Analysis of Dubois and Rothwells Competency-Based Human Resource Management - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review: Competency-based Human Resource Management Most organizations nowadays are deeply exploring myriad approaches to adapt to an increasingly changing corporate landscape and achieve sustained competitive edge. Such level is not easily achieved and requires the creation and delivery of products or services that are valuable, distinct, rare and hard to imitate. Like products or services, human assets are equally important mix and companies understand that knee-weak workforce cannot drive growth or sustainability for organization. Then the role HR plays in an organization should be regarded as an important element to discovering qualified, zealous, and committed people who can carry out tasks and aid in the delivery of company’s value proposition in a unique way. Competency-based human resource management, one of the new, emerging schools of thought in the field of HR that is now gaining adopters in many organizations globally, is one such approach that is discussed and suggested in Competency-based Human Resource Management (2004) authored by David D. Dubois and William J. Rothwell. In more than 300 pages, its authors championed job competencies instead of the job descriptions and job analysis models, the foundations of traditional HR efforts (i.e., including planning, training, recruiting, and performance development). This paper ought to review and explore among the context of other HR practices, literatures and trends this seminal book to derive its impact, influence and dynamics in the field of Human Resource Management practice. Traditional HR Management vs. Competency-based HR Management, Compared To further construct a better understanding of the differences and similarities of competency-based HR with the traditional, we shall refer to competency to the way the Development Dimensions International (DDI) has defined the term, thus: “the descriptions used to refer to clusters or groupings of behaviors, motivations, and knowledge pertaining to job success of failure under which data on motivation, knowledge, or behavior can be reliably classified” (Byham 2006). One similarity between the traditional or conventional and competency-based HR is that both may be integrated well around fundamental HR activities such as selection, training and development and performance management built around competencies. As a result, the platform for HR practice in an organization will be reinforced since there will be an increase in the number of information that the organization will obtain from employees. In both approaches, the HR practitioners who will implement the human resource development approach will require that managers must be trained. In both the conventional and competency-based HR, the trainers are required to have set of skills and must be equipped to conduct HR subsystems such as training. It may also be viewed that in the two approaches, more accurate predictions about the future prospects for the employees or staff to be contributing their capabilities and effectiveness as human resources may be determined using the instruments employed whether job analysis/description for the traditional and conventional model and competency-determining tests or training for the competency-based model. Yet one difference between traditional and competency-based HR practice is that the work results in the former cannot be measured or observed, accounting this to the fact that in conventional HR, the fulfillment of job descriptions are mere records to clarify activities job incumbents are supposed to perform. When competency is addressed in an organization or company, exemplary performers are then created and staff is not expected to act only in accordance or by the job description that outline his work in the company. So in terms of results, competency based HR will give an organization or company more benefits and output since the incumbent become more productive than other staff with the same job titles, education, and experiences. Higher productivity is achieved even when fewer “exemplary” individuals would work for a certain task or that better work might be done by the same number of people based on this approach. In traditional setting, HR professionals in most organizations are likened to cops or traffic law enforcers. As such, the HR or human resource department are generally concerned with staff behavior or attitude if and whether employees or staff comply or follow company-drafted employee policies or ethics codes. Offenders or transgressors will be punished and reprimanded in accordance to the degree or frequency of violations, this approach further suggests. In terms of the length in use, conventional and traditional HR practices has already withstood time and has been employed in most organizations until today given its solid foundation beside being integrated as part of course curriculum in the academe. Competency-based HR is only new and still has to grow further to be reflected and absorbed in most organizations and companies. Aside from this, the competency-based model still have to find a solid, established definition or understanding in the terms used under this approach to allow HR practitioners to effectively carry out its philosophy and not confuse or create greater challenges or problems when implementing this system. Compared with competency-based HR being evangelized by Dubois and Rothwell, who are among the contemporary approach’s leading voices, they believe competencies or an individual’s capability or proficiency are far important aspects in employee management to expect growth in a company or human resource. Since traditional HR practice uses work analysis and job descriptions to delineate work activities, this conventional approach tells what an employee does, the specifications and descriptions of his job which then clarifies the minimum requirements relevant to be hired. This makes job descriptions and job specifications a key factor to HR functions, namely recruitment, selection, training and performance management (Rothwell & Kazanas, 1994, 1998). The concurrent works of Robert White (who identified competence as a human trait) and David C. McClelland (credited for an approach he developed to predict competence) suggested that “although intelligence influences performance, personal characteristics, such as an individual's motivation and self-image, differentiate successful from unsuccessful performance and can be noted in a number of life roles that include job roles” (McClelland & Dailey, 1973, in Spencer, McClelland, & Spencer, 1994). In terms of the nature of employing employees, the conventional HR practitioners look and hire employees based on how much the company or organization will be able to pay cheaper with more output unlike in competency-based model, the practice is that HR will determine competency and proficiency of a particular skill and knowledge then consider how the hired employee will be able to contribute to the growth of the company minus the thought of whether paying the same with a much higher rate. Dubois’ and Rothwell’s Competency-based Human Resource Management, a closer look Competency-based is a rich and comprehensive book, part guide and part manual for practicing human resource professionals. Anyone with an interest in the effective management of human capital through competency-based system will benefit from this plausible work and who to those who are committed to improving the use of human talent in their institutions, and others who are interested in utilizing human talent for maximum benefit. Divided into 11 chapters, Dubois and Rothwell understand how should a practical guide for busy HR professionals should be prepared, to equip them in their organization to carry out functions in HR such as recruitment, planning and strategy development and alignment to enrich the human asset of a company and to achieve sustained and competitive edge among other industries. Though the book may have been better presented should the authors refrain from injecting side by side their writing multiple references to other sources and dense definitions, avoiding such will allow for smooth and clear reading of their practical, easy-to-follow advice in the book. Competency-based tackled the following competency-based approaches-- (1) The recruitment and selection approach which is based on job categories, departments, work roles and more; (2) motivation and personality trait training apart from skills and knowledge-based training, to delineate best performers; (3) the so-called performance management model. While it cannot be avoided as the topic of competency-based HR management has to be emphatically presented, the authors has also used jargons and some repetition of concepts and backgrounders about groundbreaking works in the field and to outline the description and definition of what competency should mean to HR professionals. Readers of the book may also find useful and invaluable the inclusion of planning tools, checklists, worksheets, and other aids to carry HR competencies tasks. The authors also make sure that they have successfully written a plausible work that suggest to their readers, which may include HR students to practicing HR executives about how they will determine the kind of competency-based HR that is appropriate in their kind of organization. Dubois and Rothwell in the book gives practical tips and discussed how management people including employees might be briefed on competency-based HR initiatives. Assessment sheets are included at the appendices of the book to aid incumbent people in an organization to determine whether they are satisfied with their roles. On the deeper analysis, the book should have arrived with the definition of the word competency than just merely enumerating definitions derived from different sources and other groundbreaking works for Dubois’ and Rothwell’s own definition of the term. For generations, other books about competency-based HR has not generally arrived at or agreed at a universal, all-encompassing definition of the term. Without these, competency as a concept may not clearly and consistently be understood in the practicing HR field. Though the book may be construed as a beginner’s guide for any organizations who might soon adopt this system of HR management, this book provided resources for every practicing HR professionals such as checklist for deciding whether to use traditional or competency-based training, and outlines approaches for training both individuals and teams. Remarkable too is how the authors have written about the process that an organization may adopt or carry out if they would pursue the transition from a jobs-based to a competency-based HR management system. Not just the book explained the rigorous process of transition and applying the model, it also put a closure by indicating one critical question: "How can HR practitioners become competent in the new approach?" Conclusion As a beginner’s book, the Competency-based succeeds and could provide the impetus for further and advance studies about this aspect of Human Resource management. From how competency-based HR and traditional HR methods may be differentiated to how it teaches and links human resources in terms of competencies against jobs and then to the giving of reasons and approaches to implement the system, the book slowly then gradually build these topics to achieve the authors’ objective in writing the book in the first place: to suggest an approach to filling jobs and managing people through competence and “exemplary” traits. Dubois and Rothwell works on a familiar ground for them and so their presentation of topics by parts and chapters achieve some level of plausibility and power. The authors also make sure that the distinction between the traditional and competency-based HR is properly defined, believing the distinction is relevant since framing an organization as an aggregation of jobs equally makes it pressing and hard to transform or adopt a new approach quickly in the midst of new opportunities and threats As a guide, Dubois’ and Rothwell’s book gives the process of reinventing HR so that it focuses on identifying those stellar individual characteristics and then aligns all HR activities around them. From the compliance mind-set espoused by the traditional HR management, the competency-based HR management then demands an outlook that goes beyond just that of giving a step-by-step legal corporate orders but leading toward training its practitioners to be experts on leveraging human talent to achieve competitive advantage. New HR professionals must then demonstrate new sensitivity to the full range of human capabilities (including emotional intelligence), align HR efforts with strategic objectives, and integrate various HR activities so that people are consistently encouraged to achieve desired results. In sum, competency-based human resource management system is still a new and emerging practice in HR that requires further studies and extensive sharing of discourses, research and forum to provide a solid footing in the HR field. The book, which showed promise in terms of its ambition and intention to present a comprehensive, part guide, part academic reference to people in the field of HR in all levels, is a satisfactory contribution to the dynamics and evolving HR practice on a global and competitive scale. As this study proved, the integration, however, of both conventional and the modern approach or competency-based model in human resource management will bode well to a company’s mission and objective to attain sustainability and growth. When separated, the traditional HR has a goal that encourages action in one direction and with competence-based program that encourages action to another. But when combined, the impact would be more powerful and create substantial benefit to a company or organization because there is reinforcement in the fundamental system under one system. Works Cited Byham, William, 2004, Developing Dimension-/Competency-based Human Resource Systems, Development Dimensions International, [Online] Available at http://www.ddiworld.com/pdf/ddi_competencybasedhrystems_mg.pdf Dubois, David D. and Rothwell, William J., et al, 2004, Competency-Based Human Resource Management, Davies-Black Publishing, Palo Alto Leonard, Sharon, 2000, The demise of job descriptions. Future focus: Emerging issues, HR Magazine, 45(8). Rivenbark, Leigh, July 2004, "Competency-Based Human Resource Management," HR Magazine, [Online] Available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_7_49/ai_n6125687 Rothwell, William J., & Kazanas, H. C., 1998, Mastering the instructional design process: A Systematic approach, (2nd ed.), Jossey-Bas, San Francisco Walker, J., 1980, Human resource planning, McGraw-Hill, New York. Zemke, Ron, & Kramlinger, Thomas, 1982, Figuring things out: A trainer's guide to needs and task analysis. Reading, Addison-Wesley, Ma. Read More