What Is Competence? – Here Are Simple Steps To Achieve It

Competence is something that you or anyone can achieve. To put it simply it is the ability to do something well. We are not born competent. So what is competence? It is a result of a process, For you to become competent there are 5 levels of competency from novice to expert. This article will give you the facts on being competent and also give you an explanation of competencies that Human Resources (HR) departments are always talking about.

What Is Competence – A Simple Definition.

The word competence and related terms are well defined in Human Relationship (HR) departments. Competencies are important to HR to acquire and groom workers for success in their corporations. For the rest of us, we need a simple definition of what is competence. I like this definition of competence: 

“the ability to do something well”

Indeed, competence is a worthy goal for all of us. Without a doubt, everyone has the opportunity to add value by developing our skills, knowledge, and abilities to do something well.

Levels of Competence. 

People are not just born with competence. In fact, there are steps or levels of competence that you need to become competent in a given endeavor or profession. For instance, the Dreyfus brothers proposed that there are five levels of competence. Below are their five levels of competence and description of what each level of competence entails:

1. Novice. First, the road toward competence starts with rule-based behavior that is strongly limited and inflexible.
2. Experienced Beginner. Next, the novice gains experience and starts to incorporate aspects of the situation into their thinking.
3. Practitioner. Then, the beginner starts acting consciously to include long-term goals and plans into their work tasks.
4. Knowledgeable Practitioner. Now, the practitioner continues to gain knowledge. They see the situation as a whole and act from personal conviction.
5. Expert. Finally, competence is achieved in terms of skills and knowledge. Now, the expert has an intuitive understanding of the situation and zooms in on the central aspects.

Also, see Wikipedia’s Competence (human resources) for more information on levels of competence.

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What are Competencies? 

It is not as simple to define competencies as it is to define competence. This is because the term competencies has become a very technical term in the realm of Human Resources (HR) departments. Specifically, HR literature describes competencies as:

“observable behaviors that successful performers demonstrate on the job. Those behaviors are the result of various abilities, skills, knowledge, motivations, and traits an employee may possess”.

Also, here is a simple formula to remember what competencies are:

Skills + Knowledge + Abilities = Competencies

Specifically, types of competencies that fit an organization’s culture and success goals can include behavioral (ex. communicates effectively), functional (ex. knows MS Word), management (ex. motivates others), organizational (ex. teamwork), and technical (ex. cyber security) competencies. In fact, it is these core competencies that differentiate an organization from its competition.

Also for more references on the terms competence and competencies, see HRSG What’s the Difference Between Skills and Competencies? and Wikipedia’s Competence (human resources) for information on competence and competencies.

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