Competency is a specific, identifiable, definable and measurable knowledge, ability, skill and/or attitude, physical ability required to perform any given task. Identifying competencies is the basis for HR planning. It provides the framework for individual training and development, career planning and training needs analysis. Once the individual's competencies have been recognized, the HR department can use this information to assess whether a particular task or designation is suited to that individual's competency set. In this way the HR department can predetermine whether a particular task is suited for an individual. This enables them to assign "the right job for the right person". This process is known as competency mapping.
             Competencies only include behaviors that demonstrate excellent performance. Therefore, they do not include knowledge, but do include "applied" knowledge or the behavioral application of knowledge that produces success. In addition, competencies do include skills, but only the manifestation of skills that produce success. Finally, competencies are not work motives, but do include observable behaviors related to motives. The figure below demonstrates how competencies differ from skills and knowledge.
             A team of Educationalists lead by Benjamin Bloom in the USA in mid fifties laid the foundation for identifying educational objectives and there by defining the knowledge attitudes and skills needed to be developed in education. The task force lead by Bloom took several years to make an exhaustive classification of the educational objectives that were grouped under the cognitive domain.
             David McClelland the famous Harvard Psychologist has pioneered the competency movement across the world. His classic books on "Talent and Society", "Achievement Motive", "The Achieving Society", "Motivating Economic Achievement" and "Power the Inner Experience" brought out several new dimensions of the compete...