A Global Competency

Framework
Human Resources Implementation Guide
Table of Contents

General Overview ................................................................................................................... 3

Supporting Material ................................................................................................................. 4
Background ............................................................................................................................. 5
What is Meant By a Competency? ......................................................................................... 6
Why Develop Competency Models? ....................................................................................... 8
General Guidelines ................................................................................................................. 9
The ______Global Competency Framework ........................................................................ 10
Designing Competency Profiles - Use of Job Roles ............................................................. 14
Job Role Classification Guide ............................................................................................... 15
Job Role Type Questionnaire ............................................................................................... 17
Competencies Included in the Job Roles ............................................................................. 19
Determining Proficiency Levels for Individual Competencies ............................................... 21
Process Validation ................................................................................................................ 29
OCM - Organizational Change Management ....................................................................... 29
Process Flow Chart .............................................................................................................. 31
Competency Profile Template .............................................................................................. 32
Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................................ 33
Questions & Answers ........................................................................................................... 35

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GENERAL OVERVIEW

This guide has been developed to help Human Resources generalists and specialists,
throughout our ______ world to understand and use the ___Global Competency Framework.

As the Competency Framework is implemented throughout our global business, it will create a
common language to describe what superior performance looks and feels like. This will enable
all employees, but especially those in leadership positions, to gain greater understanding of the
requirements of their jobs, identify and maximize their strengths, and enhance their performance
against their development needs. It also provides a link between behavioral expectations of
success and our corporate strategy. The reason is that appropriate behavior leads to
successful performance, which in turns helps the business reach the overall strategic objectives.

The Competency Framework is a key resource to align HR systems and programs to our overall
corporate strategy. It provides a structure and consistency of approach which will allow the
Human Resource function to better support leaders, and ultimately all employees, by improving
the way we link behavior and superior performance, help create clearer development models
and contributing to way individuals integrate into our culture.

The Framework has been designed to reinforce key messages about:

• Corporate Values and Culture

• Personal Leadership

• Strategy and Direction

It is essential that all HR employees are familiar with the design and use of the Global
Competency Framework, in order that they can be effective in providing support for their
respective business partners. This is especially true since the implementation of Competencies
will mean that jobs requirements will be more specific and transparent. The changes in the way
jobs expectations are perceived will impact the way employees are held accountable for the
behaviors they exhibit, the way we focus our Training & Development efforts, drive our
Recruitment and on boarding efforts, etc.

This guide presents the key features of the Global Competency Framework. It also provides
practical guidance for applying the competencies to groups of as well as individual jobs.

It is suggested that all facilitators use our corporate OCM (Organizational Change Management)
tools and resources to support the introduction of new processes, systems or programs. A
methodical, planned approach can greatly enhance our expected adoption results and also help
mitigate any risks we may encounter. Please contact your Regional HR Generalist for more
advice and examples on OCM.

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SUPPORTING MATERIAL
This guide is primarily for HR partners and business leaders if appropriate. We have designed
additional resources to help with local implementation. Among these resources we can find:

• Global Competency Framework Presentation – A power point presentation for you to

use during informational sessions with your customers.

• The Global Competency Framework Dictionary – This is the dictionary that contains
all our ___competencies and provides the list of associated behaviors. This
resource is valuable to use to improve our understanding of what behaviors are parts
of each competency, and how to determine the different proficiency levels for each
one.

• Competency Toolkit – These are templates and other materials that you may use as
you are rolling out the framework. They include the Competency Profile template
and the Role Type Questionnaire.

Please direct any question about this guide, its application or policies about its use to your
appropriate Region HR Generalist.

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BACKGROUND

A corporate sponsored project team was charged with developing a Global Competency
Framework. This was done in response to increased employee feedback received in an
Employee Engagement Survey about the need to create a common language that describes
successful performance across the company. From the HR perspective, it is also important to
create a single approach that could accommodate the similarities and differences in terms of
expected behaviors in jobs.

The main expectation is to create a framework that is:

• Flexible: markets and business units can implement with few edits; adaptable to
meet future changes

• User friendly: easy to understand

• Simple: easy to use

Having a Competency Framework enables the HR function to better support the business by
providing the following benefits:

• A way to communicate and reinforce our core values and visualize the increasing
importance of new strategies and ideas

• Consistency in the use of competencies; avoidance of duplication and simplicity of

approach

• Alignment of HR policies and processes around a common language

• Measures of individual and organizational capability

• Role Clarity

A validation exercise was undertaken to test out the concepts and applications of the new
Global Competency Framework. In other words, we wanted to insure that the behaviors that
were identified would, in fact, be effectively linked to job success. This process (using statistical
testing and focus group feedback) clearly demonstrated the positive relationship between
behaviors and superior performance.

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What is meant by a Competency?
Competencies are typically thought of having an “underlying” characteristic. This means that
while we can see the resulting behaviors, the behavioral “drivers” or motivators for these
behaviors are usually not easily apparent. The iceberg model helps us understand what we
mean by an “underlying” characteristic.

Iceberg Model of Competencies

Behaviors

Skills
Knowledge
Values

Traits

Motives

Behaviors providing evidences of a competency are observable above the surface. The
rationale for using competencies to predict performance is that while you can’t know and
measure what is happening below the surface, the observable behaviors are a good indication
of how individuals will perform.

But the essence of the competency is underlying and not directly visible. A competency may be
a skill, such as Influence through Communication. Competencies may primarily involve
knowledge. An example is organizational awareness, which may be defined as knowledge of
an organization’s structure, procedures and policies, as well as knowledge of its norms and
values. Some competencies are defined as values, for example, Live the _____ Way, which is
all about the unique culture prevalent in the company.

Other competencies are essentially traits, such as Adaptability. Traits are enduring aspects of
personality. As a side note, it is usually easier to recruit people that already have the required
traits, than to try to develop the traits in people who do not possess them.

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At the deepest level of personality are motives.

These motives are often reflected in competencies, such as: Self-Motivated -- based on
Achievement Motivation; Teamwork – based on Affiliation Motivation; and Influence through
Communication – based on Power Motivation.

At ______ we have a working definition. For our purposes, competencies can be best
described as:

“Specific behaviors that are linked to superior individual and organizational

performance”

To summarize, we can see that Competencies can be said to comprise essentially of three main
elements.

a) The easiest to obtain = KNOWLEDGE

b) The element which can be acquired and practiced = SKILLS

c) The element which puts these together = ATTITUDE (which includes values, traits and
motives)

Let’s use the analogy of how we go about driving a car.

We all begin with some acquired knowledge (using the Highway Code, or Traffic Rule Book)
Then, we develop and refine our skills (for example hand/eye coordination)

We all pass the same Test and yet drive differently. What differentiates drivers? It is usually
the attitude.

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Why Develop Competency Models?

Business Reasons

The business reasons involve getting better business results from people in a job, by:
1. Selecting and promoting people based on specific characteristics that are better suited for
superior performance in the job.
2. Providing employees with constructive feedback on how to improve behaviors that lead to
superior performance in the job.
3. Training and coaching job holders so that they improve on competencies that allow them to
become more effective and more productive.
4. Rewarding evidences of competencies that contribute to superior performance.

Human Resources Reasons

HR leaders, who are responsible for developing the organization’s human capital, use
competency models to:
1. Provide a conceptual basis for HR applications such as selection, professional development,
training, performance management and appraisal, and succession planning.
2. Reinforce personal characteristics and values that are part of an organizational culture that
will support the vision, direction and strategy of top management

__________ Reasons/Rationale:

As a company, we would like a competency framework to contain the following aspects:

1. Flexible: local markets can implement with few edits; adaptable to meet future changes
2. User Friendly: easy to understand
3. Simple: easy to use
4. Create common language around HR programs and systems

Benefits to our employees:

1. Employees can improve their own personal competencies to create opportunities for career
development.
2. Having clear examples of success can be replicated easier making the performance
assessment process more objective and transparent.

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GENERAL GUIDELINES

These general guidelines describe the roles and responsibilities of those who are involved in
creating and maintaining the Global Competency Framework and designing Competency
Profiles.

1. The HR Strategy team will have responsibility for ensuring the ongoing integrity of the
Global Competency Framework. Any modification introduced to the Competency Dictionary
or to the process for creating Competency Profiles will require approval by the HR Strategy
Team. The HR Strategy team is made up of ________, Chief People Officer; ________,
Vice-President of International HR; _______, Vice-President of Human Resources; and
__________, Director of Employee Organizational Development. Usually, each strategic
initiative also has a project lead. In the case of the Global Competency Framework, this
person is ________.

2. The Competency Profiles must reflect the actual business requirements of the position, as
described in the current job description, rather than the particular strengths or preferences of
individual employees who are currently in the job.

3. No rewriting, rephrasing or exclusion of behaviors may be included in a competency profile

without first consulting with the HR Strategy team.

4. A note about the use of translations. We understand the need to make all this material
available in the local language of employees as this will help with understanding and clarity.
We do request that care is taken to maintain the conceptual consistency of each
Competency definition, as well as the associated behaviors. Please involve the HR Region
Generalist in the translations, whenever possible.

5. The HR Generalist supporting each customer area or country has the responsibility to
initiate or modify any competency profile, as jobs are added to the current structure. The
competency profile should also be reviewed by the appropriate HR Region Generalist.

6. The appropriate business head or country leader should validate any new or modified
competency profile before it is implemented into the job structure. Depending on the nature
of the job role, the emphasis placed on stakeholders may vary. Where there is significant
difference in perception, this will need to be discussed before any decision is finalized. The
behaviors which are contained in the Competency Dictionary were validated to ensure that
they correlate to superior performance.

7. The identification of the primary job role is key to the success of the framework. Where
there is any doubt as to the Job Role, please contact with the appropriate HR Strategy
Team representative.

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__________ GLOBAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK

The sixteen competencies in the Competency Dictionary are labeled according to how they are
found across the different jobs.

This is a brief explanation of each of the three groups:

Core Competencies

These are characteristics or competencies that should be present in all jobs, regardless of level
or job role – the resulting behaviors can help demonstrate our unique culture and values. A
good example of a core competency is ______ . We would want every single employee of this
company to reflect the values that are valuable to this company.

Job Role Specific Competencies

These are other competencies that vary from job role to job role. This means that they are a
key success factor for some jobs, but not necessarily have the same impact for jobs in other job
roles. For example, the competency Attention to Detail will probably be a high success factor
for job roles whose primary focus is to process information or data (Transactional Job Role).
This same competency might not have the same priority for a Strategic job role, which is usually
more focused on viewing the big picture of things.
(To see more on Job Roles, please go to page 14)

Leadership Competencies

We also have included some competencies that are common to all jobs that are responsible for
supervising outputs from individuals or groups. These are competencies we would expect any
leader to show examples of, regardless of level or market size.

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 The ________ Global Competency Framework

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Example of a Competency:
Below is an example of a competency from the __ Global Competency Framework.

Live the ______ Way:

Model and promote the ______culture, brand and core values (Golden Rule, Make Me Feel
Important, Balanced Priorities, Go Give); actively demonstrate these behaviors in every situation
and with all audiences.

Basic Intermediate Advanced

• Demonstrates a positive • Displays a genuine • Demonstrates an
attitude about the company, enthusiasm about the unshakable passion for the
the culture and the business, the company, and business, the customer and
customer; wants to be part the customer the mission
of the company • Demonstrates a willingness • Can energize others about
• Is helpful to others versus to serve and contribute in the company
judgmental any way possible • Is a true role model for the
• Identifies with and • Applies the culture and company and its values;
understands how the culture values to make decisions, creates an environment that
creates a better working handle business and fosters the culture , the
environment customer issues and to values, and the highest
• Understands and usually engage others levels of customer service
demonstrates the core • Encourages others to better • Develops performance and
values practice the core values service standards for self
• Believes in the company’s • Focuses on building solid and others that promote the
mission relationships with customers culture and core values
• Seeks to understand the through meeting or • Drives self/organization to
needs and requirements of exceeding their needs create strong, mutually
customers • Frequently exceeds basic beneficial relationships with
• Complies with basic service service standards their customers by providing
standards exemplary service

It begins with the name of the competency and then the definition identifies the underlying
abilities or traits or the outcomes of the competency.

In addition, there are three defined levels of behavioral indicators that describe the behaviors
that someone would exhibit in demonstrating the competency at increasing levels of capability,
in other words, “what the competency looks like in terms of behavior.”

A five level proficiency level progression is provided to allow for dealing with complexity, which
falls between the defined levels. More explanation on the proficiency levels is given further into
the guide.

On the next page, an actual Competency Dictionary page is shown to explain how all this fits
together.

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A Competency Dictionary Page

This is how an actual Competency Dictionary page looks. It contains all the information needed
to understand how it links to specific jobs and expected behaviors.

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DESIGNING COMPETENCY PROFILES

The Use of Job Roles

One of the first tasks at hand is to link Competencies to actual Job Descriptions, so that it
becomes clear what behaviors are key to successful job performance for every existing position.

To facilitate the process of creating Competency Profiles for all our jobs in __, we have
introduced the use of Job Roles, and predetermined the competencies that will accompany
each job role. Job roles describe the way in which each person adds value to the business and
best carries out the mission, along with the nature of that particular contribution. The job roles
group together jobs, which tend to focus on the same general aspects. The employees that
carry out these jobs tend to have similar desirable characteristics or competencies. The job
roles are not function specific, that is, job roles may or may not always be in the same job family
(for example: finance, sales or operations).

All positions in the ___organization can be described using five basic “job roles”.

The five job roles are:

• Transactional
• Support
• Relationship
• Specialist
• Strategic

Each employee within the company performs in one or more of these job roles (a definition of
each is described on page 23). It is not typical; however, that any single job role will operate in
more than two job roles. The use for the job roles is important for two main reasons.

• It helps to explain the way in which each job is focused on adding value – what the major
contribution to the company is. This enhances clarity, and can assist in prioritizing
objectives and efforts.

• The job roles are a key to understanding the different ways in which each competency can
be demonstrated, and the way in which the framework is used.

Each job needs to be placed into ONE of the five job roles. We recognize that a lot of jobs will
probably perform in two job roles, but a decision should be reached as to which job role is
primary and key for the job to be successful.

It is important to remember that we should use an updated version of the job description to
guide our decision on which job role to assign a particular job to. The job holder may be
carrying out responsibilities that are outside the scope of their job. Similarly, we may see
opportunities for development in employees that are not fulfilling the extent of their job
responsibilities. Due to these extraneous circumstances, we should only be guided by what is
included in the formal job description document.

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JOB ROLE CLASSIFICATION GUIDE
It is important to note that we will probably find some jobs that are very obvious about what their
role is, while some others will have aspects of two roles. For the purpose of designing
Competency Profiles, it is important once more to note that every job is categorized into only
ONE job role.

It will help understand what these job roles are and how they are defined. Here are some
definitions to help guide our understanding of how the jobs roles are different one from another.

Definitions and Examples of Job Roles and Jobs:

Transactional Job Role

This job role is process driven and operational in nature and administers and operates essential
processes, planning and allocating resources to ensure delivery of quality or volume output.
There may be daily or routine contact with external or internal customers.

Some examples of Transactional jobs are: Distribution Picker, Manufacturing Assembler, and
Customer Service Representative

Support Job Role

The service support job role adds value by their commitment to provide administrative and
logistical support for the needs of other specific job roles or small groups. They may exercise
certain autonomy to make decisions about satisfying customers’ requirements with defined
procedures. The majority of time is spent in customer satisfying activities and logistical support.

Some examples of Support jobs are: Administrative Assistant and Executive Assistant.

Relationship Job Role

These job roles have the responsibility for creating and maintaining optimal working
relationships with business partners. The customers may be internal or external, for example, a
job which predominantly requires the job holder to influence and gain commitment to proposals
with the Independent Sales force would fall into this job role type.

Some examples of Relationship jobs are: Sales Development Associate and HR Generalist.

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Specialist Job Role

This job role provides expert advice and guidance to the business in a particular discipline. The
expert job role should not be confused with the requirement for a set of job specific skills and
knowledge to perform a current job role. A key criterion for this type of job role is that the
person adds value to the business by virtue of their training, experience and expertise.

Some examples of Specialist jobs are: Attorney, Scientist and IST Programmer.

Strategy Job Role

This job role focuses on analysing and deciding upon the strategic direction and policy of the
business, business unit or function. A position focused on looking at medium to long term
results, and making recommendations on the appropriate courses of action, for example, would
have a primary strategic element to his/her role.

Some examples of Strategic jobs are: Country Head and Function Head.

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JOB ROLE TYPE QUESTIONNAIRE

To help classify the appropriate Job Role for a specific job you may want to use this simple
guide. Following a few simple steps will help identify the particular job role that each job is
placed into. As a note, this process of identifying the appropriate job role for each job is initiated
by HR and not by any job holder, and validated by the appropriate business partner.

• This simple questionnaire will help you identify your primary job role type
• For each question, circle the statement which most closely applies to your work
• Only circle one statement for each question
• There are no right or wrong answers, but it all should be consistent with current job
description

Q1. The employee spends most of their time:

a) Processing information, product or data.
b) Preparing schedules, complying with administrative procedures and processing
customer requests
c) Communicating with partners of a particular business process
d) Using my specialised expertise to advise the business
e) Preparing strategies

Q2. The employee is mainly responsible for:

a) Meeting targets (in volume & quality) and accurate information processing
b) Minimizing administrative and logistic burden on position(s) I support
c) Degree of results achieved as a result of strong partnering relationship with my
customers.
d) The quality of my expert advice
e) Analysing and interpreting data to support coherent recommendations

Q3. An essential part of the employees’ job is:

a) Focusing on the task at hand and using appropriate processes and procedures
b) Quick and efficient resolution of pending tasks and individual requests.
c) Continued contact with all customers to adequately gauge and interpret their
concerns
d) Identifying operational opportunities by ensuring specialist techniques are maintained
and developed to support each particular business
e) Predicting significant trends well into the future based on a through assessment of
information

Q4. The employee’s main expertise is:

a) Knowledge and skill at maintaining business operations
b) Can-do attitude and efficient personal organization of tasks
c) Skill at building mutual working relationships
d) In their specialist discipline
e) Strategic analysis

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Q5. The employee deals mainly with:
a) Processes and procedures
b) Supporting their customers
c) Business partners
d) Fellow specialists, internal and/or external
e) External information providers and internal strategists

Q6. To be able to do my job, the employee needs:

a) Clear operational processes and details on how the process works
b) Clear instructions and expected results
c) Understanding of expected results, relevant information
d) Specialist expertise
e) Understanding of the relevant business environment

Q7. The employee regularly:

a) Spend significant time dealing with processes
b) Report on progress to ensure objectives are met
c) Spend time with their customers to understand their needs/expectations
d) Ensure management are fully aware of technical issues and explain in appropriate
language those which may impact on plans
e) Identify new customer bases, new markets and new products based on market
research and customer feedback

Q8. To carry out my role the employee needs to influence:

a) How well the internal processes work
b) Desired outcomes and problem resolution
c) Mutually agreed goals and results
d) The thinking of the business in their specialist area
e) Mary Kay strategies

Now simply add up how many times you have circled a), b) and so on. The primary job role is
the one represented by the greatest number of circles.

Mostly (a): Transactional Job Role

Mostly (b): Support Job Role
Mostly (c): Relationship Job Role
Mostly (d): Specialist Job Role
Mostly (e): Strategic Job Role

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COMPETENCIES INCLUDED IN THE JOB ROLES
All of the 5 job roles have been populated with a group of competencies that best account for
the behaviors that are typically found in that specific job role. The five job roles incorporate the
Core Competencies and the Role Specific Competencies from the __ Global Competency
Framework. The number of competencies may vary from job role to job role.

These are the Competencies that are included in each of the 5 Job Roles:

The way the Core and Job Specific competencies are included in each of the five job roles can
be seen below.

Job Role
Group Competency
Transactional Support Relationship Specialist Strategic

Live the ___ Way ! ! ! ! !

Core Learn and Develop ! ! ! ! !

Adaptability ! ! ! ! !

Attention to Detail ! !

Teamwork ! !

Self-Motivated ! ! !

Influence Through Communication ! ! !

Job
Build Credibility ! ! !
Specific

Navigate Through Ambiguity ! !

Use Information Effectively ! !

Think Innovatively ! !

Create a Vision !

Once jobs are “sorted” into the appropriate job role, they incorporate all the competencies from
that job role.

If for example, after using the job role type questionnaire, we were to determine that a Manager
of Sales Development job best fits into the Relationship Role, the competencies included in the
Competency Profile for that job role would be:

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Competency Profile (example)

Job: Manager of Sales Development

Job Role: Relationship Role

Core Competencies:

Live the _______ Way

Learn and Develop
Adaptability

Role Specific Competencies:

Influence through Communication

Build Credibility
Navigate through Ambiguity
Self-Motivated
Use Information Effectively

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DETERMINING PROFICIENCY LEVELS FOR INDIVIDUAL
COMPETENCIES
Once the appropriate job role has been determined for a particular job, the next step is to assign
proficiency levels for each one of the competencies in the job role.

This is probably the most complex aspect of building individual competency profiles for jobs.
The objective is to use the behavioral aspects of a particular competency to assign a
“proficiency level category” for that particular competency by a 1 – 5 scale.

There are a few guides and points to keep in mind as we do this:

• The behaviors for each competency are found in the ___ Competency Dictionary.

• The proficiency levels are indicative of a growing complexity in the behaviors that evidence
a particular competency. The Basic – Intermediate – Advanced labels should not be
associated with individual performance levels.

• The proficiency levels should be assigned based on the job requirements and not on the
employee that is occupying the position.

• As the proficiency levels reflect behaviors that should be evidenced by the job, to insure
good success rate in carrying out the job’s principal accountabilities, these categories
should not be associated with job levels. This means that it may not always be the case that
higher level jobs have a higher proficiency level than their lower level counterparts for any
one competency.

• Every job should have a proficiency level for every competency in their assigned job role.

• Every competency has a scale going from 1 – 5 to assign a proficiency level to each
competency. The ratings of “2” and “4” are provided to help balance the instances when
there are some behavioral indicators from two separate levels. For example, in case we
have several behaviors from the “Basic” group, and also some from the “Intermediate”
group, we might decide to assign a proficiency level of 2, rather than going with the 1 or the
3 proficiency level rating.

• The behavioral indicators are not inclusive to all behaviors that may be appropriate for a
given competency. They are just a guide to better “visualize” a pattern of observable
behavior in a given proficiency level. That means that specific jobs can include all, most or
only a few of the behavioral indicators that are provided without affecting the proficiency
level that is used.

• A template is provided in this document to help each HR partner design their competency
profile for each existing job. This template may be found on page 30.

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To use our earlier example, this is what a Competency Profile could look like once the
Proficiency Levels were defined (the template used can be found on page 32, and is also part of
the Toolkit).

Competency Profile

Identification Column

Job Title: Manager of Sales Development Date: xx/xx/20xx

Position Code: MN0067 Department: Sales Operations
Job Role: Relationship Function: Sales
Country: USA Reviewed by: Joe Person(HR)

The following are typical competencies for this job role. The proficiency level at which the
competency is found is typical for this level of work.

Key Competencies
Identify the key Competencies for the appropriate Job Role. Define the level of proficiency for each Competency,
and utilize the indicators to show proficiency levels. In some cases, additional indicators might be useful to clarify
local meaning.

Group: Core Competencies

Competency Proficiency Behavioral Indicators

Level
Live the 4
• Displays a genuine enthusiasm about the business, the company,
_____Way
and the customer
• Demonstrates a willingness to serve and contribute in any way
possible
• Applies the culture and values to make decisions, handle
business and customer issues and to engage others
• Develops performance and service standards for self and others
that promote the culture and core values
• Drives self/organization to create strong, mutually beneficial
relationships with their customers by providing exemplary service

Learn and 3 • Stays current about what is happening inside and outside the
Develop company
• Actively seeks and uses feedback to identify areas for
development
• Seeks coaching from supervisor or others who are seen as role-
models
• Uses self-insights to capitalize on one’s strengths and offset
weaknesses

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 Adaptability 4 • Champions change within own organization; creates/supports an
environment that encourages change
• Sees the benefits of change and speaks positively about the
change to others
• Easily adopts and quickly implements changes; helps gain
acceptance from others

Group: Role Specific Competencies

Competency Proficiency Behavioral Indicators
Level
Influence 5 • Seeks out others ideas and thoughts regarding an issue before
through finalizing a course of action
Communication
• Communicates complex or technical information in a way that
the audience can quickly understand the issue and opportunities
• Presents a logical business case for one’s position; builds
common ground by presenting ideas from the others’ point of
view; uses appealing and persuasive arguments
• Effectively responds to questions or challenges of the audience
by pointing out and reinforcing the advantages of the proposed
idea

Build Credibility 3 • Provides assistance, information and support to others to build a

foundation for future cooperation
• Develops and maintains strong relations with peers,
subordinates, leaders, and internal/external customers based
upon mutual trust and respect; builds alliances
• Expresses appreciation for help and support received from
others; knows how to make others feel important
• Seen as genuinely looking out for the good of the company
• Dependably achieves and may exceed one’s goals; seen as
reliable

Navigate 2 • Is confident and positive in the face of ambiguity or trying

through situations; keeps moving forward
Ambiguity
• Keeps control of one’s feelings and behavior in high pressure
situations
• Deals constructively with setbacks
• Recognizes the need to adjust one’s style, processes and
procedures to operate in other markets and cultures and to
support diversity; empathetic and sensitive to cultural issues
when supporting other regions

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 Self-Motivated 2 • Meets and often exceeds job requirements without direction
• Willingly steps up to a task vs. waiting for someone else to do it
• Exhibits a positive attitude toward work
• Requires little supervision or direction within scope of
responsibilities

Use 4 • Knows whose information can be taken at face value

Information
Effectively • Sees the broader implications of issues; considers different
perspectives
• Notices similarities between different and apparently unrelated
situations
• Learns from experience and uses in new situations
• Recognizes when to escalate an issue, and offers suggested
solutions

The Competencies that are considered are determined by the Job Role (in this particular case it
happens to be Relationship Job Role).

The proficiency levels are determined by choosing the appropriate behaviors from the
Behavioral Indicators for each competency. These are found in the MK Competency Dictionary.

The Proficiency Levels help us visualize the behaviors that are required for any employee to be
successful at any particular job. The evidences of behaviors at the appropriate levels for each
competency model “what success looks like”.

Again, it does not make any difference how many behavioral indicators are used. The
behavioral indicators are a guide to establish a behavioral pattern, and serve to show what
behavior at that level “looks like”. The number of bullets can be a few, some or all.

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Leadership Competencies

If the job involves supervisor responsibilities, we need to additionally consider the Leadership
Competencies. We would simply expand the Competency Profile to include the 4 competencies
that are a part of the model and attach the Proficiency Levels for them as well.

To use our earlier example:

Competency Profile

Identification Column

Job Title: Manager of Sales Development Date: xx/xx/20xx

Position Code: MN0067 Department: Sales Operations
Job Role: Relationship Function: Sales
Country: USA Reviewed by: Joe Person(HR)

The following are typical competencies for this job role. The proficiency level at which the
competency is found is typical for this level of work.

Key Competencies
Identify the key Competencies for the appropriate Job Role. Define the level of proficiency for each Competency,
and utilize the indicators to show proficiency levels. In some cases, additional indicators might be useful to clarify
local meaning.

Group: Core Competencies

Competency Proficiency Behavioral Indicators

Level
Live the 4
• Displays a genuine enthusiasm about the business, the company,
______ Way
and the customer
• Demonstrates a willingness to serve and contribute in any way
possible
• Applies the culture and values to make decisions, handle
business and customer issues and to engage others
• Develops performance and service standards for self and others
that promote the culture and core values
• Drives self/organization to create strong, mutually beneficial
relationships with their customers by providing exemplary service

Learn and 3 • Stays current about what is happening inside and outside the
Develop company
• Actively seeks and uses feedback to identify areas for
development
• Seeks coaching from supervisor or others who are seen as role-
models

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 • Uses self-insights to capitalize on one’s strengths and offset
weaknesses

Adaptability 4 • Champions change within own organization; creates/supports an

environment that encourages change
• Sees the benefits of change and speaks positively about the
change to others
• Easily adopts and quickly implements changes; helps gain
acceptance from others

Group: Role Specific Competencies

Competency Proficiency Behavioral Indicators
Level
Influence 5 • Seeks out others ideas and thoughts regarding an issue before
through finalizing a course of action
Communication
• Communicates complex or technical information in a way that
the audience can quickly understand the issue and opportunities
• Presents a logical business case for one’s position; builds
common ground by presenting ideas from the others’ point of
view; uses appealing and persuasive arguments
• Effectively responds to questions or challenges of the audience
by pointing out and reinforcing the advantages of the proposed
idea

Build Credibility 3 • Provides assistance, information and support to others to build a

foundation for future cooperation
• Develops and maintains strong relations with peers,
subordinates, leaders, and internal/external customers based
upon mutual trust and respect; builds alliances
• Expresses appreciation for help and support received from
others; knows how to make others feel important
• Seen as genuinely looking out for the good of the company
• Dependably achieves and may exceed one’s goals; seen as
reliable

Navigate 2 • Is confident and positive in the face of ambiguity or trying

through situations; keeps moving forward
Ambiguity
• Keeps control of one’s feelings and behavior in high pressure
situations
• Deals constructively with setbacks
• Recognizes the need to adjust one’s style, processes and

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 procedures to operate in other markets and cultures and to
support diversity ; empathetic and sensitive to cultural issues
when supporting other regions

Self-Motivated 2 • Meets and often exceeds job requirements without direction

• Willingly steps up to a task vs. waiting for someone else to do it
• Exhibits a positive attitude toward work
• Requires little supervision or direction within scope of
responsibilities

Use 4 • Knows whose information can be taken at face value

Information
Effectively • Sees the broader implications of issues; considers different
perspectives
• Notices similarities between different and apparently unrelated
situations
• Learns from experience and uses in new situations
• Recognizes when to escalate an issue, and offers suggested
solutions

Group: Leadership Competencies

Competency Proficiency Behavioral Indicators

Level
Mobilize and Inspire 3 • Establishes challenging goals and expectations; people are
empowered, understand their boundaries, and know what to
expect
• Holds people accountable for their goals as well as their
actions
• Continually provides balanced feedback on performance;
coaches people on how to improve
• Holds frequent team meetings to keep people informed and
to discuss and resolve problems
• Is very visible in the organization; shares thoughts, feelings
and rationale with the team
• Uses tools and processes to improve team efficiency but
also to build the individual capability of their people

Make Sound 5 • Knows what is required to make the business successful,

Decisions considers options accordingly
• Makes timely decisions; recognizes when consensus isn’t
practical

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 • Considers the possible reactions of others and plans
accordingly
• Makes tough practical decisions when needed; stands up for
what they believe in
• Supports decisions even in the face of negative reactions;
explains reasons why the decision was made; “sticks to their
guns” (maintains on course)

Think Strategically 1 • Understands the company’s strategy and direction

• Develops plans and objectives for own organization that
support the company/function reaching its goals
• Thinks ahead; has a well-rounded perspective
• Keeps up to date on trends in the industry and within one’s
functional area

Planning and 3 • Sets plans and priorities; works with others to ensure that
Achieving they understand their assignments and performance
expectations
• Conveys priorities with right sense of urgency; understands
what is and isn’t important and adjusts accordingly
• Ensures that the resources needed to accomplish the plan
are available
• Uses own time well in carrying out responsibilities
• Measures progress towards goals and quickly redirects
efforts as needed
• Considers how results are obtained in addition to what
results were obtained

The process used to determine Proficiency Levels for the Leadership Competencies is the same
as for the Core and Job Role Specific Competencies.

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PROCESS VALIDATION
After the competency profile is finished, it should be validated with the appropriate Business
Unit head to insure that there is a clear understanding as to the job role, proficiency levels and
behaviors identified for successful job performance.

It is important to remind all users that these profiles will be used to leverage our recruiting,
performance development processes, succession planning and career development. Therefore,
it would be extremely beneficial to the business, HR and the employee that the criteria used is
reflective of true expectations for successful performance.

OCM – Organizational Change Management

However this Global Competency Framework is implemented and then communicated to all
employees, we should anticipate that it will carry a significant amount of associated change.

We have corporate programs and resources that have been developed to help us plan and then
lead teams as we navigate through change.

These tools and resources can greatly improve our planning process and help us make a
smoother transition. We encourage all those who facilitate the implementation of the Global
Competency Framework in a country or business unit to seek out their designated OCM partner.

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SUMMARY
In conclusion, the process to design a sound Competency Profile depends on taking the
following steps into account:

1) An existing Job is paired with a Job Role based on Job Description content.

2) All competencies of the Job Role are used in designing the profile (these include the Core
Competencies and the Job Role Specific competencies).

3) Proficiency levels are used for each competency, according to the 1 – 5 criteria.

4) If the position has supervisory responsibilities, all competencies from the Leadership
Competency group are also used, repeating step 3.

5) The resulting Competency Profile is validated with the appropriate Business Unit head or
delegate to insure understanding and buy in.

6) Once validated locally, all competency profiles should be submitted to the HR Region
Generalist (for International) and the HR Strategy Competency Project Lead (Ruben
Decoud) to insure consistency across current structures.

7) When implementing the framework refer to our OCM (Organizational Change Management)
tools to insure that all aspects of the impact of the proposed change can be planned and the
potential risks mitigated accordingly.

If you should have any questions, comments or suggestions on the material in this guide, please
refer to your appropriate HR Department Head or HR Region Generalist as appropriate.

A process flow is attached on the following page to help you visualize this better.

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 Creating Competency Profiles

HR Region Generalist
Business Partner HR Generalist HR Strategy Team
(if applicable)

Create/Update Job Review results for Review for

Description consistency across consistency across
region global structures

yes
Determine the Agree Agree
Appropriate Job no
Role

no yes

Assign Proficiency
Levels to Core,
Role Specific
Competencies

no Does Job
supervise
others?

Validate yes
Competency
Profile

Assign Proficiency
Levels to
Leadership
Competencies

Populate
Agree with yes Competency
ratings Profile
Database

no

Communicate
Competency Communicate Communicate
Profile to Job Results Results
Holder

End of process

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 Competency Profile (template)

Identification Column

Job Title: (same as Job Description) Date:

Position Code: (same as Job Description) Department:
Job Role: Function:
Country: Reviewed by: (HR)

The following are typical competencies for this job role. The proficiency level at
which the competency is found is typical for this level of work.

Key Competencies
Identify the key Competencies for the appropriate Job Role. Define the level of proficiency for each Competency, and
utilize the indicators to show proficiency levels. In some cases, additional indicators might be useful to help clarify
better in local meaning.

Group:

Competency Proficiency Behavioral Indicators

Level
Competencies Use the 1 – 5 • Use the Behavioral Indicators from the Competency Dictionary.
are determined proficiency
by the levels as they • Use all indicators that apply to the job content.
appropriate job are described •
role. in the
Competency •
Dictionary •

Repeat for as many competencies are included in the job role, and add Leadership
Competencies, if appropriate.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Behavioral Indicator – They are examples of specific behaviors that help a person “see”
evidence of a particular competency.

Business Partner/Business Unit Head – Any functional leader in a market or country. They
are typically the key customers for local HR generalists.

Competency – An underlying characteristic that drives a particular behavior. At ___ we use the
following definition: “Specific behaviors that are linked to superior individual and organizational
performance”.

Competency Dictionary – The sixteen competencies that are linked to job success at ___.
The dictionary contains the competencies, their definitions, behavioral indicators and an
explanation on each one of the sixteen competencies.

Competency Profile – The requirements of a particular job expressed in terms of

competencies and expected behaviors.

Core Competency – These are characteristics or competencies which should be present in all
jobs, regardless of level or job role – the resulting behaviors can help demonstrate our unique
culture and values. They are sometimes called Universal Competencies.

Global Competency Framework – This is the structure which houses the competencies. The
framework is the model that provides guidance on how competencies are linked to individual
jobs.

HR Region Generalist – HR person that supports each of the 4 MK regions (USA/Canada,

Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America). Typically, this HR person also supports the Region
President and Regional employees. They provide a “go-between” local plans and corporate HR
strategy.

HR Strategy Team – They are members of the MK HR Leadership Team (Chief People Officer,
VP of Human Resources, VP of International Human Resources, and Director of EOD). Each
strategic HR initiative has a designated project leader who is responsible for designing and
coordinating the implementation of the initiatives to international markets, in close partnership
with the appropriate Regional HR Generalist. In the case of the Global Competency Framework
project, the contact person is ________.

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Job Description – The Job requirements in terms of responsibilities and accountabilities.

Job Role – A group of jobs that share or have a similar focus. These jobs are grouped around
the competency requirements they demand from the job-holder. At __ we consider the following
five job roles: Transactional, Support, Relationship, Specialist and Strategic.

Leadership Competency – We also have included some competencies that are common to all
jobs that are responsible for supervising outputs from individuals or groups. These are
competencies we would expect any leader to show examples of, regardless of level or market
size.

Proficiency Level – The level of complexity or “depth” of a particular competency. The

rationale is that more complex behaviors tend to evidence more strength in a particular
competency.

Role Specific Competency – These are other competencies that vary from job role to job role.
This means that they are a key success factor for some jobs, but not necessarily have the same
impact for jobs in other job roles.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

What impact do competencies have on overall job success?

Competencies typically revolve around identifying the underlying personal characteristics that
make individuals more apt for some type of jobs over others. The competencies tend to be
evidenced by specific behaviors, which then can be linked to job success. We believe that if we
can determine which behaviors can predict successful performance on the job, the chances of
positive alignment between people and jobs increases dramatically.

When does a job require new/updated competencies?

Every time a job changes its focus or area of responsibility in a significant way. The same way
a Job Description is updated, we should review the Job Role to insure we have the best fit (in
terms of expected behaviors) for the current job requirements.

What happens when a new job is created, in terms of the Competencies?

Every time a new job is created, a new Competency Profile needs to be designed in accordance
to the process outlined in this Guide.

If a person requires a proficiency level of x in their current job, but they show evidence of
possessing a higher proficiency level in that competency, do they get paid more?

No, not directly. If a person possesses strength in a competency, that goes beyond the required
proficiency level for the job, they should be able to perform consistently at a superior level which
could influence their PDP scores and ultimately their pay.

Can a job with a lower job grade have a higher proficiency level at any competency than
jobs at a higher grade?

Yes. Even though this will not be the general case, there are some instances where that could
happen. This is because the proficiency levels are assigned based on job requirements and
content and not overall job responsibility and accountability. It could be that the strengths or
complexity of a competency are required at higher levels in jobs with a lower grade. This could
happen, for example, with the competency “Attention to Detail” where the job holder at lower
levels (who is responsible for doing the task) might require more of that particular competency
than a supervisory job at a higher grade (where there is more of an overseeing need for the
same competency).

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If a person wants to increase their pay, do they have to work on improving their strength
and proficiency in a given competency?

Pay is driven mostly by performance. If a person wants to improve their overall job
performance, one way they may want to do this is by insuring that they are behaving in such
ways that permit them to achieve positive results in fulfilling their job requirements. Building on
their competencies will allow the job holder to feel more confident about having the necessary
skills and characteristics to perform the job successfully.

What is the difference between proficiency levels and performance?

Proficiency levels address the requirements of a particular job in terms of the complexity or
strength of individual competencies. The evidence of the competency’s strength can be seen
by the behaviors that are observed in the job holder. Performance addresses the outputs or
results that are seen as a result of the job holder’s work and effort. Performance also includes
more than just the way the job holder chooses to behave as they work, it includes the results
they obtain, the attitude that they show and the overall quality of their work.

Is it possible to have employees with different proficiency levels in a same job?

No. This is because the proficiency levels for each competency should reflect the current
requirements and expectations for each job, and not the job holder. Employees who have the
same jobs will probably perform at different PDP levels, and that may be caused in part by the
differences people have in showing strength of some/group of competencies.

Can Competencies be acquired/developed?

While it may be possible in some cases to develop new talent, skills and potential we would
always prefer to link people who evidence particular competencies to jobs who have the same
competency requirements. Competencies can be enhanced and improved provided there is
some potential in the individual. It is hard to develop new competencies through things like
formal training, as they are rooted deep within the individual’s underlying characteristics. As an
illustration, we can probably teach a turkey to climb a tree, but wouldn’t it make more sense to
use a squirrel?

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