Behavioral Competency

Meaning & Definition

Behavioral Competency is a collection of observable behaviors, attitudes, and skills that affect employee job performance and how they do their job. Behavioral Competencies are more focused on how work gets done rather than what gets done. Some examples of competencies include: Communication Skills, Teamwork, Adaptability, Leadership, and Problem Solving Skills.

Why Behavioral Competencies Are Important?

• Provides a mechanism for providing a full assessment of an employee’s job performance.
• Provides employers with a fair and structured process to hire candidates and select employees for job positions.
• Provides the basis for evaluating and providing employee performance feedback.
• Allows organizations to create targeted employee training and development plans.
• Helps strengthen an organization’s culture by establishing standards of employee behavior across the organization consistently.

Governance/Policy Alignment

Currently, there are no statutory requirements directly related to the term Behavioral Competencies.

Behavioral Competencies are generally defined through:

• Performance management and appraisal frameworks.
• Leadership, competency mapping models.
• Talent development and succession planning policies.
• Use of a consistent evaluation process to decrease potential bias and improve transparency.