Competency Modeling and Job Analysis to Select

¶ … competency modeling and job analysis to select suitable candidates for different positions in the organization has increased the effectiveness of the recruitment and hiring process. The two processes make it easier for human resource practitioners to determine the best competencies for a particular position and make use of assessment strategies and instruments that will choose a candidate that is fit for the position. However, to be effective, assessment strategies have to match the competencies with the goals and objectives of the organization. Assessment instruments should also monitor and measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities of potential candidates adequately. This text presents a competency modeling and assessment strategy for the Weston Family Practice Clinic. The owners intend to hire an Office Manager to oversee all the non-medical aspects of the clinic.

A Competency Modeling and Assessment Strategy for the Weston Family Practice Clinic

The dynamic nature of the current business environment has intensified competition in the job market. Consequently, competency modeling and job analysis is fast becoming a vital element in human resource management precisely because it enables human resource practitioners around the world to not only recruit the best talent in the market, but also make proper decisions about advancement and development once they are hired. Broadly defined, job analysis refers to the collection of data about job behaviors and the delineation of skills, knowledge, talents and abilities that may be required for a particular position. On the other hand, competency modeling refers to the research procedure that identifies, defines and measures the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required for successful performance.

According to Scott and Reynolds (2010), defining features of competency modeling and job analysis differ in a number of ways. For instance, while competency modeling focuses on the individual capabilities needed for success, job analysis is keener on the work environment or competencies of the job. Shippmann (2010) also explains that competency modeling emphasizes on individual characteristics that are broadly applicable, whereas job analysis narrows its focus to specific job requirements or job groups. Nevertheless, Scott and Reynolds (2010) assert that both have to focus on knowledge, skill, abilities and other characteristics (KSAO) that will lead to individual, as well as organizational success. They further explain that even when assessments are focused appropriately, poor execution will facilitate poor decision making on the parts of both individuals and organizations. Thus, to be successful, competency modeling and assessment strategies have to take into account organizational vision, strategies and objectives; and at the same time consider traits, attributes or skills that are relevant to success of both the individual and the organization. This text presents a competency modeling and assessment strategy for the Weston Family Practice Clinic, an outpatient facility that is seeking to recruit an Office Manager.

The key knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position

The Weston Family Practice Clinic was started by the husband and wife team of Dr. Eric Weston and Dr. Emily Watson Green, and it has been in operation for seven years. However, an Office Manager is needed to oversee all the non-medical aspects of the clinic. More specifically, he or she will be responsible for organizing all administrative activities that will facilitate the smooth running of the Weston Clinic.

According to O*Net (2015), an Office Manager at a health care clinic should have adequate knowledge of the administrative and management principles involved in coordination of people and resources, human resource modeling, and production methods. Moreover, the Weston Family needs an Office Manager that will allow Dr. Emily Weston to concentrate on providing high quality patient service, and Dr. Eric Weston to concentrate on establishing the practice through partnerships and affiliations with other health care clinics. This means that the Manager has to have knowledge in strategic planning, leadership and resource allocation in order to make informed decisions even when the founders are not available.

O*Net (2015) states that knowledge of accounting, finance and economic principles will allow the Manager to monitor the financial performance of the clinic, oversee banking and the reporting of financial data, and analyze overall performance in comparison to competitors. The skills needed for an office management position include proper communication skills to convey information in the right manner to his team, active listening skills to take in opinions, views and feedback, and critical thinking to reach conclusions and identify workable solutions to daily problems. Delegation, time management and organization skills will also ease the workload significantly. O*Net (2015) further explains that the Manager should have adequate judgment and decision making skills to enable them to weigh the costs and benefits of potential actions in order to choose the best alternative. Key abilities that are required, on the other hand, include problem sensitivity, emotional maturity, deductive and inductive reasoning, fluency, originality and the use of information technology. Since the manager will collaborate with the nurses and physicians, the Supervisor of Nursing Services as well as healthcare and administrative personnel in clinics and medical officers, the ability to evaluate patient satisfaction, to work as a team and to interact well with others is also imperative.

Approach for assessing potential candidates for the position

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, OPM (2015) states that assessment procedures are beneficial because they not only provide a cost effective option for narrowing down large applicant pools; but also make the selection process efficient by redirecting time and other resources from applicants who are not fit for the position advertised for. OPM further explains that assessment tools and instruments are only effective if they reduce the rate of errors when making hiring decisions.

The Weston clinic assessment process will be rigorous, where multiple assessment methods will be used to select the best candidate for the Office Manager position. First, 20 candidates from the pool of applicants, who have the required KSAOs, will be selected. At this stage, accomplishment records will be used to assess how the applicants' education, past and experience align with the position. According to OPM (2015), accomplishment records require the applicants to provide written descriptions of what was accomplished, specific actions taken in different situations and problems as well as the outcomes that were achieved by those actions. The accomplishment statements will then be rated using competency-based benchmarks prepared for the office manager position. Scoring will then be based on the extent to which the outcomes and behaviors described within the applicants' accomplishment reflect the level of management proficiency. 15 candidates will be selected at this point.

The 15 candidates selected at the first stage will have to be differentiated further particularly because by this stage, they will have almost similar professional qualifications, work experience and skill. Therefore, the second stage will involve cognitive ability tests to test their abilities in mathematical and verbal ability, perception, reasoning, problem solving, or reasoning. Assessment instruments at this stage include intelligent tests, verbal and numerical tests and arithmetic computations. Each candidate's score will then be computed for each of the specific abilities, and those that will have scored as per the calculated average group norm will be selected.

Since the office manager will take on the responsibility of all the non-medical aspects of the Weston clinic, the candidate selected be required to be emotionally fit in order to make objective and informed decisions at all times. The next stage, therefore, will involve emotional intelligence tests and personality tests to elicit information about the candidates' emotional make-up, motivations and interests, as well as their ability to monitor and discriminate against their emotions, and to use this information to guide thoughts and actions (OPM. 2015). Instruments at this stage will include self report questionnaires and in basket tests. The correctness of the responses will be measured using expert scoring, which will be based on expert judgment. Reed, McCloy and Whetzel (2010) also assert that integrity tests are vital for professional and administrative jobs because the candidate selected will take on great responsibility, and hence they must be trustworthy, dependable and honest. The instruments that will be used to assess the candidates' integrity are written tests containing questions that ask direct questions about their involvement in wrong doing and illegal behavior.

About seven candidates will be left after the emotional intelligence, personality and integrity tests. The seven candidates will then sit for job knowledge tests that will assess both professional and technical expertise in overall office management. They will also involve written tests in form of written essays; fill in the blank and multiple choice questions. Those that score the highest will advance to the next stage.

The next stage will be reference checking where past job performance of the best five candidates will be evaluated based on information collected from key individuals. These include past supervisors, employers or subordinates. The best instrument at this stage will be phone interviews because they will require less time and effort from the contact person, and they will facilitate straightforward responses about applicants.

The final stage will be structured interviews. At this stage, the remaining applicants face a panel of interviewers, including Dr. Eric and Emily Weston, who will ask questions that will focus on their beliefs, opinions and values, as well as past present and future behavior. Schmit and Strange (2010) state that behavioral description interviews, which require applicants to describe past behavior in relation the competency of interest, have shown higher levels of validity in managerial jobs. Thus, these will also be used for the Weston Clinic. The panel will rate the applicant responses individually and then discuss the results as a group to determine the best candidate based on the entire assessment process.

The strategic link between competency modeling, assessment, and the organizational objectives of the Weston Family Practice Clinic

The organizational objective of the Weston Family Practice clinic include: expansion of the clinic; achieving sustainable growth; provision of high quality patient service; increasing strategic collaborations and cooperative partnerships; and maintaining goods relations with employees and patients. These objectives influenced the competencies that would be required for the Office Manager Position. For instance, to achieve strategic growth, the Manager requires proper leadership, resource allocation and delegation skills to mobilize the team and channel their efforts towards overall growth of the clinic. Expansion and growth also requires knowledge in strategic planning, coordination of people and resources, as well as the principles of accounting, finance and economics. The Manager will also be required to cooperate with the Westons and to maintain good relation with the patients and the subordinates and, hence, should have proper communication skills to be able to work as a team player, and to interact well with others. Thus, competency modeling matched the competencies with the Office Manager position.