Managing competencies: modelling of the toolkit based on case study research
It is widely accepted that competency-based management continues to face three acute issues. The first concerns the relevance of its toolkit: competency-based management tools continue to be criticized for their reductionism, rapid obsolescence and lack of reliability. The second issue concerns its organizational maladjustment: competency-based management practices often seem to ignore the specificities of the contexts from which they emerge. Finally, the third issue pertains to its strategic articulation: how to understand and manage the link between competency-based management practices that are centred on the individual and the strategic management of the company based on its core competences? In responding to these issues, this paper aims to highlight the mechanisms, organizational contexts and strategic objectives that are likely to underpin competency-based management practices. The analysis is based on seven case studies conducted within contrasting companies: public and private, and of various sizes. Comparative analysis of these cases allows four distinct competency-based management models to emerge: 1- a standardized model centred around behaviours that are shared on a wide scale and aimed at cultural homogenization; 2- a polyvalent model that allows for the flexible allocation of human resources within an area of activity; 3- an individual talent model that makes generic personal skills and aptitudes the key to individual and collective performance; 4- and, finally, an expertise model centred around technically complex competencies and the delivery of high value-added services. This modelling enables us to situate competency-based management practices in their organizational context. It clarifies the added value that a competency-based management system can bring to the realization of a corporate strategy. Finally, the operational choices that are made in the building of competencies frameworks can be understood and considered in the light of the chosen model.