Tessera Consulting offers you the chance to align your Human Resource efforts behind a robust competency framework. This framework is scientifically constructed and reflects not only the competencies needed for success today, but also the competencies needed to achieve excellence tomorrow.

Competency frameworks are as popular as ever in the world of HR. But few are ever designed to reflect the need an individual has to develop within a position, or the need an organisation has to retain its strategic edge.

Tessera’s approach to competency design is dynamic. We recognise that many job analysis techniques lead to competencies that simply reflect the behaviours necessary for good performance today. However, people change, and so do organisations.

Competency frameworks help us to develop and recruit people in a clear and unified way and as such, are often seen as the cornerstone of a successful HR strategy.

In order to create an accurate and robust competency framework a thorough job analysis must be performed. Most approaches to job analysis concentrate on identifying the behaviours associated with good performance within a particular job. However, Tessera believes that these approaches need to be supplemented by additional methodologies that help us to look forward rather than concentrate on the present.

Competencies That Reflect Strategy
Tessera believes that any job analysis should incorporate the perspective of the senior management team so that the company’s long-term strategy can be incorporated into the competency framework. If this is done effectively, individuals can be recruited and developed to reflect the kind of managers and leaders that the company will need in the future. Without this, your company could simply be recruiting people with similar competencies, year after year, with no acknowledgement that the company has moved on.

"Start-State" And "End-State" Competencies
Competencies can be designed to identify what is good job performance today, and what will be good job performance in the future. Start-State Competencies tell us what behaviours are necessary for an individual to possess right at the beginning of their tenure. However, as an individual grows within the job these Start-State competencies become less important. End-State competencies are the competencies that an individual should have developed over a period of time. If a manager has successfully developed his/her skills, you should not keep comparing him/her to the same old benchmark.

A Competency Tree
These competencies are designed to reflect differences in level. A management group may have a number of levels of seniority whereby each level needs the same competencies, but the way that these competencies are demonstrated may be different.

A Competency Tree outlines the competencies common to all levels of seniority, yet the behaviours associated with these competencies are different for each level and are also described in full. This approach to competency design is particularly useful for giving employees an illustration of the sorts of characteristics expected of them as they progress within the organisation.

The Importance Of Job Analysis
A thorough and considered job analysis is at the heart of all good competency frameworks. Tessera’s approach mixes traditional job analysis techniques, such as Repertory Grid and Critical Incidence analysis, with other structured interview techniques and tools, such as the Position Analysis Questionnaire. The time devoted to job analysis, and the number of job incumbents, superiors and peers interviewed will vary with the job under consideration. Tessera aims to conduct these interviews in alignment with best practice, mixing diplomacy, discretion and professionalism with a high degree of scientific rigour.

Would You Like To Know More?
In addition to job analysis and competency design, Tessera can also design assessment programmes, both for selection and development, based upon these competency frameworks.
If you would like to know more about Tessera’s approach to competency design, please do no hesitate to contact: Amy Balderson (Click to email)