Clarifying the use of competence and competency models in recruitment, assessment and staff development

Abstract

To begin with, an English lesson. We need to distinguish between "competence" and "competency". Some dictionaries lump them together and present them as interchangeable, but I suggest it is useful to use "competence" to mean a skill and the standard of performance reached while "competency" refers to the behaviour by which it is achieved. In other words, one describes what people can do while the other focuses on how they do it. There is, therefore, an interface between the two, i.e. the competent application of a skill is likely to make one act in a competent manner, and vice versa (see Figure 1).The plural of each word, therefore, gives us two different meanings -for competences and competencies are not the same thing. Competences refers to the range of skills which are satisfactorily performed; while competencies refers to the behaviours adopted in competent performance. It is this distinction, in my view, that is vital to the whole debate and the failure of many to recognize it largely explains the problems that many organizations have experienced. My aim, hopefully, is to unravel some of this confusion and, present a more constructive way forward.

Modelo de Evaluación del Desempeño Basado en Competencias Performance Evaluation Model Based on Competencies

“…Por ejemplo, Rowe [15] se refiere a las competencias como una habilidad y un estándar de rendimiento alcanzado; Boyatzis [16] habla de ellas como una característica subyacente de los individuos que está causalmente relacionada con un desempeño efectivo o superior; Dalton [17] las define como conductas que distinguen gente efectiva de gente inefectiva.…”

Women entrepreneurship in South Africa: Understanding the role of competencies in business success

“…Both terms are often used interchangeably, even though they are two distinct concepts by different scholars. Rowe (1995), for example, defined 'competence' as a skill or standard of performance and argues that 'competency' refers to a behaviour that results in performance being achieved. Hoffmann (1999), from his extensive review of the various meanings attributed to competencies, concluded that there are three different definitions for competencies: (1) observable performance, (2) the standard of the outcome, or result, of a person's performance and (3) the underlying attributes of a person, such as their knowledge, skills and abilities.…”

A Cross-cultural Assessment of the Competency Needs of Women Operating in the Context of SMMEs in South Africa

“…Both terms are often used interchangeably, even though they are considered to be two distinct concepts by scholars. Rowe (1995), for example, defined "competence" as a skill or standard of performance, and argues that "competency" refers to behavior that results in performance being achieved. Hoffmann (1999), from his extensive analysis of the different definitions linked to competencies, concluded that there are 3 different definitions for competencies: (1) observable performance (2) the business outcome and (3) the causal attributes of a person, such as their expertise.…”