum/ teaching methods in conjunction with
faculty
- Identifying intellectual, physical, social and emotional needs affecting students’ success in school,
and taking steps to direct and coordinate the efforts of teachers and parents with staff services and
special education personnel.
- Planning and submitting annual budget needs for the building to the Director
- Maintaining effective communication to keep the staff, students, and parents properly informed.
- Orienting new personnel assigned to the school.
- Having school records available and up to date for ready reference and reporting.
- Planning and conducting faculty meetings as necessary.
- Interpreting/ clarifying relationships between teachers and specialized personnel in accordance with
District policy.
- Affecting/ recommending changes which lead to improved administration and opportunity for student
development.
- Actively participating and encouraging staff participation in parent-teacher and other community
groups, as a means of developing understanding, cooperation, and respect for school objectives and
endeavors.
- Review, authorize, or disapprove staff requests for instructional materials and equipment within
approved budget.
- Authorizing all requests for special pupil transportation needs of the professional staff.
- Attending professional conferences, seminars, and workshops in education and/or educational
administration

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Case Study: Sample Job Descriptions

B. Lab Assistant

1. Teacher Support:
- Liaise with science teaching staff on their needs for practical work and
- Maintain an efficient system for use and allocation of materials and equipment, setting a priority
system
- Advise science teaching staff on technical components of curriculum
- Assist science teaching staff with demonstrations
- Assist science teaching staff in instructing students on use/care of equipment
- Advise and assist science teaching staff in safety matters relating to the science laboratory
- Demonstrate laboratory techniques to science teaching staff/students
- Assist with the use of computers and learning technologies within the department
- Set out equipment and materials for classroom/department use
- Clear classroom demonstrations

2. Preparation and Maintenance Task in the Lab

- Prepare solutions, stains, and media for use in the laboratory
- Maintain a safe chemical storage/handling/disposal system in accordance with current regulations
- Assist with security of science laboratory and equipment
- Maintain an inventory of equipment and annual stocktaking
- Keep a record of the consumables used regularly and maintain adequate supplies of them (including
chemicals).
- Acquire relevant catalogues and price lists
- Assist with labelling, storage, stocktaking and ordering of equipment and chemicals
- Keep appropriate records of purchases, confirming safe arrival of all products

3. Budget
- Assist with the science budget and petty cash system
- Assist with record keeping
- Evaluate and select equipment, and make recommendations for purchase to Science Coordinator.

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3.7. Do you want to know more

Recommended Reference Books

Athey, T. R., & Orth, M. S. (1999). Emerging competency methods for the future.
Human Resource Management, 38, 215-226.

Currie, G., & Darby, R. (1995). Competence-based management development:

Rhetoric and reality. Journal of European Industrial Training, 19, 11-18.

Dalton, M. (1997, October). Are competency models a waste? Training and

Development, 51, 46-49.

Ellstrom, P. (1997). The many meanings of occupational competence and

qualification. Journal of European Industrial Training, 21, 266-273.

Gates, R., & Field, H. (1990). Human resource selection. Orlando, FL: Dryden
Press.

Ghorpade, J., & Atchinson, T. J. (1980). The concept of job analysis: A review
and some suggestions. Public Personnel Management, 9, 134.

Hoffmann, T. (1999). The meanings of competency. Journal of European Industrial

Training, 23, 275-285.

Kochanski, J. (1997, October). Competency-based management. Training and

Development, 51, 41-44.

Institute for Education Leadership and Dyn-Corp Meridian (1995). Developing a

common nomenclature for national voluntary skills standard system: A beginning
glossary. Washington, DC: Institute for Educational Leadership.

McCormick, E. J. (1976). Job and task analysis. In M. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of

industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 652-653). Chicago: Rand-McNally.

McLagan, P. A. (1997, May). Competencies: The Next Generation. Training and

Development, 51, 40-47.

Parry, S. B. (1998, June). Just what is a competency? (And why should you care?).
Training, 35, 58-64.

Robotham, D., & Jubb, R. (1996). Competencies: Measuring the unmeasurable.

Management Development Review, 9, 25-29.

Spencer, L. M., & Spencer, S. M. (1993). Competence at work: Models for

superior performance. New York: Wiley.

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Wise, L., Chia, W. J., & Rudner, L. M. (1990). Identifying necessary job skills: A
review of previous approaches. Washington, DC: American Institutes of Research.

Zerga, J. E. (1943). Job analysis: A resume and bibliography. Journal of Applied

Psychology

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Developing an Action Plan

for Implementing
Competencies

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4. Developing an Action Plan for Implementing Competencies

4.1. In Summary

This section will help you to understand the project team requirements and roles to
develop a Competency Dictionary for your organisation

4.2. Developing an Action Plan

During the design of the Competency model in the Organisation, a collaborative,

team-based approach is essential to successful implementation. The following
points summarise the key ingredients for an effective team.

1. Shared interest: Begin by discussing the intent of competencies and

developing a shared understanding of the principles motivating adoption of the
competencies.

2. Mutual support: The process of change is challenging. Establish clear

objectives and break the process into manageable steps. Celebrate your
success along the way.

3. Collaboration: Team members will need to support each other and collaborate
to achieve the objectives. It is critical to use each other’s strengths and help
each other in the implementation while working on the day job as well.

4. Communication: Information sharing and communication within the team and

across the Organisation is key to success.

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4.3. Project Planning

This step involves agreeing on project management components such as:

 Detailed workplan including timelines, accountabilities, and resource

requirements

 Communication strategy to achieve understanding and acceptance of

project initiatives

 It is recommended to establish a core group to assist in the planning,

coordinating, communication, and support of the project
implementation and to make key decisions throughout the project.

The detailed work plan should clearly specify the tasks, responsibilities, and
milestones, and target dates for their accomplishment. It should also include
resource requirements to facilitate Focus Group Discussions, conduct Visionary
Interviews, develop and validate the customised Competency Model and monitor
the project on an ongoing basis.

4.4. Establishing a team to develop competencies

There are several key roles that will contribute to the successful development of
Competencies within your Organisation. The following table lists and describes
each role.

Role Description
Project  The role of the Project Champion is to support the development of
Champion Competencies in the Organisation
 It is the responsibility of the Project Champion to identify resources and
funds that are available to support the development of the competency
model
 Ideally, the Project Champion should be the Head of the Organisation.
Change  The Change Advocate is responsible for implementing competencies.
Advocate
 The key responsibilities of the Change Advocate are:
 Establish an team of Change Agents

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 Drive and lead the project management activities

 Act as an expert who provides Organisational information / data
required to contextualise and develop the Competency Model for
the Organisation
 Ensure that the milestones are completed in a timely manner
 Establishing a fully functional team of Change Agents is essential as it will
ensure that representatives are prepared and confident to support the
develoment of Competencies
 Ideally, the Change Advocate should be a member of the Core Group
Change  The Change Agents are a group of employees who will help to champion
Agents Competencies throughout the Organisation
 The role of the Change Agents is to:
 Determine the critical needs of the Organisation and what are the
competencies that will help employees achieve objectives.
 Encourage individuals to challenge existing belief’s and arrive at
innovative solutions that will result in better outcomes for the
Organisation.
 Determine the process for implementation – i.e. focus groups,
interviews, surveys, etc.
 To ensure deliverables are completed on time
 Communicate status updates and final outcomes to the
stakeholders .
Subject  The role of the Subject Matter Expert is to:
Matter
 Drive the competency model development process along with the
Expert
Change Advocate
 Provide technical expertise, guidance, support, training and
mentoring as the Competencies are implemented in the
Organisation

Table 6: Establishing a team to develop competencies

Note: It is the joint responsibility of the Change Advocate and Subject Matter Expert to ensure the
development of the Competency Model in the Organisation. The establishment of a true
partnership between the Change Advocate and Subject Matter expert is critical for the success of
the project

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Key Success Factors

• Creating a detailed project plan and ensuring adherence to set project

timelines

• Ensuring on-going communication between relevant stakeholders

• Involving the employees for identyifying the Competencies for your

organisation

• Providing information on the training schedules for each of the training

programs

• Providing regular updates around the progress of the implementation in

your organisation

4.5. Sample Action Plan

Process Activity Responsibility Involvement of Mode
Respective Core Group
Project Planning
Unique Roles Identification Members Discussion

Understanding Roles Incumbents up to Director Level Interviews

Job description-
up to Director
1st Validation of Document- Each Incumbent Interviewed Email
level
2nd validation of Document Supervisor of each document Email

Conducting Workshop to write Job descriptions 1 representative of each role Workshop

Job description-
1st Validation of Document- Workshop participants Email
below Director
level 2nd validation of Document Each Incumbent's supervisor Email

Final Validation of Document Division Head Email

Idendtification of Departmental Competency Top Management of each

Dictionary department Interview

Role Developing Draft Role Competencies for each role Project Manager
Competencies Divisional Heads for each set of
roles falling within their
1st Validation of Role Competencies Divisions

2nd Validation of Role Competencies- If Needed

Figure 8: Sample Action Plan

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Useful Tip: Use the table below to identify the different stakeholders and representatives that you
would need to involve in order to further advocate this process and implement it within your
department. These represenatives may be from within your organisation or from external
organisations. It would also be useful to identify the support you may require in order to
successfully implement this initiative.

Resources Required Within Organisation External Organisation DoPT

4.6. Do you want to know more

Recommended Reference Books

In Beyond the Core, published by Harvard Business School Press, 2004, author
Chris Zook,.

Elspeth Murray, Peter Richardson, Fast Forward, Oxford Press Inc., 2002.

Angel Customers & Demon Customers, co-authored Larry Selden and Geoffrey
Colvin (2003, Penguin Books) provided useful insights into augmenting processes
for sub-segmenting and creating new value propositions.

Six principles for making new growth initiatives work, Adrian Slywotzky and
Richard Wise, Ivey Business Journal, May/June 2003.

Competing on Strategic Capabilities: The new rules of corporate strategy by

George Stalk, Philip Evans and Lawrence Shulman, Harvard Business Review,
March – April, 1992.

Bringing Strategy to Life: How scorecards help RBC align business and HR
plans, Donald Baer, HR Professional, February/March, 2005.

Maverick at Work, William C. Taylor & Polly LaBarre, HarperCollins, 2006

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Application of
Competencies

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5. Application of Competencies to Human Resource Management

Practices
5.1. In Summary
This section will help you to understand the different uses of competencies and the
various ways in which competencies can be applied and integrated into existing
Human Resource Management Practices.

5.2. Using competencies

Competencies have a wide range of applications across human resource

management practices. Competencies can be applied and integrated into
recruitment and selection, performance management, training and development,
career and succession planning and reward systems. The figure below describes
the different Human Resource Management practices to which competencies can
be applied.

How should
employees be How should
rewarded? employees
Job Design Recruitment, be
Selection, assessed?
Assessment

What should Competencies How should

performance Performance qualified
Reward
management Management candidates
focus on? be
identified?

Career and What are the

What are the Training &
Succession training and
succession Development
Management development
requirements for
our requirements
organisation? of the jobs?

Figure 9: Application of Competencies to Human Resource Management Practices

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5.3. Using competencies in recruitment and selection

Competencies can be used in both recruitment, for attracting a candidate for a

position, as well as for selecting a candidate based on a job requirements. The
basic hypothesis of a competency-based selection is that the smaller the gap
between the certain job requirement and the competencies of the job holder, the
higher performance and satisfaction that will be gained.

Various assessment methods can be used during the course of competency based
recruitment or selection and these vary widely in terms of predictive validity. Some
interviewing methods include discussions, citing evidence, competency-based
interviewing, assessment centres and competency questionnaires.

5.3.1 How to implement competencies in recruitment and selection

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Figure 10: Application of competencies to Recruitment and Selection

5.4. Using competencies in performance management

Competencies can be used in performance management to provide a clear link to

bottom-line results. Integration of competencies within the existing performance
management system also helps create a motivating organisational climate that
enhances performance and provides additional role clarity in terms of expected
standards, responsibilities/ accountabilities, rewards and recognition.

5.4.1 How to implement competencies in performance management

PLANNING
Defining and agreeing
on objectives

FOLLOWING THROUGH
REWARDING The MANAGING
Relating pay to performance Performance Tracking, monitoring,
Linking to training, career Management supporting and coaching
development and
succession planning
Process performance

REVIEWING
Appraising performance
and providing feedback

Figure 11: Application of competencies to Performance Management

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5.5. Using competencies in training

Competencies can be applied to training and integrated into various training

programs. When applying competencies to training it is imperitive to set
competency development objectives and ensure these are reviewed on an on-going
basis to check if the objectives have been achieved. This can often be a part of a
performance management process or as the result of an assessment process or
training program.

Training programs may be focused on one or more competencies like leadership or

on providing additional learning and development support through executive
coaching, competency development resource guide/other self study/independent
learning materials or referent groups/learning sets following a development
program.

5.5.1 How to implement competencies in training

Figure 12: Application of competencies to Training

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5.6. Competency Assessment

Assessing competencies of job-holders vis-a-vis current or future role requirements

can help in identifying training needs of the indivudals. Based on the training needs
identified, a developmenal plan could be prepared to provide targeted
developmental inputs over a period of time to bridge the gaps identified.

5.6.1. Modes of Competency Assessment

Competencies can be assessed in many different ways. Some of these are:

• Assessment by the colleagues, peers, subordinates and superiors.
Competency This community of assessors usually has the best data to to rate the
Assesment process is
subject to legal assessee. However, the key limitations in using this method has been
scrutiny in many
countries. Such  Validity of the instrument to collect the data
scrutiny may be
applicable to  Bias of the raters
government and non-
government  Organisation’s ability to handle the feedback thus generated
organizations. It may
pertinent to keep this • Assessment by trained assessors
in mind while
selecting assessment  One technique often used is called the Behavioural Event
tools even in India
Interview. This is used by certified assessors and is reputed to
have among the highest validity among various tools. This is an
interviewing technique which uses a defined and structured
intervieing process to identify the competency displayed by the
assessee.
• Using Psychometric Tools: Psychometric tools are of many types and
hence have varied degree of validity. They are also pre-constructed to
measure behaviours and therefore may need to be limited only to a
set of competencies. Sometimes one may need to use a basket of
such tools such that all the competencies that need to be assessed
are covered. It is very important to ensure that the tools have validity
among the target population.

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5.6.2. Designing a Competency Assessment Plan

The first thing that needs to be identified is the purpose for which the assessment
results will be used. The main reason for such care is that different assessment
tools have different degree of validity. Depending upon the risk associated with the
process, the appropriate tool (or tools) may be chosen.

Figure 13: Measuring the risks associated with designing a Competency Assessment Plan for
various HR processes

Given below is the validity of some of the tools as measured by the British
Psycological Society:

Table 7: Validity of Competency Assessment Tools

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5.7. Practice

Read the transcript below between the interviewer (INT) and a candidate (Chri Pipers).

INT: Do you like to be called Chris?(INT)

CP: Chris Pipers. (CP)
INT: And is this working? Why is this making noises?
(Thumping noise in background)
CP: It sounds better now.
INT: Okay. We’re doing a BEI.
CP: How about that!
INT: So, can you start and tell me a little bit about your career; how you started?
CP: I started with Elton in 1975 when I was a sophomore in college. I was an Engineering Co-op student, and I had quite an
unusual and positive experience. I was 19 to 20 years old, and I was a co-op student in a small town in Ohio, and I built a
foundry; I managed a construction project.
INT: Wow. That must have been good.
CP: So, that was very exciting with a significant amount of responsibility at a very young age, and that really had a lot of
influence on me, and as you can imagine 25 years later, I am still at Elton. So, I think that’s one of the positive aspects.
INT: So, you’ve been at Elton your whole career?
CP: Yes, I have. Right.
INT: Okay. So, after you’re a co-op student, can you just like briefly take me through the kinds of jobs you had?
CP: Well, I continued to work for Elton in the summers, and I went straight to business school., and I graduated from
business school in 1979, and then I went to work for Skill Corporation as Manager of Advanced Planning. Skill was a new
acquisition, and I took over a planning role. It was a very large acquisition at that point, and I went to work for a man named
Jim Harniman, who was my mentor for probably the next seven years, and I did strategic planning work in a turnaround
mode at skill, and within a seven year period – like I said I did planning work. The first two years were primarily working at
Skill on that turnaround.
The second phase of this was Jim Harniman got promoted and became the first Tool Group Executive, so it was the first
grouping divisions at Elton, and became the Tool Group Planner. So, I extended the work and theories that had applied at
Skill to the other companies within the Tool Group, and then Jim Harniman eventually became President of Elton, and I
extended further within the corporation to where by 1986 I had pretty much done planning work, and I’d like to say 60 to 70
percent of Elton.
So, at that point I was 30 years old, and I wanted very much to get into a line position, and I became a Division President.
So, from ’86 to 1990, I was President of a company called Harris Calorific –C-A-L-O-R-I-F-I-C, and it was about a $30
million company when I started, and I ran that for four years and that was sold to Lincoln Electric at which point I was not
sold, and I came back to Corporate and worked first as Head of Corporate Planning, beginning at – really at the beginning
1990, and I expanded my responsibilities.
By ’92 I was in charge of technology planning and also the whole acquisition area. So, I ran acquisitions for Elton in addition
to doing the planning, and worked for the CEO at that point. That job became a combination of acquisitions and then the
start of what we called the growth initiative, and so I evolved into doing a lot of – putting in place a lot the fundamentals to
improve growth witin Elton. In 1991 or’92, Elton had what was called the Profit Initiative, and Jim Burgess became the first
so called profit Czar. And so, by 1997 I evolved into being Elton’s first Growth Czar.
INT: Ah!
CP: So, at that point, I went back into a job where no one reported to me per se, but I had pretty far-reaching latitude to go
and initiate growth, and I had committees of people, and so I took on the Growth Czar. I ---
INT: How was that?

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 Implementation Tool-kit on Competency-based HRM

CP: It’s a fascinating experience, and in your three or four hours with me you’ll never have time to go through all of it. No, I
learned – I haven’t chosen yet what my positive experiences were, but probably as far as personal growth is concerned, I
probably learned more about that, about what it takes to succeed with these companies than anything.
We worked with Gary Hammill, who wrote the book, “Competing for the Future,” and was doing a lot of work on
innovation, and he became a close collaborator of mine on how you create an innovative environment in a company. And
perhaps the unfortunate part of this story is that after doing that for a year, I pushed to get back into a line position. And a
business leader position became available, and to (Chuck Knight’s) credit he let me to do that, so I went back and I became a
business leader with eight divisions reporting to me. And so, I went back into a line role, running the induistrial components
and equipment business, which is a collection of eight very successful businesses, and I went into a role of managing these
eight divisions Presidents.
And I did that for a year and a half, and six weeks ago I was asked to do the growth job again in addition to my business
leader duties.So, now I am the Growth Czar of Industrial Components and Equipment Business Leader. And as the Growth
Czar, I have the Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief Information Officer, and the person who is in charge of service
reporting to me.
INT: In charge of service. So these are your direct reports?
CP: I have Division Presidents –
INT: Your Division Presidents?
CP: Right.
INT: And your Chief Marketing Officer, your Chief Information Officer?
CP: And the Vice President of the Service Initiative.
INT: Okay. This is going to be the next question (inaudible word).
CP: Excuse me?
INT: This is going to be my next question anyhow : Who are your direct reports?
CP: Oh, okay. Well, I am down to now, I think, I only have – spun off – one division went to another group, and we are
selling one division. So, hopefully in another month I’ll be down to six Division Presidents reporting to me. Okay?

List the competencies of Chris Pipers that you are able to identify
Make a note of why you thought these competencies are important

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5.8. Do you want to know more

Recommended Reference Books

Arthur, W. Jr., Day, E. A., McNelly, T. L., & Edens, P. S. (2003). A meta-analysis
of the criterion-related validity of assessment center dimensions. Personnel
Psychology,

Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and
job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology,

Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., Shiffman, S., Lerner, N., & Salovey, P. (2006).
Relating emotional abilities to social functioning: A comparison of self-report and
performance measures of emotional intelligence. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology,

Caldwell, C., Thornton, G. C., & Gruys, M. (2003). Ten classic assessment center
errors: Challenges to selection validity. Public Personnel Management,

Cullen, M. J., & Sackett, P. R. (2004). Integrity testing in the workplace. In J. C.

Thomas & M. Hersen (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychological
assessment, Volume 4: Industrial and organizational psychology

Gaugler, B. B., Rosenthal, D. B., Thornton, G. C., & Bentson, C. (1987). Meta-
analysis of assessment center validity. Journal of Applied Psychology,

Hogan, R., Hogan, J., & Roberts, B. W. (1996). Personality measurement and
employment decisions: Questions and answers. American Psychologist,

Ones, D. S., Viswesvaran, C., & Schmidt, F. L. (1993). Comprehensive meta-

analysis of integrity test validities: Findings and implications for personnel selection
and theories of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology,

Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good Practices. (2000).

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training
Administration. Note: Article can be accessed at
http://www.onetcenter.org/guides.html.

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Appendix

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APPENDIX 1
Civil Services Competency Dictionary: Please refer to attached document

APPENDIX 2

Facilitator Guide for Conducting Focus Group Discussions

Introduction
 An focus group is a specific group of individuals gathered together to provide
input through a facilitated discussion around a particular role for the purpose
of understanding it as fully as possible, and thus creating a behavior-based
competency model.

 A focus group is formally structured. It requires a minimum of 4 hours to

complete all the necessary data gathering, discussion, and the steps of the
process.

 Participants: An important step in conducting a focus group is to choose the

most appropriate participants, including a minimum of six and no more than 15
people. A focus group includes knowledgeable people and stakeholders in
project outcomes. Choose your participants according to the type of information
you are seeking. The important thing is to consider the output you want and
participants best suited to provide it. It’s important to have participants that know
the job well. Participants could include:

 Jobholders- it is best to have as many outstanding as possible because

they are the people who will give a lot of data

 Managers (of the jobholders)

 Direct reports of jobholders

 Other knowledgeable people (e.g., HR or Organisational Development)

 Determiners of strategic direction for the role holders

 Role holders and their managers have internal knowledge of what is required for
outstanding job performance. Recipients of a role holder’s actions (direct report,
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clients) provide insight into what performance outcomes should be from the
client’s perspective rather than from inside the organisation. The strategic
determiners (usually executives) may be less aware of daily activities but may
dictate a change in strategic direction that will have a profound impact on the
nature of a given position.

 A focus group should ideally comprise a credible (representative or acceptable)

sample and participants who are supportive of or open to project goals

 The purpose of a focus group is to collect information and gain effective

participation from its members. Exclude individuals who will make
achievement of these goals difficult. If some people are known to interfere
with such meetings, do not include them in the focus group. If there are rival
groups who would rather argue with each other than work together, do not
include members from both groups in the same panel. An effective panel
should contain participants who will provide good data in the short term and
support the project in the long term.

Structure of the focus group

 The structure that we have designed for conducting focus group is below. It
seeks to gain data on Key Accountabilities and Behaviors, for Outstanding
and for Typical and, if needed, for the future of the role.

 Key Accountabilities: The few (3-5) most important outcomes, or

contributions that are produced by the job.

 Behaviors: The specific behaviors shown by job incumbents (the

‘how’ as well as the ‘what’ is done in the job), similar to the behavioral
evidence collected in a BEI.

 It is also important to determine if you should consider the “future” of the role:
Is it going to change dramatically in the future? How so? Why? Or is the role
evolving to include elements not reflective of its current status?

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 Implementation Tool-kit on Competency-based HRM

Probing for behaviours in focus groups

In order to analyse data for evidence of competencies we must use probes to
gather evidence of a competency. Behaviours reported must be specific and
completed actions involving the participants. The following guidelines must be kept
in mind when collecting evidence of behaviours:

 In the examples shared the more detail provided, the better

 Encourage participants to use “I” so that facilitators have a picture of their

personal involvement

 Avoid vague statements, in which the participants use nonspecific terms to

describe the activity. Vague information does not provide the participant’s
motives, thoughts, and feelings.

Some of the probing questions that can be applies to probe for specific behaviours
are as follows:

 What led up to the situation?

 Who was involved?

 What did you do?

 What happened first/next?

 What did you say?

 How were you feeling then?

 What were you thinking then?

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 Implementation Tool-kit on Competency-based HRM

APPENDIX 3

Application of Assessment Tools

Following is a list of competency assessment tools along with their application. This list is indicative
only. Once the Competencies for the jobs have been identified, these tools could be used for
assessing the competencies of the job-holders and identfying the gaps. (Please refer to Section 5.6
for more details)

Personal Team Leadership

S.No. Surveys/ Tools development effectiveness Coaching development

1 Inventory of leadership styles (ILS) * * *

2 Organizational climate survey (OCS) *

3 Managerial style workbook (MSW) * * *

4 Organizational climate workbook (OCW) *

Leadership styles and organizational climate e-
5 learning modules *

6 Growth factor inventory (GFI) *

7 Picture story exercise (PSE) * *

8 Personal values questionnaire (PVQ) * * *

9 Influence strategies exercise (ISE) * * *

10 Optimizing team development (OTD) *

11 Coaching process questionnaire (CPQ) * * *

12 Kolb learning style inventory 3.1 (LSI) * * *

13 Kolb team learning experience (TLE) * *

14 Kolb learning style exercise—stuck truck (LSE) *

15 Boyatzis-Kolb learning skills profile (LSP) *

Emotional and social competency inventory
16 (ESCI) * * *
Emotional and social competency inventory—
17 university edition (ESCI-U) * * *

18 Emotional intelligence e-learning module * * *

19 EI workbook * * *

20 EI card deck * * *

21 Executive competency portfolio (ECP) * *

22 Manager portfolio (MP) * *

23 Sales manager portfolio (SMP) * *

24 Sales portfolio (SP) * *

25 Leadership fundamentals portfolio (LFP) * *

26 Competency behavior inventory (CBI) * *

27 Customized 360° assessment tools * *

28 Resilience workbook * * *

29 Talent Q Dimensions and Elements

Table 1: Application of Assessment Tools to Personal Development, Team Effectiveness,

Coaching and Leadership Development

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Organizational Career Conflict

S.No. Surveys/ Tools improvement development Influence management Selection

1 Inventory of leadership styles (ILS) * * *

2 Organizational climate survey (OCS) *

3 Managerial style workbook (MSW) * * *

4 Organizational climate workbook (OCW) *

Leadership styles and organizational climate e-
5 learning modules *

6 Growth factor inventory (GFI) * * *

7 Picture story exercise (PSE) *

8 Personal values questionnaire (PVQ) * *

9 Influence strategies exercise (ISE) *

10 Optimizing team development (OTD) *

11 Coaching process questionnaire (CPQ)

12 Kolb learning style inventory 3.1 (LSI) * * *

13 Kolb team learning experience (TLE) *

14 Kolb learning style exercise—stuck truck (LSE) *

15 Boyatzis-Kolb learning skills profile (LSP) *

Emotional and social competency inventory
16 (ESCI) * *
Emotional and social competency inventory—
17 university edition (ESCI-U) * *

18 Emotional intelligence e-learning module * *

19 EI workbook * *

20 EI card deck * *

21 Executive competency portfolio (ECP) * *

22 Manager portfolio (MP) * *

23 Sales manager portfolio (SMP) * *

24 Sales portfolio (SP) * *

25 Leadership fundamentals portfolio (LFP) * *

26 Competency behavior inventory (CBI) * *

27 Customized 360° assessment tools *

28 Resilience workbook *

29 Talent Q Dimensions and Elements *

Table 2: Application of Assessment Tools to Organisational Improvement, Career

Development, Influence, Conflict Management and Selection

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 Competency Dictionary for the
Civil Services

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

Index
Competency Framework for the Civil Services .......................................................................................................... 4
The Pillars of Good Governance and Citizen Centric Administration ......................................................................... 5
1. Competency Definitions: Ethos ......................................................................................................................... 6
2. Competency Definitions: Ethics ......................................................................................................................... 6
3. Competency Definitions: Equity ........................................................................................................................ 7
4. Competency Definitions: Efficiency ................................................................................................................... 7
1. Ethos .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.1 People First ................................................................................................................................................... 10
1.2 Strategic Thinking.......................................................................................................................................... 11
1.3 Organisational Awareness ............................................................................................................................. 12
1.4 Commitment to the Organization.................................................................................................................. 13
1.5 Leading Others .............................................................................................................................................. 14
2. Ethics .................................................................................................................................................................. 15
2.1 Integrity ........................................................................................................................................................ 16
2.2 Self-Confidence ............................................................................................................................................. 17
2.3 Attention to detail......................................................................................................................................... 18
2.4 Taking Accountability .................................................................................................................................... 19
3. Equity ................................................................................................................................................................. 20
3.1 Consultation and Consensus Building ............................................................................................................ 21
3.2 Decision Making............................................................................................................................................ 22
3.3 Empathy........................................................................................................................................................ 23
3.4 Delegation..................................................................................................................................................... 24
4. Efficiency ............................................................................................................................................................ 25
4.1 Result Orientation ......................................................................................................................................... 26
4.2 Conceptual thinking ...................................................................................................................................... 27
4.3 Initiative and Drive ........................................................................................................................................ 28
4.4 Seeking information ...................................................................................................................................... 29
4.5 Planning and coordination............................................................................................................................. 30
4.6 Desire for knowledge .................................................................................................................................... 31
4.7 Innovative thinking........................................................................................................................................ 32
4.8 Problem Solving ............................................................................................................................................ 33

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4.9 Developing others ......................................................................................................................................... 34

4.10 Self Awareness and Self control................................................................................................................... 35
4.11 Communication Skills .................................................................................................................................. 36
4.12 Team-Working ............................................................................................................................................ 37

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Competency Framework for the Civil Services

Competency Framework for the Indian Civil Service

1. Ethos 2. Ethics 3. Equity 4. Efficiency
1.1 People First 2.1 Integrity 3.1 Consultation and 4.1 Results Orientation
Consensus Building
1.2 Strategic Thinking 2.2 Self
- Confidence 4.2 Conceptual Thinking
1.3 Organisational Awareness 2.3 Attention to Detail 3.2 Decision Making 4.3 Initiative and Drive
1.4 Commitment to the 2.4 Taking Accountability 3.3 Empathy 4.4 Seeking Information
Organization 3.4 Delegation 4.5 Planning and Coordination
1.5 Leading Others
4.6 Desire for Knowledge
4.7 Innovative Thinking
4.8 Problem Solving
4.9 Developing Others
4.10 Self-
- Awareness and
Self - Control
4.11
Self- Communication
contro Skills
4.12 Team
- - Working

Characteristics of Good Governance

Accountability, Transparency, Equity and Inclusiveness, Participatory, Consensus orientation, Following
Rule of Law, Effectiveness and Efficiency

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

The Pillars of Good Governance and Citizen Centric Administration

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1. Competency Definitions: Ethos

Competency Definition

1.1) People First Passion for serving people with special care for the marginalised
and disadvantaged. Being approachable, welcoming, caring and
rising above bias while interacting with people. Understands the
needs of the people and constantly strives to improve the services

1.2) Strategic Ability to understand dynamic internal and external environment

Thinking and its impact. Responds to the opportunities and challenges for
the betterment of society

1.3) Organisational Understanding of the organisation’s mandate, structure, policies,

Awareness processes, norms and its interface with other organisations. It also
includes an understanding of the organisation’s informal structures,
power dynamics and constraints.

1.4) Commitment to Aligns behaviours and interest with the needs and goals of the
the organisation organizations.

1.5) Leading Others Ability to engage, energise, and enable the team to excel.

2. Competency Definitions: Ethics

Competency Definition

2.1) Integrity Consistently behaves in an open, fair and transparent manner,

honors one’s commitments and works to uphold the Public
service values.

2.2) Self – confidence Belief in own capability to accomplish a task and being able to
express confidence in dealing with challenging circumstances
without being arrogant or boastful.

2.3) Attention to Detail Having an underlying drive to being thorough and meticulous and
to comply with procedures, rules, guidelines, and standards. Digs
deeper and strives to reduce uncertainties and errors.

2.4) Takes Takes ownership for outcomes (successes or failures) while

accountability addressing performance issues fairly and promptly

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3. Competency Definitions: Equity

Competency Definition

3.1) Consultation and Ability to identify the stakeholders and influencers, seek their views
Consensus Building and concerns through formal and informal channels. Build
consensus through dialogue, persuasion, reconciliation of diverse
views/interest and trusting relationships

3.2) Decision making Makes timely decisions that takes into account relevant facts,
tasks, goals, constraints, risk and conflicting points of view

3.3) Empathy Empathy is about being able to accurately hear out and
understand the thoughts, feelings and concerns of others ,even
when these are not made explicit

3.4) Delegation Delegates responsibility with the appropriate level of autonomy so

that others are free to innovate and take the lead.

4. Competency Definitions: Efficiency

Competency Definition

4.1) Result Orientation High drive for achieving targets and competing against a standard
of excellence

4.2) Conceptual Understanding a situation or environment by putting the pieces

Thinking together and identifying patterns that may not be obviously related.
Connecting the dots while resisting stereotyping

4.3) Initiative and Drive Contributing more than what is expected in the job. Refusing to
give up when faced with challenges and finding or creating new
opportunities

4.4) Seeking An underlying curiosity to know more about things, people, or

information issue. This includes “digging” for exact information and keeping
up-to-date with relevant knowledge.

4.5) Planning and Ability to plan, organise and monitor work with effective utilisation
coordination of resources such as time, money, and people.

4.6) Desire for Keeps up-to-date with relevant knowledge and technology, share
knowledge latest developments with others, and advocates the application of
acquired knowledge

4.7) Innovative thinking Open to change, approaches issues differently, offers alternate /

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

out of box solutions and strives for efficiency by working smartly

4.8) Problem solving Understanding a situation by breaking it into small parts,

organising information systematically and setting priorities

4.9) Developing others Genuinely believes in others’ capabilities to develop and take
personal responsibility for their development. Creates a positive
environment for learning and provides developmental opportunities
for individual and team

4.10) Self-awareness Identifies one’s own emotional triggers and controls one’s
and Self-Control emotional responses. Maintains sense of professionalism and
emotional restraint when provoked, faced with hostility or working
under increased stress. It includes resilience and stamina despite
prolonged adversities

4.11) Communication Articulates information to others in language that is clear, concise,

Skills and easy to understand. It also includes the ability to listen and
understand unspoken feelings and concerns of others.

4.12) Team-working Working together as a unit for common goal, Building teams
through mutual trust, respect and cooperation.

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1. Ethos

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1.1 People First

Passion for serving people with special care for the marginalised and disadvantaged. Being approachable, welcoming,
caring and rising above all bias while interacting with people. Understands the needs of the people and constantly strives to
improve the services.

 Understands the needs of the marginalised and disadvantaged, along with the
needs of the wider public
Level 1:  Strives to respond quickly to meet their needs in a respectful, helpful and
responsive manner
Responds Sensitively to the  Reports issues that affect service delivery, where necessary
 Addresses all the issues of the citizens in an unbiased manner
Needs of the Citizens
 Ensures that levels of service are maintained – highlights risks or concerns in
order to meet community requirements
 Understanding the value of an affirmative action towards the marginalised and
disadvantaged

 Actively seeks information from all sections of community to understand their

needs and expectations
 Is accessible to all citizens and seeks their feedback to develop a clear
understanding of their needs and outcomes
 Establishes mechanisms to address feedback from the community about the
Level 2: service provided
Anticipates the Needs of the  Involves a diverse range of staff members, stakeholders, and delivery partners
Citizens while developing implementation approaches in order to provide clarity on the
benefits to the disadvantaged and to improve the quality of service provided to
the citizens
 Understands issues from others’ perspective, particularly the disadvantaged
 Keeps others up-to-date with information and decisions that might affect their
area of work

 Is a role model of positive community service behaviours

 Promotes a culture focused on serving and meeting the needs of the citizens
 Thoroughly explores all the sections of the community, including the
Level 3: marginalised and the disadvantaged; and identifies methods to meet their needs
Promote the Service to the - including using new technology where relevant
 Tracks trends that will affect their own Department’s ability to meet current and
Citizens
future community needs and continuously strives to provide effective services to
the public
 Focuses their decision making around the most excluded sections of the society;
and designs and monitors the execution of these initiatives

 Uses multiple mechanisms to obtain insights from the community, in order to

Level 4: drive proposals, outcomes and quality in the area
Actively Improves the  Constantly improves service by managing risks and ensuring service delivery
within defined outcomes
Service to the Citizens
 Works collaboratively with staff, stakeholders, community, and service delivery
partners to deliver against service level agreements

 Creates an in-depth understanding of the broad range of community

requirements in the Department
Level 5:  Leads community service outcomes at a strategic level
Drives a Culture of Serving  Works across the Government to deliver best quality service, with a strong focus
on the marginalised and disadvantaged
the Citizens
 Creates a culture of working with and through delivery partners to establish
service levels and outcomes
 Incorporates elements of affirmative action into planning and strategy formulation

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1.2 Strategic Thinking

Ability to understand dynamic internal and external environment and its impact. Responds to the opportunities and challenges
for the betterment of the society.

Level 1:
 Understands what is required in their role and how this contributes to Departmental
Understands Own Work
priorities
 Considers how their job impacts colleagues in own and other Departments
 Takes an active interest in expanding knowledge of areas related to their role

Level 2:  Keeps up-to-date with a broad set of issues relating to the work of the Department
Aligns Work to Department  Develops an understanding of how their area’s strategy contributes to Departmental
priorities
 Ensures their area/team activities are aligned to Departmental priorities
 Gathers additional information from relevant sources inside and outside their
Department
 Focuses on the overall intent of what one is trying to achieve, not just the task
 Identifies bottleneck in existing systems and suggests steps to overcome them

Level 3:  Is alert to emerging trends, opportunities and risks in the environment which might
Contributes to Strategy impact or benefit the Department
 Ensures that relevant issues relating to their policy area are effectively fed into big
picture considerations
 Actively seeks out knowledge and shares experiences to develop understanding of
one’s area of responsibility
 Seeks to understand how the services, and strategies in the area work together to
create value for the public

Level 4:  Anticipates the long-term impact of national and international developments in one’s
Identifies Strategic area, including economic, political, environmental, social, and technological
Imperatives  Identifies implications of Departmental and political priorities in one’s area to ensure
alignment
 Creates joint strategies that have positive impact and add value for stakeholders,
citizens, and communities
 Uses appropriate forms of technology during evaluations and/ or implementation to
achieve strategic goals

Level 5:
 Shapes the Department’s purpose in delivering Civil Service priorities for the public
Develops Long Term
and economic good
Strategies  Leverages technology in program design
 Shapes plans which help put into practice and support the Department’s long-term
direction, including those shared with other departments

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1.3 Organisational Awareness

Understanding of the organisation’s mandate, structure, policies, processes, norms and its interface with other
organisations. It also includes an understanding of the organisation’s informal structures, power dynamics, and constraints.

 Understands the formal structures within the legal and political environment and
Level 1:
knows who the key decision makers are
Understands Formal
 Understands chain of command, positional power, rules and regulations, policies
Structure
and procedures, standard operating procedures, etc.

 Effectively uses both formal and informal networks within Civil Services for
Level 2: acquiring information, assistance, and accomplishing work goals
Understands Informal  Recognises customs, norms, specific language of the organisation
Structure  Recognises key players, decision-influencers, organisational constraints.
 Applies this knowledge when formal structure does not work as desired

 Able to visualise others’ perspectives

Level 3:
 Able to articulate the agenda and concerns of stakeholders
Understands Different
 Able to interpret the dynamics of various stakeholders
Perspectives and Agendas
 Keeps oneself abreast of internal dynamics and external environment

 Able to identify different coalitions which are either hidden or less obvious
Level 4:  Understands the objectives of the different coalitions and their impact on the
Recognises Coalitions and organisation
Implications of their  Understands the implication of the broad social and economic context for the
Agendas Civil Services
 Able to form unconventional partnerships to drive Organisational agenda

 Demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the socio-political and economic

Level 5: context and its implications
Predicts the Building of  Anticipates trends in the political environment and their impact on the
Coalitions or Unstated organisation
Agendas, and its Wider  Able to anticipate the creation of coalitions and agendas of different factions, and
Implications the multiple implications of these on the organisation
 Operates successfully in a variety of social, political, and cultural environments

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1.4 Commitment to the Organization

Aligns behaviors and interests with the needs and goals of the organization.

 Understands the rules and procedures in the organization

Level 1:
 Respects and follows the rules and other norms of working
Aligns Self with the
 Understands Civil Services values and acts accordingly
Organisation
 Executes work according to expectations

 Respects and accepts organizational priorities and sets own accordingly

 Expresses pride, pleasure about being part of this organization
Level 2:
 Promotes and/or defends the organization’s credibility and visibility with
Promotes Organisational
outsiders
Objectives
 Bargains and create goodwill for the organisation
 Pursues work with passion and dedication

 Makes choices and sets priorities to fit with the organization’s goals
 Collaborates with others to achieve larger organizational objectives
Level 3:
 Suggests improvements in process and systems to promote the organisation’s
Supports the Organization
effectiveness
 Strives to deliver at high standards to external and internal stakeholders

 Puts organizational needs first even in trying circumstances

Level 4:  Stands by decisions that benefit the larger organization even if they are
Puts the Organisation First unpopular or undercut the unit’s short-term good
 Acts as per the Civil Services Values even under trying circumstances

 Nurtures the culture of commitment to the organisation

 Acts as a role model
Level 5:
 Supports colleagues in making difficult decisions
Encourages Others in
 Is able to elicit commitment to the cause of the organization from others (within
Putting the Organization
and across own organization)
First
 Is able to make difficult decisions and stands by such decisions made by
colleagues for the larger benefit of the organisation

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1.5 Leading Others

Ability to engage, energise and enable the team to excel.

 Openly and proactively shares information

Level 1:  Explains the reasons for a decision taken
Shares Information/  Makes sure the team has all the necessary information
Reasons to Motivate  Regularly updates team regarding changes and decisions made on related
work

 Creates conditions that enable the team to perform at its best (for example,
setting clear direction, providing appropriate structures, and attracting the
right people, etc)
Level 2:  Uses a structured approach to promote team morale and productivity, such
Promotes Team as team assignments, cross-training, etc.
Effectiveness  Gets member’s input in order to promote effectiveness of the team or
process
 Formulates clear objectives for team members to perform
 Welcomes and takes into account positive as well as negative feedback

 Defends the team and its reputation in public and stands by it

 Secures the required level of support and development for both members
Level 3: and the leadership within the team
Backs the Team  Encourages and promotes a culture of open feedback and takes corrective
action wherever required
 Resolves conflict, if any, within the team in an effective manner

 Protects the team and its reputation vis-à-vis the larger organisation or the
community
 Establishes norms for team behaviour (“rules of engagement”) and imposes
sanctions on its violation
Level 4:  Spots and Grooms Talent
Assumes Leadership  Sets a good example by personally modelling desired behaviour
 Motivates the members to buy into the team/organization’s policy and
mission
 Empowers, inspires, and energises the team to understand and thrive in the
changing environment

 Communicates and creates buy-in for a compelling vision, that inspires

confidence and generates enthusiasm and passion
Level 5:
 Inspires people in rising to the challenge of meeting the goals of Civil
Communicates a
Services
Compelling Vision
 Is charismatic and is recognised as an outstanding team builder across
departments

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

2. Ethics

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2.1 Integrity
Consistently behaves in an open, fair, and transparent manner; honours one’s commitments; and works to uphold the
Public Service Values.

 Is open and honest in one’s dealings with others

 Honours commitments made to others
 Acts in ways to avoid conflict of interest - perceived or real – for example -by
disclosing potential issues on time
Level 1:
 Honest and open in all communications
Acts Ethically
 Gives frank and honest opinion when sought
 Follows the rules and regulations and is guided by Public Service values
 Does not share information loosely with others

 Is guided by Public Interest in conflicting situations.

Level 2:  Encourages others to consistently follow Public Service values
Models the Values of the  Is trustworthy in all circumstances
Civil Services  Treats people impartially, regardless of political, social, demographic,
geographic, circumstances or bias

 Enforces law, public service values and rules of conduct even in difficult
Level 3: situations
Acts on Values even when it  Has the courage and conviction to make and stand by the right decisions,
is not easy to do so even at significant personal cost
 Provides honest and frank advice to uphold public interest

 Ensures full disclosure, by sharing the political implications of the decisions

Level 4: being made
Is Seen Unflinching on  Challenges powerful and influential people, and holds them accountable to
Public Service Values make the right decisions
 Stands firm when dealing with unreasonable requests and demands

 Leads by example by maintaining high standards of professionalism and

impartiality
 Takes accountability for own actions and creates a cultures for others also to
take accountability for their own actions
Level 5:
 Creates a culture that encourages open, honest, and ethical behaviour
Is a Role Model
 Holds people accountable to their actions and rewards those who
demonstrate integrity
 Acts as a role model for courageous leadership by adopting a principled
stance on critical issues

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2.2 Self-Confidence

Belief in own capability to accomplish a task and being able to express confidence in dealing with challenging
circumstances, without being arrogant or boastful.

 Confidently performs the tasks within the job role

Level 1:
 Presents oneself well
Acts Confidently within Job
 Executes activities with minimal supervision
Role
 Displays the willingness to take up additional responsibilities

 Makes job-related decisions on his or her own, keeping in mind civil

Level 2: services’ values
Continues to act Confidently  Able to say ‘No’ to all backed by a strong reason
Beyond the Limits of Job  Acts confidently when the outcome benefits the public good, even when
Role peers or partners disagree
 Presents own point of view clearly and confidently in front of others

 Exhibits expertise and believes in own ability to get the work done
Level 3:  Explicitly demonstrates confidence in own judgment
States Confidence in Own  Accepts responsibility for the consequences
Ability  Able to articulate own point of view confidently and clearly even when in
disagreement with others

 Gets excited by challenging assignments

 Expresses own point of view clearly, confidently and politely when in
Level 4:
disagreement with senior officers, stakeholders, or others in power
Takes on Challenges
 Acts in the favour of larger public good without being afraid of
consequences

 Willingly takes on extremely challenging (that is, personally risky) tasks

Level 5:
 Challenges the status quo and is not afraid to take action, as long as the
Is Confident Under
outcome is for the betterment of the community
Extremely Challenging
 Remains positive even under stressful conditions
Situations
 Explores multiple ways to overcome the challenge at hand

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2.3 Attention to detail

Having an underlying drive to being thorough and meticulous and to comply with procedures, rules, guidelines, and
standards. Digs deeper and strives to reduce uncertainties and errors.

 Pays attention to detail to obtain comprehensive information

 Is knowledgeable of the policies and standards of his/her own department
Level 1: and adheres to them while working
Pays Attention to Detail  Willingness to consult superiors and peers in order to validate or reconfirm
the details
 Respects confidential information

 Holds self accountable for delivery of high standard outcomes

 Double checks own work to ensure standards and guidelines are adhered
to and re-work is avoided / minimised
Level 2:  Devotes sufficient time to complete tasks, review documents, and prepare
Plans and Double Checks for meetings
 Plans own work thoroughly and meticulously by using planning tools such
as work plans, checklists, etc and supports the introduction of better ways
of working

 Holds self and others accountable for delivery of high standard outcomes
and adherence to policies and procedures
 Monitors quality of others’ work and provides them support / guidance to
Level 3:
perform better by paying more attention to detail
Monitors Own and Other’s
 Keeps detailed records of discussions and agreed actions to ensure that
Work
information is accurate and prompt follow-up occurs where applicable
 Digs deeper by asking questions, examining literature or consulting the
experts when not satisfied with the level of detail

 Monitors compliance to procedures and regulatory requirements and takes

action in case of any deviation
 Ensures that breaches of regulatory requirements are treated with
Level 4:
appropriate procedures
Proactively Manages
 Builds systemic checks and balances and is proactive and quick in
Standards
resolving grievances and issues
 Conducts overall reviews and spot checks to ensure that procedures and
standards are being maintained

Level 5:  Resolves broader issues about risk and compliance, and about quality of
Contributes to Overall work and service delivery
Monitoring of Quality and  Identifies loopholes and takes corrective measures to ensure unnecessary
Standards risks are avoided

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2.4 Taking Accountability

Takes ownership for outcomes (successes or failures) while addressing performance issues fairly and promptly.

 Demonstrates sincerity and commitment to the job/ duty

 Does not make excuses, demonstrates a ‘can do’ attitude and delivers
Level 1:
consistently
Delivers Results
 Takes personal ownership for the quality of own work and keeps stakeholder
Consistently
informed about the progress
 Remains focused on delivery within specified timeframe

 Remains positive and focused on achieving outcomes despite setbacks

Level 2:
 Sets and achieves challenging goals and monitors quality regularly
Delivers Results Even in
 Regularly reviews performance priorities and fine tunes to achieve results
Unfavorable Conditions
 Takes ownership of any shortfall and draws lessons to improve performance

 Clarifies priorities, roles, and responsibilities; ensures role and talent fit and
secures individual and team ownership of objective
 Communicates expectation and standard clearly
 Promotes a culture of accountability for service delivery to citizens
Level 3:  Provides feedback to support performance improvement
Manages Performance  Maintains effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances,
and encourages others to do the same
 Reviews, challenges, and adjusts performance levels to ensure quality
outcomes are delivered on time
 Takes accountability for team performance especially in case of failure

 Energises and drives others for achieving set objectives

 Holds others accountable for delivering high standards and effective
Level 4: performance, and assists them continuously to improve performance while
Takes Ownership of Others’ serving the citizens
Performance  Maintains a strong focus on priorities and swiftly responds to changing
requirements
 Incentivises desired behaviours and rewards successful performance

 Takes accountability for achieving the Department’s strategic priorities

 Drives a performance culture across the Department to achieve results
Level 5: through others
Drives Performance Culture  Resolutely holds others accountable for outcomes to the citizens
 Drives long-term objective of the organisation even in the face of short-term
difficulties

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3. Equity

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3.1 Consultation and Consensus Building

Ability to identify the stakeholders and influencers, seek their views and concerns through formal and informal channels.
Build consensus through dialogue, persuasion, reconciliation of diverse views/ interests and trusting relationships.

 Confidently presents views in a clear, concise and constructive manner

 Demonstrates openness to consult others, with the aim of delivering value and
Level 1: benefit to the public
Open to Consultation and  Reaches out inside and outside the Department, with those who can provide
Presents Views in a Concise work-related information
Manner with the help of Data  Invites others’ views and opinions
 Communicates the pros and cons of an initiative, as well as its benefits for the
public in order to get buy-in

 Develops links with the experts and relevant information sources, proposes good
Level 2:
solutions to benefit the public
Consults Others and Takes
 Develops and nurtures key contacts as a source of information, keeping in mind
Multiple Actions to
the end goal of providing better services to the public
Persuade Others
 Contacts colleagues to identify synergies and convergence
 Understands the target groups’ views and customises the communication to
convince them

 Continuously looks for opportunities to partner and transfer knowledge

 Takes initiative to engage with stakeholders to create new ideas and solutions
 Proactively shares knowledge and information to build capacity and convergence
Level 3:
 Keeps stakeholders informed about various initiatives and engages with them
Proactively looks for
regarding new initiatives
Opportunities to promote
 Makes an effort to understand the motives of others and uses this insight to
convergence
customise the communication
 Prepares for others’ reactions in advance by visualising the implications of the
proposal on the wider public including the marginalised and disadvantaged

 Explores innovative ways to converge different opinions, keeping in mind the

Level 4: end goal
Helps to Align Diverse  Creatively uses the knowledge of the experts in order to address diverse
Interests to a Common Goal interests of the stakeholders
 Communicates with conviction and clarity in face of tough negotiations

 Creates forums where people can interact with each other on the larger goal and
move away from a ‘silo’ mindset
 Identifies opportunities to build relationships with external partner and larger
Level 5:
communities with the purpose of serving the wider public
Promotes consensus
 Demonstrates willingness to trade-off immediate gain with long-term benefit
building –and Convergence
 Takes a long-term view of Public Good
 Inspires others to consult, keeping the greater good in mind, before arriving at
any critical decisions

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3.2 Decision Making

Makes timely decisions that take into account relevant facts, tasks, goals, constraints, risks and conflicting points of view.

 Makes timely decisions, based on applicable rules or guidelines

Level 1:
 Clearly explains (verbally and in writing) the rationale behind each decision
Follows Guidelines
 Maintains clear communication and transparency on the reasons for the
Effectively
decision taken

 Identifies relevant and credible information sources and collects new data,
when necessary, from internal and external sources
Level 2:
 Recognises scope of own authority for decision making and escalates to the
Gathers Information for
appropriate level if necessary
Decision Making
 Empowers team members to make decisions
 Demonstrates accountability and rises above bias when making decisions

 Consults experts to get additional information to make decision

 Develops feasible solutions even when dealing with uncertainty and limited
Level 3:
information
Draws Conclusions from
 Demonstrates decisiveness when under pressure or faced with complex or
Complex Information, in the
sensitive situation aligning with policy trend in that field.
Short- to Medium-term
 Analyses the impact of past decisions made and incorporates lessons learnt in
future decision making process

 Foresees impact of decisions on the society by conducting social cost-benefit

analysis
Level 4:  Weighs up competing views to generate ways forward which will meet
Makes Decisions in organisational goals
Complex Situations  Ensures involvement and consultation of the subject experts where necessary
 Confidently takes decisions and clearly communicates at a strategic level to
move things forward

 Swiftly analyses complex and ambiguous data to provide clarity of thinking and
direction to the Department
 Foresees the unintended impact(s) of decisions and takes actions to overcome
them
 Interprets political and national pressures to develop strategies that positively
Level 5:
impact the public good, especially for the benefit of the marginalised and
Makes Long-term Strategic
disadvantaged
Decisions
 Develops Department-wide strategies to manage and mitigate risks
 Gives unbiased advice to Ministers based on the basis of robust analysis, and
not on the basis of what will be welcomed
 Makes decisions for the good of the society (even if it leads to loss of personal
popularity) and defends them at the highest level when required

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3.3 Empathy

Empathy is about being able to accurately hear out and understand the thoughts, feelings and concerns of others, even
when these are not made explicit.

 Demonstrates active listening skills (such as asking probing questions, not

interrupting)
Level 1:  Recognises body language, facial expression, and/or tone of voice to
Understands Unspoken understand the unspoken message
Content  Recognises unexpressed or poorly expressed thoughts, concerns, and feelings
 Picks up signals when others are not feeling comfortable and displays
consideration

 Open to diversity of opinion

 Understands both what is being said by a person and underlying reasons for
the emotional state of the person
Level 2:
 Understands and appreciates other’s concerns and feelings
Has Concern for Others
 Probes to understand people’s issues, unspoken thoughts, and feelings
 Displays openness to diversity of opinion and adapts behaviour to be helpful
and considerate

 Makes inferences that go beyond the explicitly expressed content and emotion
 Identifies a unique characteristic or the strengths of the other person
Level 3:  Is sensitive to underlying problems, and why people act or behave the way
Expresses Concern for they do
Others  Demonstrates empathy by correctly understanding reactions or emotions of
others
 Builds trust by demonstrating respect for other’s point of view

 Displays an in-depth understanding of the ongoing reasons for a person’s

behaviour and response
 Understands the longer-term reasons for behaviour
Level 4:
 Makes a balanced assessment of a person’s strengths and weaknesses based
Acts as a Role Model
on a deeper understanding of the individual
 Demonstrates an astute understanding of others’ views by asking the right
questions at the right time

 Creates a culture of mutual trust and respect

Level 5:
 Encourages others to read deeper into others’ emotions by providing practical
Creates and Promotes an
tips
Environment of Respect
 Creates the systems promoting empathy

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3.4 Delegation
Delegates responsibility with the appropriate level of autonomy so that others are free to innovate and take the lead.

 Finalizes work plan in a participatory manner

Level 1:
 Makes resources available as per work plan
Provides Personal Guidance
 Expresses confidence in the ability of the team members to get the work done
and Direction
 Keeps track of assigned tasks by monitoring milestones as per work plan

 Assigns stretched targets while designing work plan

 Ensures the employee or team has the clarity of the task assigned and
understands its importance
Level 2:
 Provides timely feedback and encourages the employee to undertake the task
Expresses Trust and Stays
 Provides them the specific direction and hands-on support needed to undertake
Focused
the task
 Does not indulge in fault finding in the event of failure
 Recognises success and gives credit for the same

 Provides forums to elicit diverse perspectives across teams to enable robust

decisions
Level 3:  Provides direction and process expectations for delivery against a standard of
Sets the Criteria for Success performance
 Communicate the criteria of success and does not get into monitoring the details
of the plan

 Sets policy direction as well as targets on key indicators to monitor the policy
Level 4: implementation
Sets and Monitors Key  Ensures adequate level of authority, required to deliver a specified outcome or
Policy Objectives series of outcomes
 Provides others the autonomy to operate within Departmental policies

 Has faith in the technical know-how, decision- making, and managerial ability of
Level 5:
others
Pushes the Limits of
 Delegates full authority and responsibility to team members to provide solutions
Autonomy within norms of
for the Government and community on agreed policies
Governance
 Creates a culture of trust and empowerment amongst team members

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

4. Efficiency

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4.1 Result Orientation

High Drive for achieving targets and competing against a standard of excellence.

Level 1:  Tries to do the job well and as expected

Focuses on doing what is  Works towards meeting timelines and expresses a desire to do better
Expected  Is mindful of waste, inefficiency and red-tapism while discharging duties

 Keeps track of and measures outcomes against a higher standard of

Level 2: performance
Creates Own Measures of  Consistently ensures on-time delivery of quality work
Better Results  Exhibits creative ways to meet Departmental goals and priorities.
 Makes suggestions on how work processes can be improved

 Regularly makes specific changes in the system or in own work methods to

improve performance
Level 3:  Takes the initiative to ensure that key objectives are consistently achieved
Consistently Improves  Monitors efficiency of work practices and modifies them to provide better
Systems as well as service
Performance  Works to achieve tasks better, faster, and more efficiently; and looks to
improve quality, community satisfaction, and morale, without setting any
specific goal

 Helps set stretched but achievable goals by the team

 Benchmarks against standards of excellence and continually strives for
Level 4:
superior performance
Sets Challenging Goals for
 Motivates, encourages others to set higher benchmarks and strive for superior
the Organisation and works
performance
to meet them
 Continually looks to adapt leading practices from other Departments/
organisations to improve performance

 Uses a variety of methods to help team members to attain higher levels of

performance
Level 5:
 Recognises and rewards innovation, setting higher benchmarks to create a
Creates a Culture of
culture of high achievement
Achieving Challenging
 Encourages and rewards continuous review and improvement of work
Goals
processes
 Inspires individuals to consistently exceed performance targets

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4.2 Conceptual thinking

Understanding a situation or environment by putting the pieces together and identifying patterns that may not be
obviously related. Connecting the dots while resisting stereotyping.

 Applies basic rules, common sense, and past experiences to identify causal
Level 1: relations, patterns etc or their absence
Applies Basic Rules  Is able to recognise when a current situation is exactly the same as / similar
to a past situation

 Quickly identifies key issues or patterns in day-to-day situations

Level 2:  Able to derive conscious rationale or its absence from recurring situations or
Recognises Patterns events
 Creates own hypothesis to current situation or problem

 Uses well-chosen analogies to illustrate an issue or a situation

 Applies and modifies complex learned concepts appropriately
Level 3:  Considers how well situations are described by existing models
Applies Learning  Reaches conclusions by identifying the similarities and differences between
situations
 Steps back in order to see the bigger picture

 Communicates the ‘big picture’ clearly to others

Level 4:  Makes complex ideas or situations clear, simple, and understandable
Clarifies Complex Situations  Breaks- down a complex issue into a useful model or illustration
to Stakeholders  Assembles ideas, issues, and observations into a clear and useful
explanation

 Develops new ideas that lead to greater efficiency and inclusiveness, for eg
by analysing global best practices
Level 5:  Willing to experiment without being constrained by bias, stereotypes and
Develops New traditional views
Understanding /Meaning  Proposes new approaches to the department and / or Civil Services
 Proposes alternative, radical hypotheses and tests them / keeps them in play
 Redefines the understanding of stakeholder and community needs

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4.3 Initiative and Drive

Contributing more than what is expected in the job, refusing to give up when faced with challenges, and finding or
creating new opportunities.

 Addresses present issues immediately without waiting to be told to act on

Level 1:
them
Takes Actions on Immediate
 Is action-orientated and self-motivated towards his/her work
Priorities
 Makes more than one attempt to resolve issues

 Spots opportunities and is quick to respond to them

Level 2:  Overcomes obstacles to ensure completion of work
Identifies Opportunities and  Tries to predict clients’ needs (internal and external) before they are voiced
Responds Adequately and addresses them
 Uses own judgement to escalate issues

 Proactively engages in new initiatives and partnerships with the objective of

creating a future opportunity or bringing about an improvement
Level 3:  Introduces process changes that alleviates pressure during busy periods
Creates Opportunities for  Anticipates potential problems and keeps superiors informed about
the Short-Term developments
 Acts quickly to seize an opportunity or address a crisis by drawing on
required resources and similar experiences

 Takes initiative in creating solutions that would support organisation in future

Level 4:  Acts proactively by planning ahead, and pursues specific opportunities
Anticipates and Acts for the  Anticipates situations up to a year in advance, in order to plan action and
Medium-Term build in contingencies
 Encourages others to take initiative

 Plans for long term to anticipate and take action on possible opportunities or
crises
Level 5:  Creates an environment where individuals are willing and able to take
Nurtures environment that initiative without fearing consequences of failure
is conducive to taking  Persists at the problem to overcome obstacles
initiative  Creates and supports environment that allows team members to make
mistakes and learn from them
 Nurtures an environment of accepting mistakes and learn from them

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4.4 Seeking information

An underlying curiosity to know more about things, people, or issues. This includes “digging” for exact information and
keeping up-to-date with relevant knowledge.

 Uses available information in the organisation

Level 1:  Asks direct questions from those who are directly involved in the situation
Conducts Basic Search  Conducts basic search to obtain more information in books, journals and
internet

 Investigates each situation beyond routine questioning

 Checks assumptions against facts by asking questions
Level 2:
 Identifies people who are related and investigates the situation further
Investigates Situation
 Connects all the information available and conducts field visits, if needed, to
gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation

 Asks a series of probing questions to get at the root of a situation or a potential

opportunity
Level 3:  Consults with experts and practitioners to get their independent perspective,
Digs Deeper background information, experience, etc.
 Seeks to develop deeper understanding and get an in-depth perspective of the
subject

 Makes a systematic effort within limited time to obtain needed data or feedback
 Conducts in-depth investigation from different and a wide range of sources
Level 4:
 Studies best practices of other states, sectors, regions organisations etc
Conducts Research
 Tries to obtain new insight or meaning by conducting or commissioning a
formal research if required

 Conducts field visits (if needed) to gain a comprehensive understanding of

situation
Level 5:
 Identifies individuals or develops trusted sources to conduct regular information
Develops Own Sources of
gathering
Direct Information
 Validates the veracity of informal information through other means and
resources

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4.5 Planning and coordination

Ability to plan, organise and monitor work with effective utilisation of resources such as time, money, and people.

 Demonstrates good time management skills to meet short- and medium-term

Level 1: objectives
Organises and Schedules  Plans own work schedule and monitors progress against it optimally
Own Work  Uses available resources optimally to meet work objective
 Identifies and tries to solve bottlenecks in own area of work

 Monitors progress periodically and revises work plans as required

Level 2:  Keeps oneself up-to-date and makes necessary adjustments to timelines, work
Monitoring Own Progress plan, and resource allocation as necessary
 Identifies risks and early warning signals and modifies work plan accordingly

 Produces an integrated plan taking into account inter-related activities to

achieve the overall objectives
Level 3:
 Clearly prioritises multiple, interrelated tasks when working with others
Considers Interrelated
 Considers a range of factors in the planning process (for example, costs,
Activities
timing, public needs, resources available, etc.)
 Anticipates risks and incorporates mitigation plan into overall work plan

 Steers planning and coordination of Department activities to achieve

sustainable enabling environment in respective fields.
Manages resources to meet competing objectives
Level 4:
 Establishes alternative courses of action, organises people, and prioritises
Manages Competing
activities to achieve results more effectively
Priorities
 Sets, communicates, and regularly assesses priorities
 Balances the priorities of different interest groups keeping in mind the bigger
picture

 Creates a stable and predictable environment to enable organisation in

Level 5: reaching its full potential
Long-Term Planning Focus  Incentivises to create a level playing field for citizens to be able to harness their
capabilities

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4.6 Desire for knowledge

Keeps up-to-date with relevant knowledge and technology, shares latest developments with others, and advocates the
application of acquired knowledge.

 Maintains up-to-date knowledge about practices and policies that assist in

Level 1:
performing day-to-day work
Maintains up-to-date
 Keeps own policy and procedure binders (circulars, memorandums, OMs),
Knowledge
working papers, and ensures that files are up-to-date

 Seeks to understand policies and procedures in the related work area,

 Proactively reads relevant literature to enhance knowledge of relevant
Level 2: practices
Proactively Keeps Abreast of  Keeps abreast of changes in internal and external environment that impacts
Change in Environment work area
 Identifies and utilises learning opportunities to improve knowledge (for
example, courses, observation of others, assignments, etc.)

 Draws opportunities for learning from day to day experience

 Seeks to enhance knowledge through interaction with experts and by reading
Level 3:
articles and journals
Develops Broader Conceptual
 Consults closely with other Departments and relevant stake holders to develop
Knowledge
broader conceptual understanding’
 Pursues challenging assignments to develop expertise

 Develops an external orientation, by keeping up-to-date with professional

bodies, trends, and new legislation
 Reads widely, such as policy documents, external reports, or professional and
Government journals
Level 4:  Explores best practices and identifies opportunities for implementation in the
Prepares for the Long Term existing environment
 Encourages knowledge and experience sharing
 Looks beyond the short term and makes changes in systems and processes
which focuses on long term knowledge enhancement (capacity development,
planning, research etc)

 Is identified as a thought leader in own professional or technical field

 Encourages and facilitates the acquisition of knowledge in others
Level 5:
 Suggests strategies to develop Departments’/Civil Services’ overall knowledge
Seen as a Role Model
base
 Creates an environment for development of knowledge of self and others

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

4.7 Innovative thinking

Open to change, approaches issues differently, offers alternate/out of the box solutions and strives for efficiency by working
smartly.

 Identifies possibilities of improvements in current areas of work

Level 1:
 Open to the possibilities of change and considers ways to implement and adapt
Is Open to New Ideas and
change in current area of work
Change
 Improvises in case of issues of urgent importance

 Suggests ideas and feedback for improvements with others in a constructive

manner
Level 2:
 Applies learning from experiences and observations and implements to improve
Suggests Innovative Ways of
efficiency in the area of work
Solving Issues and Improving
 Conducts regular reviews of the progress and identifies possible areas of
Current Ways of Working
improvements
 Puts aside preconceptions and considers new ideas on their merits

 Seeks improvement in public service delivery through multiple methods such as

technology, efficient work practices etc
Level 3:  Proactively engages with stakeholders for continuous improvement in service
Proactively Seeks delivery
Opportunities to Initiate New  Identifies bottlenecks and warning signs and initiates preventive action
Ideas / Change  Prepared to meet the challenges of difficult change and encourages others in
doing the same
 Challenges the status quo and looks for unconventional solutions

 Encourages ideas, improvements and measured risk-taking to improve services

 Identifies & implements changes to transform flexibility, responsiveness, and
quality of service
Level 4:
 Articulates and demonstrates the change messages, on possible occasions, to
Encourages Innovation
possible audience
 Creates comprehensive plans and redesigns control mechanisms to respond
promptly to critical events and to manage change.

 Critically Challenges decision making and allocation of resources

Level 5:  Promotes innovative thinking and welcomes game changing ideas
Creates a Culture of  Tolerates genuine mistakes and measured risk taking to achieve transformation
Innovative Thinking and  Rethinks systems and partnership approaches to achieve desired outcomes
Ability to Handle Change  Creates a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness, mobilising the
Department to respond swiftly to changing priorities

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

4.8 Problem Solving

Understanding a situation by breaking it into smaller parts, organising information systematically, and setting priorities.

 Breaks down complex issues into smaller parts for easier analysis
Level 1:  Collects and analyses related information from a variety of sources
Breaks Down Problems  Is able to effectively sift through information
 Identifies the links between situations and given information

Level 2:  Identifies the cause-and-effect relationship between two aspects of a situation

Identifies Basic  Develops an action plan based on causal relations and pros and cons
Relationships  Weighs pros and cons of different options

Level 3:  Able to diagnose multiple cause and effect relationships in a problem (ability to see
Identifies Multiple several potential causes of an event or several events)
Relationships  Develops potential solutions and identifies risks involved

 Ability to see the holistic picture

 Identifies interdependencies between various components
Level 4:  Communicates complex problems in a simple manner
Develops Solutions to  Develops a solution that attempts to address the complexities at different levels
Complex Problems  Generates options to address the problem in its entirety
 Creates solutions that address not only immediate issues (quick fixes) but also
takes steps for medium to long-term impact of the solutions

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

4.9 Developing others

Genuinely believes in others’ capabilities to develop and takes personal responsibility for their development.
Creates a positive environment for learning and provides developmental opportunities for individuals and teams.

Level 1:  Makes positive comments regarding others’ future development,

Expresses Positive particularly those who may be perceived as not having high potential
Expectations of others  Believes that others want to and can learn to improve their performance

 Explains how to do a task, with detailed instructions and demonstration

Level 2:
 Provides practical support with the aim of developing others depending
Provides Guidance and
on their needs
Detailed Instructions
 Expresses positive expectations for the development of others

 Reviews work delivery and provides timely, constructive, and specific

feedback in key strengths and areas for improvement
Level 3:  Encourages team members to develop learning and career plans and
Ensures Learning and follows up to guide their development and measure progress
Development and Provides  Values different personal needs of the team members and uses this
Specific Feedback understanding to promote inclusiveness
 Ensures diversified exposure for team members, for example,
opportunities to work on stretched projects

 Takes risks on others to enable them to grow, by delegating

responsibility and decision-making
Level 4:  Allows others to learn from mistakes in non-critical settings
Empowers for Long-Term  Provides mentoring support and direction to attain the team members’
Development learning needs for the long-term development
 Creates an inclusive environment, from which all staff, including under-
represented groups, can develop

 Continuously assesses the talent requirements and proactively

manages talent pipeline to ensure operational excellence
 Institutionalises mechanisms that support continuous learning and
Level 5: improvement
Develops Future Leaders  Manages and develops teams with an acute awareness of
inclusiveness, equality, and diversity
 Builds capacity-development strategies to support career development
for all employees

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

4.10 Self Awareness and Self control

Identifies one’s own emotional triggers and controls one’s emotional responses. Maintains a sense of professionalism
and emotional restraint when provoked, faced with hostility or working under increased stress. It includes resilience and
stamina despite prolonged adversities.

 Aware of own feelings, strengths and weaknesses

Level 1:  Aware of the connection between own feelings and their impact on own
Is Aware of Self and actions and performance
Restrains Emotional  Reads situations rationally
Impulses  Resists the temptation to act impulsively
 Remains calm in stressful situations and listens to others’ point of view

 Aware of how one’s emotions and actions impact others

 Conducts rationally even under strong internal emotions
Level 2:  Knows what emotional ‘hot buttons’ he/she has and avoids situations that will
Responds Calmly cause emotional responses
 Acts calmly and respectfully towards others despite difficult situations
 Has an honest understanding of own weaknesses and strengths

 Actively manages self-effectiveness in different situations by thoroughly

understanding of one’s own responses
 Uses stress management techniques to deal with stress and control
Level 3:
responses
Manages Stress Effectively
 Responds constructively and professionally to extreme challenges,
provocation and/or professional disappointments
 Continues providing effective leadership in situations of stress or adversity

 Calms others during stressful situations (by remaining calm, listening

Level 4: attentively)
Managing Self and Others  Diffuses stressful situation and lightens the environment for example by
Under High Stress or humour, presenting analogies etc
Adversity  Coaches and mentors others on ways to manage stress
 Accepts negative feedback in a mature manner

 Able to maintain focus and stamina for self and others in prolonged adversity
 Nurtures a culture to identify and dissolve stressors by better planning and
Level 5:
analyzing the past instances
Nurtures a Culture of
 Creates and promotes culture of calm behavior in a large group or
Rationality and Calm
organization
Behaviour
 Improvises and innovates to out-manoeuvre stressful situations to attain
expected results

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 Competency Framework for the Civil Services

4.11 Communication Skills

Articulates information to others in language that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. It also includes the ability to
listen and understand unspoken feelings and concerns of others.

 Listens actively and objectively without interrupting

Level 1:  Checks own understanding of others’ communication (e.g., repeats or
Listens Attentively and paraphrases, asks additional questions)
Presents Information Clearly  Is able to ask questions clearly to gather basic understanding of issues at
hand
 Presents basic facts in a clear and concise manner, both orally and in writing
 Keeps superiors and other relevant stakeholders informed

 Conveys information, opinions and arguments fluently and confidently in a

manner that clearly explains the benefits of one’s proposition on different
people in the society
 Elicits feedback on what has been said
 Is able to ask leading and open-ended questions to allow for deeper thoughts
to surface during communication
Level 2:  Understands complex non-verbal cues and incorporates the understanding to
Fosters Two-Way achieve better two-way communication of ideas
Communication  Maintains an open communication channel with others
 Communicate information likely to be perceived negatively with sensitivity
and tact
 Supports messages with relevant data and examples to create better impact
and to enhance understanding
 Is able to write complex ideas in an easy to read, coherent, accurate manner
devoid of jargon

 Adapts communication style to suit the situation

 Takes others’ perspectives into account during communication,
Level 3:  Times communication effectively keeping in mind the overall context and
Adapts Communication to public opinion
Others  Anticipates the response to messages and adapts communications
accordingly
 Is able to understand the non-verbal cues of the speaker

 Does not bluff, acknowledges lack of information, acts tactfully and follows up
response in agreed time
Level 4:  Communicates complex issues clearly and credibly, to widely varied
Communicates Complex audiences
Messages Clearly and  Shares the idea with opinion makers, before “voicing” it
Credibly  Uses varied communication methodologies to promote dialogue and shared
understanding through interesting examples (stories, myths, cases, best
practices etc)

Level 5:
Communicates Strategically  Uses different forums, media vehicles, tailors messages accordingly to
achieve optimum results

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4.12 Team-Working

Working together as a unit for the common goal. Building teams through mutual trust, respect and cooperation.

 Willingly complies with the team decisions, is a good team player, does his or
her share of the work
 Willingly gives support to co-workers and works collaboratively rather than
Level 1:
competitively
Cooperates with Others
 Shares all relevant information with the team members, provides ideas,
inputs and suggestions
 Deals honestly and fairly with others, showing consideration and respect

 Has a positive attitude towards team members

 Communicates their expectations towards others positively, in terms of their
Level 2: abilities, expected contributions, etc.
Appreciates Positive  Acknowledges the work of others
Attitudes and Expresses  Speaks positively about the team members , when either communicating with
Positive Expectations of them directly or to a third party
Team  Shares experiences, knowledge, and best practices with team members
 Assumes responsibility for own work activities and coordinating efforts

 Solicits ideas and opinions to help form specific decisions or plans

Level 3:  Displays willingness to learn from others, including subordinates and peers
Solicits Inputs  Genuinely values others’ expertise
 Incorporates others’ suggestions into planning and decision making

 Publicly and formally credits others who have performed well

 Encourages and empowers others, making them feel strong and important
Level 4:  Builds relationships with team members and with other inter- / intra-
Encourages Others Department work units
 Encourages others to share experience, knowledge and best practices with
the team

 Promotes good working relationships rising above the bias

 Collaborates with other Departments to work towards a larger goal
Level 5:
 Capitalises on opportunities and efficiently utilises diverse talents of the team
Works to Build Team
members
Commitment
 Works towards building positive team environment and addresses
descriptive behavior such as threats, insults, stereotyping or exaggerations

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