Main features of key competencies. Modern pedagogical literature presents a fairly large set of competencies, which actualizes the problem of their selection and systematization according to certain criteria. For example, during the Council of Europe symposium on the topic “Key Competencies for Europe” the following indicative list of key competencies was identified: study; search; think; cooperate; get down to business; adapt.

The problem of selecting basic (key, universal) competencies is one of the central ones for education. All key competencies are distinguished by the following characteristic features:

Firstly, they are multifunctional; mastering them allows you to solve various problems in everyday professional or social life.

Secondly, key competencies are supra-disciplinary and interdisciplinary, they are general in nature and are therefore easily transferable to various situations, not only at school, but also at work, in the family, in the political sphere, etc.

Thirdly, key competencies require significant intellectual development: abstract thinking, self-reflection, determining one’s own position, self-esteem, critical thinking, etc.

Fourthly, key competencies are multidimensional, that is, they include various mental processes and intellectual skills (analytical, critical, communication, etc.), know-how, as well as common sense.

Key competencies are based on universal knowledge, skills, generalized experience of creative activity, emotional and value relations. Universal, according to L.N. Bogolyubov, are fundamental knowledge, including broad theoretical generalizations and basic scientific categories. For example, in mathematics such concepts include the concept of “number”, in physics – “energy”, in history – “state”, etc., and universal skills are generalized methods of activity.

Types of competencies and their structure. In accordance with the division of educational content into general metasubject (for all subjects), interdisciplinary (for a cycle of subjects) and subject (for a specific subject), A.V. Khutorskoy proposes a three-level hierarchy of competencies: 1) key competencies; 2) general subject competencies; 3) subject competencies. Key competencies relate to the general (meta-subject) content of education. General subject competencies relate to a specific cycle of subjects, and subject competencies are associated with a specific subject. All groups of competencies are interrelated: key competencies are specified first at the level of a cycle of subjects, and then at the level of each individual subject for each stage of education.

Analysis of the component composition of key competencies within the framework of various pedagogical and psychological studies allows us to turn to the definition of the structure of key competencies of students.

I.A. Zimnyaya and Yu.G. Tatur mandatory components of key competencies include: positive motivation (readiness) to demonstrate competence; value-semantic ideas (attitudes) to the content and result of activity (value-semantic aspect); knowledge underlying the choice of how to carry out the relevant activity (cognitive basis of competence); ability, experience (skill) to successfully implement the necessary actions based on existing knowledge (behavioral aspect); emotional-volitional self-regulation.

G.K. Selevko presents a key competence as a complex of components, including knowledge (cognitive), activity (behavioral) and relational (affective) components. A.V. Tikhonenko, in addition to the listed components of key competencies, includes a social component (the ability and readiness to meet the requirements of the social order for a competent specialist).

Thus, the structure of key competencies is characterized by an integrative nature and represents the unity of its components: motivational, cognitive, value-semantic, behavioral, which should be reflected in the content of general secondary education.

Classifications of key competencies. The issue of classification of key competencies also does not have a clear solution in the literature.

“in the field of independent cognitive activity, based on the assimilation of methods of acquiring knowledge from various sources of information, including extracurricular ones;

in the sphere of civil and social activities (playing the roles of a citizen, voter, consumer);

in the field of social and labor activities (including the ability to analyze the situation on the labor market, assess one’s own professional capabilities, navigate the norms and ethics of relationships, self-organization skills);

in the everyday sphere (including aspects of one’s own health, family life, etc.);

in the field of cultural and leisure activities (including the choice of ways and means of using free time, culturally and spiritually enriching the individual).”

Based on the provisions formulated in Russian psychology that: a) a person is a subject of communication, cognition, and work (B.G. Ananyev);

b) a person manifests himself in a system of relationships to society, other people, to himself, to work (V.N. Myasishchev); c) human competence has a vector of acmeological development (N.V. Kuzmina, A.A. Derkach); d) professionalism includes competencies (A.K. Markova) I.A. Zimnyaya identified three main groups of competencies:

1. Competencies related to the person himself as an individual, subject of activity, communication:

Health care competencies: knowledge and adherence to healthy lifestyle standards, knowledge of the dangers of smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, AIDS; knowledge and compliance with the rules of personal hygiene and everyday life; physical culture of a person, freedom and responsibility of choosing a lifestyle;

Competencies of value-semantic orientation in the world: values ​​of being, life; cultural values ​​(painting, literature, art, music); Sciences; production; history of civilizations, one’s own country; religion;

Integration competencies: structuring knowledge, situationally adequate updating of knowledge, expansion, increment of accumulated knowledge;

Citizenship competencies: knowledge and compliance with the rights and responsibilities of a citizen; freedom and responsibility, self-confidence, self-dignity, civic duty; knowledge and pride in the symbols of the state (coat of arms, flag, anthem);

Competencies of self-improvement, self-regulation, self-development, personal and subject reflection: the meaning of life; Professional Development; language and speech development; mastering the culture of the native language, proficiency in a foreign language.

2. Competencies related to social interaction between humans and the social sphere:

Competencies of social interaction: with society, community, team, family, friends, partners; conflicts and their repayment; cooperation; tolerance, respect and acceptance of others (race, nationality, religion, status, role, gender); social mobility;

Competencies in communication (oral, written): dialogue, monologue, generation and perception of text; knowledge and observance of traditions, ritual, etiquette; cross-cultural communication; business correspondence; office work, business language; foreign language communication, communicative tasks, levels of influence on the recipient.

3. Competencies related to human activities:

Competencies cognitive activity: setting and solving cognitive problems; non-standard solutions, problem situations - their creation and resolution; productive and reproductive cognition, research, intellectual activity;

Activity competencies: play, learning, work; means and methods of activity: planning, design, modeling, forecasting, research activities, orientation in various types of activities;

Competencies information technologies: receiving, processing, issuing information (reading, taking notes), mass media, multimedia technologies, computer literacy; mastery of electronic and Internet technology.

Let us present another point of view on the issue under consideration. Based on the main goals of general education, as well as the structure of social experience, personal experience, and the main types of student activities, A.V. Khutorskoy identifies seven groups of key competencies for general education:

1. Value and semantic competencies. These are competencies in the field of worldview related to the student’s value orientations, his ability to see and understand the world around him, navigate it, realize his role and purpose, choose goals and meaning for his actions and actions, and make decisions. These competencies provide a mechanism for student self-determination in situations of educational and other activities. The individual educational trajectory of the student and the program of his life as a whole depend on them.

2. General cultural competencies. This is a range of issues in relation to which the student must be well informed, have knowledge and experience. This includes - features of national and universal culture, spiritual and moral foundations of human life, individual nations and humanity, cultural foundations of family, social and public phenomena and traditions, the role of science and religion in human life, their influence on the world, competencies in everyday life and cultural life. -leisure sphere. This also includes the student’s experience of mastering the scientific picture of the world.

3. Educational and cognitive competencies. This is a set of competencies in the field of independent cognitive activity, including elements of logical, methodological, general educational activity, correlated with real cognizable objects. This includes knowledge and skills in organizing goal setting, planning, analysis, reflection, and self-assessment of educational and cognitive activities. In relation to the objects being studied, the student masters the skills of productive activity: obtaining knowledge directly from reality, mastering methods of action in non-standard situations, and heuristic methods for solving problems. Within the framework of these competencies, the requirements of appropriate functional literacy are determined: the ability to distinguish facts from speculation, mastery of measurement skills, the use of probabilistic, statistical and other methods of cognition.

4. Information competencies. This is a set of competencies in the field of information activities using a complex of modern information and computer technologies. With the help of real objects (TV, tape recorder, telephone, fax, computer, printer, modem, copier, scanner) and information technologies (audio, video recording, e-mail, media, Internet), the ability to independently search, analyze and select the necessary information is developed, organize, transform, store and transmit it. These competencies provide the student with the skills to act in relation to information contained in academic subjects and educational areas, as well as in the surrounding world.

5. Communication competencies. This is a set of competencies in the field of communication activities. These include knowledge of the necessary languages, ways of interacting with others and remote people and events, group work skills, mastery of various social roles in a team. The student must be able to introduce himself, write a letter, application, fill out a form, ask a question, participate in a discussion, etc. To master these competencies in the educational process, the necessary and sufficient number of real objects of communication and ways of working with them are recorded for a student at each level of education within each subject or educational field being studied.

6. Social and labor competencies. This is a set of competencies in various areas of human social and labor activity. This includes knowledge and experience in the field of civil and social activities (playing the role of a citizen, observer, voter, representative), the social and labor sphere (the roles of consumer, buyer, client, producer), in the field of family relations (son-daughter roles, father roles or mother, grandfather or grandmother), in the field of economics and law (the ability to analyze the situation on the labor market, act in accordance with personal and public benefit, know and be able to use one’s rights, etc.), in the field of professional self-determination. By mastering social and labor competencies, the student masters the minimum skills of social and labor activity necessary for life in modern society.

7. Personal self-improvement competencies. This is a set of competencies aimed at mastering methods of physical, spiritual and intellectual self-development, emotional self-regulation and self-support. The real object in the sphere of these competencies is the student himself. He masters methods of activity in his own interests and capabilities, which is expressed in his continuous self-knowledge, the development of the skills necessary for modern man personal qualities, formation of psychological literacy, culture of thinking and behavior. These competencies include personal hygiene rules, taking care of one’s own health, sexual literacy, and internal environmental culture. This also includes a set of qualities related to the basics of a person’s safe life.

This list of key competencies is presented in the general view, it is specified depending on the age characteristics of the student, the content of education in educational areas and individual academic subjects.

An interesting point of view on this issue is A.M. Novikov, who talks about “basic qualifications”. By introducing supra-subject basic qualifications, he proceeds from the fact that between general and vocational education an increasingly powerful layer of educational components begins to grow, which cannot be attributed to either general education , nor to the actually professional one. They are necessary today in any work activity; these are the basic qualifications. These include possession of “cross-cutting” skills: working on computers, using databases and data banks, knowledge and understanding of ecology, economics and business, financial knowledge, commercial savvy, technology transfer skills (transfer of technologies from one area to another), marketing skills and sales, legal knowledge, knowledge of the patent and licensing sphere, skills in protecting intellectual property, knowledge of the regulatory conditions for the functioning of enterprises of various forms of ownership, skills in presenting technologies and products, knowledge of professional terminology of foreign languages. In addition, here we should add sanitary and medical knowledge, knowledge of the principles of existence in conditions of competition and possible unemployment, psychological readiness

“Towards general education,” writes A.M. Novikov, training cannot be classified as these basic qualifications, since it is necessary to develop skills in using databases and data banks, technology transfer, etc. is possible only in the process of any specific professional (educational and professional) activity. At the same time, basic qualifications are “cross-cutting” knowledge and skills necessary to work anywhere and in any profession. Perhaps this is precisely the area of ​​​​polytechnic education, in a “new sound”, in “ new edition»» .

Lecture 3. Competency-based approach to the personnel management system

1. The concept of competence. Approaches. Competency structure.

2. Use of competencies in the personnel management system

In the dictionary of Russian HR managers, the term “competence” has appeared in the last 6-7 years. Work on competencies is carried out in joint Western-Russian and in most large Russian companies Moscow and St. Petersburg. But interest in this HR tool is growing everywhere.

In the practice of human resource management modern companies actively use competencies. They are discussed at numerous HR forums, and various studies and publications in specialized media are regularly devoted to them. Competencies as HR technology have been developed in Russia on the basis of foreign theory and practice. And, as happens with many personnel technologies in Russia, in the process of integration into practice, competencies have bizarrely changed. That is, we can say that the “transfer” of this technology did not occur correctly.

Despite the popularity of using competencies in Russian business, there is significant confusion. Sometimes, unfortunately, competencies are called something that has nothing to do with them or is theirs. integral part. Most often in Russian practice, competencies are identified with two concepts: ZUN (Knowledge, Abilities, Skills) and PVK (Professionally Important Qualities). Both ZUN and PVK are close in content to competencies, are part of them, but are not analogues.

First of all, let us outline the difference between the concepts of “competence” and “competence”. They are based on the Latin root compete*- I achieve, I comply, I approach.

Competence- this is a certain characteristic of a person that is necessary to perform certain jobs and allows its owner to obtain the necessary results of work.

Competence is the ability of an individual who has the personal characteristics to solve work problems to obtain the necessary work results.

In other words, competence is the standard of behavior required for a certain activity, and competence is the level of proficiency in this standard of behavior, that is, the final result of its application.

There are many definitions of the concept "competence". Many experts and personnel management specialists offer their own interpretations. But there are two main approaches to understanding competencies - American and European.

American approach defines competencies as a description of an employee’s behavior: competency is the main characteristic of an employee, possessing which he is able to demonstrate correct behavior and, as a result, achieve high results at work.

European approach defines competencies as a description of work tasks or expected results of work: competency is the ability of an employee to act in accordance with the standards accepted in the organization (defining the minimum standard that must be achieved by the employee).

Competency model- this is a complete set of competencies and behavioral indicators necessary for the successful performance by an employee of his functions, demonstrated in appropriate situations and time, for a specific organization with its individual goals and corporate culture.

Competency profile- this is a list of competencies, precise definition the level of their manifestation related to a specific position.

In our opinion, competence is a behavioral characteristic necessary for an employee to successfully perform work functions, reflecting the necessary standards of behavior.

An effective competency model should be clear and easy to understand and describe in simple language, have a simple structure.

Most models can be described using 10 - 12 individual competencies. The more competencies a model contains, the more difficult it is to implement it into corporate practice. According to experts, when a model includes more than 12 competencies, it becomes difficult to work with specific competencies, since the differences between individual competencies in such a model are subtle.

The competency model consists of clusters (blocks) of competencies. Competency clusters are a set of closely related competencies (usually from three to five in one “bundle”). Each cluster of competencies has levels - a set of related behavioral indicators.

Behavioral indicators are standards of behavior that are observed in the actions of a person with a specific competency.

Typically the following types of competencies are distinguished:

Corporate (or core) - competencies that support the declared mission and values ​​of the company and, as a rule, are applicable to any position in the organization; often a list of corporate competencies can be found in presentation and information materials of companies.

Management competencies applied to positions at all levels of management. Used to evaluate managers.

Special competencies used in relation to certain groups of positions in different departments. For example, special competencies are developed for employees of each department: sales, information technology, financial department, etc. These are the knowledge and skills that determine professional responsibilities, level of proficiency in them, ability to apply them in practice separate categories employees.

Personal competencies that are of a supra-professional nature and necessary in any field of activity. Under personal competence This implies spiritual maturity, a person’s awareness of his own life goals and the meaning of life, understanding of himself and other people, and the ability to understand the deep motives of behavior.

Practice shows that some organizations use only key competencies, others develop and use only managerial ones to assess top managers, and some companies develop special competencies only for sales department employees.

Competencies are also divided into simple and detailed:

Simple ones are a single list of behavior indicators that can be developed, for example, by the head of a company;

Detailed ones are competencies consisting of several levels (usually three or four). The number of levels is determined at the stage of developing the competency model.

The technology for creating competencies includes several stages.

First stage: formulation of the company's strategy and goals. To do this, they conduct a survey of the main persons of the company, its owners, top managers, who, as a rule, determine the strategy, competitive advantages, key performance indicators and factors of the company’s success in the market.

The second stage: identifying the key tasks of the company’s personnel, arising from its development strategy. Here it is important to understand what the behavior of employees in the organization should be, to determine what a particular employee can give to the rest of the team members and the organization as a whole within the framework of the responsibilities that he will be assigned or is already performing. At this stage, it is necessary to involve employees in developing their competencies.

The third stage: determining the immediate behavioral reactions that should appear in employees while solving work problems. To do this, they study and analyze in detail the activities of the best employees, use the method of critical incidents to determine the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of their behavior, and conduct surveys of employees at those levels for which the model is being created. Research can be conducted into the expectations of external customers from the company. In order to reduce the subjectivity of surveys, it is necessary to use a set of certain techniques.

The fourth stage: isolating characteristics from the total mass and grouping the identified indicators of behavior into general categories - clusters. This is quite a difficult job, because... involves repeated comparison of model elements with each other, identifying general and specific features. Also, one cannot do without interpretations, and here ambiguity and subjectivity may appear. Subjectivity can be neutralized through the work of project groups.

Step Five: Create a rating scale for each competency level to describe unacceptable (organizationally unacceptable employee behavior), acceptable (minimum requirements to do a good job), and outstanding (best behavior) levels of employee behavior in the workplace.

A competency system can be created in two ways.

The first way is to adapt already ready-made models to a specific company. Such standard models are created as a result of research into the management experience of leading companies, usually foreign ones.

The second way is to create a competency model from scratch. In this case, you can resort to the help of external consultants or develop competencies yourself. The choice of method will depend on several factors: what financial and time resources the organization has, how well it understands the process of this work and how much detail the company wants to understand the competencies so that they become a working tool and justify all the costs. The result of efforts to collect data, analyze and model competencies should be a model of competencies of employees of a particular organization, around which the company’s personnel management system is built.

Competencies that have a detailed description that is understandable to employees of the organization, which greatly facilitates the possibility of their diagnosis, can be characterized through their levels of expression.

The first level is the level of understanding - the employee understands the need for these competencies, he tries to demonstrate them, but this does not always work out.

The second level - the basic level - competence is developed normally, the employee exhibits the qualities necessary for work.

The third level is a strong level (complements the basic level) - competence can be manifested in labor processes, when solving complex problems.

The fourth level is the leadership level (supplements the basic and strong levels) - the employee sets standards for the team, when not only he, but also others begin to demonstrate this competence, the employee helps others to demonstrate the necessary skills.

The use of competencies in personnel assessment allows HR managers to analyze not only the results achieved by an employee over the past period, but also the ways to achieve such results. Well-developed competencies will help streamline the implementation of certification activities; if selected standard model competencies that are not adapted to the strategic goals and specifics of the company, it will not work effectively.

For Western specialists, competencies are abilities, capabilities, a number of related but different sets of behavior, and human intentions manifested in appropriate situations. Today in the West, the description of activities from the perspective of a competency-based approach is very widely used. Methods and questionnaires have been developed to form a competency profile for different kinds activities.

You may hear words like “competence” and “competence.” The differences between their meanings are incomprehensible to most ordinary citizens. Within the framework of this article, these concepts will be analyzed so that they do not raise questions in the future. As an example, the field of education will also be considered.

general information

The problem with definitions lies in their multitude and generally accepted interpretation of terms. Therefore, within the framework of the article, various formulations that have been expressed by numerous scientific personnel will be considered. Moreover, two main approaches can be distinguished: identification and differentiation. All this has its own characteristics, which we will consider later.

About terms

So what are competence and competency? A few definitions will help you understand the differences between them. So, :

1. The quality of a person who has comprehensive knowledge in a particular field. Thanks to this, his opinion is weighty and authoritative.
2. The ability to carry out vital, real action. Wherein qualification characteristics human at the moment of accomplishment allows you to turn a resource into a product.
3. Potential willingness to take on problems, approaching them with knowledge of the matter. At the same time, a person must have everything necessary knowledge and skills. In addition, it is necessary to understand the essence of the problem under consideration. To maintain a qualification level, it is necessary to constantly update knowledge and possess new information in order to apply it in all possible conditions.
4. Possession of certain experience and knowledge that will allow you to make the right decisions.

What is competence? By it we mean:

1. Knowledge, experience, skills and preparedness to use them.
2. A range of issues in which a particular individual can boast of good knowledge.
3. A set of problems for which a person has extensive knowledge and experience in solving them.

That's what competency and competency are. The differences between them are not overly significant, nevertheless they exist.

Use of terms

They can be found, as a rule, when performing psychological and pedagogical activities, or in the literature that describes this activity. Speaking about what competence and competency are, looking for differences in the formation of these concepts, it is impossible not to mention the fact that even among scientists there is no unity on this issue. And the analysis of these concepts and situations of use is supported by a very significant amount of research that has been conducted different people. Thus, to resolve the contradictions that arose, it was proposed to introduce a single correct term in order to avoid negative effects, but so far no consensus has been reached.

About competence and competency in general terms

If the previously given concepts are few, then competence and competency can be considered in more detail. The differences in pedagogy are as follows:

1. Competencies include self-organization, self-control, independence, reflection, self-regulation and self-determination. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that the basis is knowledge, as well as the ability to use it. The overall picture is complemented by psychological readiness to cooperate and interact to solve a different range of problems. In this case, actions are carried out with an eye on certain moral and ethical attitudes and personality traits. What, then, is the difference between competence and competence in practice? Let's look at this too.
2. Competence is understood as an actual personal quality that is formed on the basis of existing knowledge. Moreover, this is based on the intellectual and professional characteristics of a person. Competence is based on an integrated model, which includes four levels of development: knowledge (and its organization); skills (and their use); human intellectual and creative potential; emotional and moral relations with the world. The latter often causes controversy, so the information needs to be supplemented. So, this also means emotional intelligence - that is, the ability to independently discipline and self-motivate. In addition, this concept also includes resistance to disappointment. An integral part here is control over emotional outbursts and the ability to refuse pleasure. Mood regulation skills are also helpful.

About competence

This term refers to the readiness of an individual for a certain activity. Moreover, this is based on existing knowledge and experience. They are acquired through training. It should be borne in mind that these personality qualities are interrelated. This allows us to say that competence is a person’s readiness to mobilize his knowledge, skills and external resources in order to act effectively in certain life situations. That is, all this is available in “ready-made form” and you just need to assemble a fancy mechanism of knowledge and skills at the moment of implementing something.

About competence

This is understood as an ability that gradually arises when a person masters social experience. Moreover, competence includes not only knowledge and operational and technological components, but also social, motivational, aesthetic and behavioral ones.

I noticed that the article was being written similar words? Don't worry, reader! As previously written, this is a feature of this article that examines competence and competency. Although there are differences between different authors, they are insignificant. Each individual judgment provides its own interest. And so that it does not get lost, you have to provide the information in full.

So, back to the topic of the article. Competence is the result of education. It also requires a certain set of competencies. This concept also includes a person’s personal attitude towards the subject of his activity. It should be recalled that many scientists have been studying these terms. It is not possible to cite all of their findings within the framework of this article. But several of the most interesting points and interpretations should still be highlighted.

Interpretation by A.V. Khutorskogo

So, let's continue to get acquainted with the meanings of terms such as competence and competency. Differences, according to A.V. Khutorskoy, here are:

1. Competence is understood as a certain range of issues in which an individual has good knowledge, knowledge and experience. This is a set of interrelated qualities that a person possesses in relation to certain objects and processes. They can be knowledge, abilities, skills, and methods of activity. If all conditions are met, high-quality work is possible.
2. Competence is when a person has the necessary competence, which also includes his personal attitude to the subject of activity.

Interpretation by V.D. Shadrikova

This scientist offers a slightly different vision:

1. So, V.D. Shadrikov argues that competence must be understood as a range of issues where a person is knowledgeable. The peculiarity of this concept is that it does not refer to a specific subject of activity, but to the issues that accompany it. In other words, competence must be understood as functional tasks that can be successfully solved. If we talk about educational process, then one can observe that a certain dialectic is being formed.
2. Competence is a feature of the subject of activity. Thanks to it, a person can solve a certain range of problems.

Let's say a word about the educational sector

So we examined from a general theoretical point of view how competence differs from competence. Now let's turn our attention to the educational sector. Before us is a “spherical” teacher who deals with what jurisprudence expounds. So, if he has knowledge about the subject, skills in applying legislation in law enforcement agencies, the ability to protect his rights (search for the information necessary for this) and fortitude that will help him survive difficult moments, then the person has competence.

We can say that if a person is also interested in what he does, improves his communication and presentation skills, then he is also competent. Of course, this is all a little exaggerated, but, nevertheless, this small example will allow us to understand what the subject of the article is in reality.

We have considered the difference between competence and competency; there should be no more questions on this aspect. But in order to finally consolidate the material, let’s also consider the situation with other spheres of human activity.

Other areas

So let's say we have an engineer. His task is to create new machines that will have all the necessary functional range. Is there a difference between competence and competence here? There are differences between them, but in general the scheme looks like the one presented earlier. That is, if he has the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for work, then the person has competence. And if there is also a desire to go beyond what has been achieved, to work out of interest and for the good, when there is an interest in the result and the person wants to work himself, then this means that he has competence.

Conclusion

It is impossible not to note the fact that both society itself and each individual are interested in ensuring that each person has the greatest possible competence in solving certain issues. In this case, we could say that society works as efficiently and expediently as possible.

Is it possible? Yes. But before we talk about everyone, it is necessary to start with the individual. To change the world for the better, you just need to start with yourself. Moreover, you can work not only on the quality of skills, but also on culture and relationships. As a starting point, you can take your appearance. Then you should start taking care of your home so that it is clean and comfortable. When a person values ​​himself, he is more attentive to environment, and to people, and to what he does.

Many employers invest considerable amounts of money in the development of employees in management positions. But sometimes trainings, seminars, training programs do not bring the desired result. That is why, before developing key ones, it is necessary to conduct a qualitative assessment of the skills and personal qualities of a candidate for a leadership position. A correct assessment will make it possible to develop precisely those qualities that are at a low level, or, conversely, to refuse the chosen candidate.

Professional competencies of a manager - what are necessary?

Before choosing a method for assessing a candidate for a leadership position, you need to decide which key managerial competencies you will assess. Of course, in each company the set of professional competencies of a manager will be different. It will depend on the position you are hiring a candidate for: line manager, top management or project manager, as well as the scope of the company’s activities. For example, for senior management, important skills will be strategic and analytical thinking, ability to manage performance and change. For a line manager - organizational skills, the ability to delegate and set tasks, for a project manager - the ability to clearly divide strategy into tactical tasks and set priorities. By the way, the higher the leadership position, the more personal qualities will influence efficiency. The higher the leadership position, the more carefully you should approach the assessment of the manager’s managerial competencies and personal qualities

Trainings for managers on key employee performance indicators are conducted by Alexey Shirokopoyas, Expert in the Development of Management Competencies. Trainer-consultant. Editor in Chief .

8-926-210-84-19. [email protected]

We determine the level of mastery of key competencies of a manager

In order to understand what key managerial competencies you will need to develop, you need to identify at what level the candidate possesses them. To do this, you need to prescribe criteria for high and low levels of proficiency for each professional competence of a manager, and then evaluate the skills and personal qualities of the applicant according to them in the chosen way. We propose to consider how the key competencies of a manager can manifest themselves using the example of delegation and stress resistance.

Delegation. In management functions, this is a basic skill for a leader. These professional competencies of a manager are essential for the development of subordinates, increasing their effectiveness and significance for the company.

Indicators of a high level of mastery of key competencies of a manager: the manager is not afraid to give employees the opportunity to take reasonable risks and try different solutions, encourages subordinates to go beyond their comfort zone and work on new tasks, easily delegates their authority to others, supports even if the employee has made a mistake, etc.

Indicators of a low level of proficiency in a manager’s professional competencies: the manager interferes in the execution of a task or allows himself to override employees’ decisions, gives little space for initiative, delegates only those tasks that carry low risks, imposes his opinion, etc.

Speaks: Svetlana Melnikova - Head of the HR Department of INEC (Moscow):

“Effective delegation requires: a clear formulation of the task, vesting the employee with the necessary powers, setting deadlines, monitoring results and always providing feedback. The presence of delegation skills can be determined during the interview with the candidate using interviews on key managerial competencies, business cases or an assessment center. Indicators of ineffective delegation and control will be: lack of understanding by the employee of the task, the task is not completed on time, excessive control of the manager over each stage of the task, the need for the manager to correct the work performed, lack of feedback with a subordinate"

When assessing the key competencies of a manager, we recommend that you also determine his leadership style. This will help to identify the personal characteristics of the leader’s behavior in the system of superior-subordinate relations. And also take into account previous work experience and the field of activity of the companies in which the applicant worked

Example of a case for assessing delegation skills

Indicators of a high level of proficiency in the key competencies of a manager: the candidate remains calm and shows flexibility in any type of stress, considers stress to be inevitable in the professional sphere and knows how to adapt to it, avoids the influence of stress on his personal life, achieves High Quality work even under pressure.

Indicators of a low level of mastery of professional competencies of a leader: stress unsettles, under conditions of high stress a person becomes disorganized, puts unnecessary pressure on others, refuses to perform priority tasks, any changes in plans or their disruption cause tension and anxiety.

Speaks: Anna Fomicheva - Ph.D., Associate Professor, HR Management Expert (Moscow):

“In my opinion, during the assessment process it is useful to use the “joint” diagnostic work of the HR manager and the candidate himself. This complex includes tests to determine the general orientation of a person, tests for self-esteem, and methods for studying previous experience. So, for example, a candidate has successful startup projects, during the implementation of which he performed several roles at once (generated ideas, formed a team, organized interaction, was a “process owner”, etc.) in conditions of limited resources, deadlines and achieved a successful expected result . It can be assumed that the candidate, to one degree or another, was forced to demonstrate the ability to take responsibility, quickly choose the main thing and concentrate on it, and be stress-resistant. Therefore, in the process of assessing it, it is necessary to concentrate on identifying the degree of motivation and comfort, continue to work with increasing the level of one’s own qualities and developing the managerial key competencies of a leader.”

Examples of projective questions for assessing stress resistance

We choose a method for assessing the managerial professional competencies of a manager and his personal qualities

The first assessment of management skills and personal qualities occurs in the process of studying a resume (for internal candidates - in the process of studying an application for participation in a competition to fill a vacancy). There the candidate reflects what he can and knows. The task of the HR specialist is to identify the degree of mastery of the specified key competencies of the manager. Of course, this cannot be done by reading a resume and even collecting recommendations. Therefore, the second stage of assessment is an interview with the candidate (be sure to include projective questions), at which you can offer him several practical tasks(solving a case, participating in a role-playing game, etc.). The third stage of assessment is carried out on probationary period, for example, through observation of the manager’s work (based on the results, a behavior assessment scale is drawn up), as well as through assessment activities, for example, a “360 degree” assessment, etc.

Speaks: Anna OVCHINNIKOVA - Head of Recruitment Service at Teleperformance Russia & Ukraine:

“The ideal situation is in which the company has an accepted model of managerial professional competencies of a manager and a scheme for assessing them, as well as the practice of drawing up profiles of managerial positions, indicating the specific qualities necessary for successful work. Both the key competencies of a leader and personal qualities can be determined through a standard biographical interview with a number of small cases from the series “Imagine that you ...”, “What would you do?” or “Describe a real situation in the past in which you showed your creativity.” If the company has sufficient time and resources, and the managerial position belongs to the top echelon, it makes sense to conduct a full assessment of the professional competencies of the manager, which also includes tasks or situations that help identify personal qualities. This approach will significantly reduce the likelihood of hiring errors. Once the assessment and interview have been completed, the results must be analyzed and agreed upon, and then an informed hiring decision must be made based on them.”

Speaks: League Blank - Head of the HR department of the Globus hypermarket (Klimovsk):

“To evaluate applicants for management positions, we use the method “assessment based on the key competencies of a manager” and use standardized job profiles for this, where all the professional competencies of a manager, both professional and personal, are structured. In addition, you can use structured interviews, various cases, and testing. The most complete assessment procedure is assessment, since such an event includes various tests that help to identify not only theoretical knowledge, but also behavioral indicators of certain key competencies of a manager. As a rule, during the assessment, participants perform many tasks in a group, where communication skills are especially evident. In addition to various types of expert tests, it is important to take into account the recommendations of immediate superiors, subordinates, and colleagues, using various techniques (for example, “360 degrees”). It is also necessary to analyze the result of work, which can be expressed in economic or qualitative (work with personnel) indicators, which is quite objective.”

When assessing the managerial professional competencies of a manager, also pay attention to previous work experience and the field of activity of the company in which the applicant worked

Please note that cases help to effectively assess personal qualities. You can compose them yourself, the main thing is to clearly state the criteria by which you will evaluate the degree of expression of the candidate’s qualities.

Speaks: Eldar Salakhetdinov - Head of the organizational and personnel department of ITB BANK (Moscow):

“You can assess the personal qualities of a candidate for a leadership position during an interview by asking him projective questions. You can also ask the applicant to solve a previously prepared management case, where he will be asked, as a manager, to make a number of decisions. Then ask for detailed comments on them. It is also appropriate to use the following tool: the applicant is asked to recall several difficult situations from his practice that he successfully resolved, and also to analyze a case when, in his opinion, he did not cope with the situation. Through open questions, it is necessary to find out what helped or hindered the solution of the situation, what qualities he used, what conclusions he made, etc. As a rule, these tools are enough to assess the presence of personal qualities in a candidate for a leadership position.”

Source Business World