Mapping Competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change: Part I: The Context

- from Mapping Competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change: Turning Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Into Action

Part I


The Context: Understanding a Competency-Based Approach

Organizations, universities, businesses, professions, and other groups have defined thecompetencies essential to what they do. For those unfamiliar with the approach and theprocess that has been developed over the past few decades, the Bellagio Conferencebegan with an overview of what competencies are; how they are identified, standardized,assessed, and certified; and how they relate to education.The brief explanation presented here is based on the presentation by Conferencefacilitator María Irigoin. A more complete paper on the topic, including references forfurther information, appears as Appendix B-1.

What Is Competence?

Competence is about turning knowledge into action. In the 1990s, as the United Nationslooked at how it should be organized in the 21 st century, competencies played animportant role. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan defines competence as "a combinationof skills, attributes, and behaviors that aredirectly related to successful performance onthe job." The United Kingdom's Institute ofHealth Care Development defines it as "theability to perform according to job standards,through a wide range of circumstances and torespond to changing demands."

Implicit in both definitions - as well as inothers in the literature - is that superiorperformance in a job is based on applyingknowledge, skills, and attitudes in an ever-changingenvironment.

Countries, organizations, and companies havedefined competencies for particularoccupations, or abilities that can be appliedacross occupations. For example, the UnitedKingdom and Mexico have national systems todefine competencies in manufacturing,construction, health and social protection, andother areas. Each system has levels of competence, as well: for example, the UnitedKingdom differentiates among five levels of competencies that are applicable acrossoccupations. Level 1 refers to competence in mainly routine and predictable activities,while Levels 2-5 deal with progressively higher-order skills culminating in competenciessuch as management of others, resource allocation, planning, and evaluation.

Processes in a Competency-Based Approach

In the competency approach, competencies are identified, standardized, assessed, andcertified. A brief overview of each process is as follows:

• Identification: This process establishes or defines the competencies needed to performa work activity satisfactorily. For example, what are the competencies that aphysician needs to do his or her job? What competencies must the employees in apaper manufacturer know and be able to do? Three principal methods have beendeveloped to identify competencies:
  
  • Occupational Analysis, in which the task is the object of analysis. Occupationalanalysis was developed and is widely used in the United States.
  • Constructivist Analysis, in which l´emploi-type dans sa dynamique or ETED(translated as "a typical job studied in its dynamic"), is the object of analysis andis a construct built out of consideration of different but related jobs. Constructivistanalysis was developed and is used mostly in France.
  • Functional Analysis, in which the function (a meaningful set of interrelated tasks that are performed to attain an objective) is the object of analysis. Functionalanalysis was developed and is used in the United Kingdom, as well as by manyEuropean and Latin American countries.

  Functional analysis is the most widely used method to identify competencies mainlybecause it is more holistic than occupational analysis and less time-consuming todevelop than constructivist analysis.

• Standardization: The process of generalizing a competence and turning it into acompetence standard. A standard is a competence that becomes a valid reference for agiven group of workers or organizations.
• Assessment: The process of collecting evidence of a worker's performance to judgecompetence against a standard and to identify performance areas that need to bestrengthened, modified, or improved. Strategies and instruments to collect evidencefor assessment of competency include oral and written tests, execution tests,observation of performance, simulations, examination of work products, portfolios,and testimonies from third parties.
• Certification: The process of formal recognition of competence demonstrating thatthe worker can perform a standardized labor activity. Experts judge whether mastery was attained in each competence and may grant a certificate or some other credential to those showing that competence has been achieved.

Two other important processes that ensue from the development of competencies areCompetence-based Training and Competence-based Human Resources Management, as follows:

• Competence-based Training: The process of designing and developing training based on a competency. Competency-based training can fill gaps identified during competency assessments. This process has progressively become an accepted strategy for curriculum development due to its clear link to real work. It is also referred to as Competence-based Education, which includes both formal education and training.
• Competence-based Human Resource Management: The process of linking competencies to all phases of management of human resources, including selection of employees, work organization and flow, training and development, working conditions, salary and benefits, evaluation, and promotion.

Competencies and Education

As education undergoes profound changes with the introduction of new technology, the expectation of lifelong learning, and other developments, competencies can form part of this new learning environment. They can serve as an input to educational reforms within colleges and universities, as well as in professional and continuing education. Curriculum designers build on generic or core competency requirements (e.g., the ability to work in teams or solve problems), as well as the specific or technical requirements (e.g., the requirements that a communicator in the field of development and social change needs compared with a store clerk or a playwright). Ideally, education and training programs based on competencies that are needed in the "real world" will prepare students who are ready to take on the challenges ahead.