Introduction

Every organization sets outs to be successful and for this to happen there is a need to leverage behavioral competencies because it ultimately has a positive impact on the performance culture of any organization.

Behavioral competencies are vital to the success of an individual in their career.

In this post, we would understand what behavioral competency is, the various types of behavioral competencies, some examples, ways to measure or appraise these competencies, and lots more.

What is Behavioral Competency?

Behavioral competency is any behavior, attributes character, and personality traits an individual possesses, which can show employers how successful these individuals would be in the job role that they are applying for.

These traits, tendencies, or behavior help to distinguish such individuals from the pool of potential candidates with the skills required for the job role.

Behavioral competencies are not learned in a formal educational setting, instead, they are learned and developed through life experiences. These experiences are what shape an individual and ultimately prepare them and make them suitable to fit into a specific job role.

Behavioral competencies are sometimes referred to as soft skills which help to show an employee’s suitability and strength needed to succeed in their workplace.

What Are Behavioral Indicators?

Behavioral indicators are traits that show that the competencies being sought after are existing in an individual. Hence, these indicators are used to determine the evidence or absence of a specific competency in an employee.

Behavioral indicators can be classified into two parts; negative and positive indicators.

Negative Indicators depict a lack of competency, while positive indicators show that an individual has the required competency.

Behavioral indicators are used to assess the suitability of candidates during an interview and it is also used to determine if a current employee is deserving of a promotion, award, or recognition.

For example, a positive behavioral indicator is when an individual cares about the perspective of others, pays attention, and listens to them before carrying out an evaluation or reaching a conclusion.

A negative indicator, on the other hand, is shown when an individual takes decisions without consideration for others, and personalizes all successes rather than giving credit to contributors or team members.B

Behavioral indicators are important to employers as they provide the tools required to establish an effective workforce. It also helps them to avoid hiring mistakes. It also helps employers to measure and reward performance. This is so because by predetermining what performance indicators support or propel your organization’s success, you can create a framework to measure success holistically.

Organizational Key Behavioral Indicators For Employees

It is ideal for organizations to develop a list of key behavioral indicators which applies to all employees in every role. Developing this at an organizational level would help build an organizational culture of integrity, diligence, and other behavioral standards that is acceptable.

Your organization’s key behavioral indicators for your employees can look like this:

• Continuous improvement is exhibited in the way work is carried out
• Communicates with others, share information
• Collaborates with others, provides assistance, and offers to help when necessary
• Selects the appropriate tools and use them effectively to complete assignments.

Standards like these can help you tell if an employee is being effective in their role, even when they seem to be carrying out their responsibilities because the way they do it also matters.

Role-Based Key Behavioral Indicators

While there are general organizational behavioral indicators, there are also role-based key behavioral indicators that are specific to job roles. This is used to assess the effectiveness of individuals in their roles. To do this, designing a custom competency framework is necessary to show what success in a given role looks like.

Benefits of Using Behavioral Competency

There are quite a number of benefits associated with using behavioral competencies.

First, it helps employers identify and assess the skills and abilities of potential employees. This knowledge helps the selection process, that way you only hire people who have demonstrated the skill set that would help them succeed with ease at their job.

Secondly, knowing the abilities of your employees can be a tool to identify training needs, and a training plan addressing those needs spot-on can be designed and implemented.

Behavourial competency is also beneficial to succession planning, as you can now identify future leaders in-house based on the behavioral competencies they exhibit.

More so, it is also an effective tool to evaluate employee performance, provide feedback, and use the information to correct behavioral problems in the workplace.

Types of Behavioral Competency

Behavioral competency can be classified broadly into four broad competencies:

1. Behavioral Competencies

This refers to the soft skills that influence a person’s actions and relationships with colleagues and clients alike. Some examples that fall into these categories are communication, focus, adaptability, etc.

2. Core Competencies

These are competencies that organizations possess which give them an edge over their competitors. Organizations like these have specialized techniques and access to certain software. Candidates who possess such skills or have experience using these techniques are given top preference during the hiring process.

3. Functional Competencies

These are job-specific skills focused on delivering results. Functional competencies ensure that employees have the technical know-how and competencies to fit into a certain role successfully.

For example, a graphic designer with experience in using Adobe 360, or an e-learning developer with experience in using Articulate Storyline.

4. Managerial Competencies

Refers to certain attributes which attest to a candidate’s potential to manage people, and resources. Competencies for this role include problem-solving, leadership, team management, etc.

How Do You Appraise and Assess Behavioral Competencies?

Measuring behavioral competencies via appraisals and assessments is a crucial step in both the recruiting and human resources management process. The focus during appraisals is the skill set required by a potential employee to excel at his/her job.

There are three types of work behavior:

• People-based behavior, which includes respect for all that lives, interpersonal skills, effective communication, etc.
• Success-based behaviors; This implies that an individual makes positive decisions, and uses the appropriate tools and standard operation procedure established by management while maintaining a culture of excellence.
• Managerial-focused behaviors; motivates staff to be their best, via coaching, leading by example, giving credit for work done, etc.

In order to effectively access competencies, a competency model is required to serve as a benchmark against what skills you’ll be measuring. According to experts in this field of behavioral competency, like Rothwell & Graber, measurable competency models identify the competencies of a job role as well as the behavioral indicators required to show capability.

Once the competency model has been established, you can now begin to appraise or assess your employees using these three methods approved by learning and development professionals.

1. The Self-Assessment

The self-assessment model is the first step in this process, as it allows employees to rate themselves against a measurable competency model. This approach allows for personal reflection, highlighting personal strengths and weaknesses as well as areas of improvement required to match the competency level for their roles.

However it is important to know that self-assessment cannot produce accurate results when used alone, so it must be used alongside the line-managers assessment. Here is an example of a self-assessment appraisal form:

Figure 1 / Source: William J. Rothwell and Jim M. Graber, Competency-Based Training Basics (New York: ASTD, 2010)

2. Manager Assessments

This is conducted after a line manager has successfully managed and observed the employee after a certain period, ranging from 3 months to 6 months. One of the appropriate ways is to assign an employee to projects or tasks that align with the competencies highlighted in the competency model framework.

Figure 2 / Source: William J. Rothwell and Jim M. Graber, Competency-Based Training Basics (New York: ASTD, 2010)

3. 360-Degree Assessment

This is one of the most bias-free assessment methods. This approach allows the employee to rate themselves against competency models, after which their team members and colleagues also participate in appraising their colleague. Once this is done, the results are collated and an average is determined to derive the employee competency score.

Examples of Behavioral Competency

Here is an overview of the main traits, competencies, and key behavioral indicators to look out for in an effective employee or manager:

• Communication
• Decision-making ability
• Leadership skills
• Teamwork
• Strategic planning.

These competencies are the important qualities that any effective employee should have. Let’s look at each in more detail.

Communication

Communication means building bridges and connecting with colleagues and clients alike by communicating effectively with verbal and non-verbal cues. This means aligning your expressions, and body language with what you are saying.

Excellent communication means you can explain your ideas and emotions clearly and also listen to others with the intent to understand and learn, rather than just listening to respond.

Key behavioral indicators for this competency would include the following:

• Ability to recognize and understand other people’s perspective
• Being able to receive feedback objectively and learn from it
• Ability to present information coherently  to the audience
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Ability to initiate conversations and involve others  in the communication process
• Adding value to others by sharing valuable information
• Building strong connections with others via communication.

Decision-Making 

This includes quickly assessing situations and making sound decisions using relevant information at your disposal, while accurately distinguishing between poor and sound judgment. Behavioral indicators for this also include the ability to take responsibility for the decisions taken even when things go south.

Leadership skills

Due to the complexity of this competency, it is sometimes difficult to understand and measure. This is because not everyone understands the components of great leadership. Here are some behavioral indicators that show great leadership.

• Positive influences  and motivates others to be the best versions of themselves
• Inspires trust and credibility
• Problem-solving skills
• Leasing by example and practicing what is being preached
• Being able  to take responsibility
• Ability to recognize the contribution of others and give appropriate credit
• Ability to encourage, coach, teach and help others 
• Being accessible to all.

Teamwork

Working well in a team is another vital skill an efficient individual should have. Teamwork means being able to work in a team and contribute to the success of the team.

 Most importantly, it means being able to listen to and adopt the ideas and suggestions from others when carrying out a task. It also involves being able to ask for help and receive help when offered and sharing the spotlights with others when success is recorded.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is an important metric that depicts sound management and leadership skills. It is ideal for anyone who wants to improve themselves and excel at their job.

Strategic planning involves:

• Aligning  tasks and priorities with the set goals
• Reviewing  alternative solutions and selecting the most suitable one
• Being able  to forecast and measure the outcome
• Focusing on  the “big picture” and acting correspondingly
• Being able to manage change also called “Change management”
• Ability to manage budget and resources
• Ability to establish best practices and processes to improve workflow.

Other examples are;

• Negotiation and networking are ideal competencies for a sales team
• Organizational awareness and data literacy are competencies for office managers
• Creativity and innovation might be competencies for leaders and managers
• Project management and facilitation might be competencies for leadership teams
• Attention to detail and problem-solving might be competencies for software developers.

Conclusion

Competency models are a collection of capabilities employees must exhibit or display to effectively carry out their jobs. Behavioral competencies are skills that show or depict an individual’s suitability for a specific job role. There are usually behavioral indicators that show evidence that an individual possesses the competency required or sought after. Most times each competency includes a description explaining what it entails to fit into a certain competency classification, which can be used when assessing or appraising an employee.