Competency-driven Engagements

Mission Karmayogi aims to transform the functioning of the Indian state by effecting a shift from defined rules to a focus on the actual roles and activities undertaken by public officials. Competencies lie at the core of this transformation. By undergoing the Competency-Driven Engagement (C-DE) process, officials can understand exactly what is expected of them in their positions, and the competencies they would require to meet, or even exceed, those expectations.

Public officials face different challenges in their everyday roles – whether that’s starting a new job, learning new skills to do the job efficiently, becoming proficient in new technologies, or being entrusted with managing a project or a team of people. In addition, they are frequently transferred to different departments or ministries, which entails a shift in both perspective and responsibility. If not addressed promptly, these challenges can lead to larger issues such as inefficient administration, delayed or poor decisions, lack of accountability, and a citizen's mistrust in the government. Every position in an organisation requires a distinct set of skills, attitudes, and knowledge. Thus, public officials must have a good understanding of the skills, attitudes, and knowledge required to perform effectively in their roles.

Competencies can be defined as a combination of the attitudes, skills, and knowledge that enable one to perform a task or an activity successfully in a given job. They are a set of broad standards that one must have or acquire, to do their job well.

The competency-driven engagement (C-DE) process is an integral part of enhancing capacity building among public officials and organisations. It is the process of mapping roles, activities, and competencies to positions across the government.

The competency-driven engagement process can help individuals and organisations with:

Role clarity: Individuals can gain clarity on what is expected of them in a particular role and how they can go about accomplishing their day-to-day tasks, through the knowledge of competencies.

Competency mapping: Knowing the attitudes, skills, and knowledge that are required to perform roles within a position, will help set clear job expectations/requirements for individuals and organisations.

Identify training needs: Organisations can use the C-DE process to provide a clear direction to employees on learning requirements and professional development activities required to build on their competencies.

The C-LOP team has outlined a three-phased approach to the C-DE  process:

• Delineate roles and activities for a given position
• Identify attitudes, skills, and knowledge (competencies) for their roles
• Tag or develop competencies for the roles

To know how these competencies are defined and explore other competencies, please refer to the public dictionary of competencies.

Since 2021, C-LOP has conducted a series of trainings with MDOs, training institutions, and NGOs. These include the Indian Institute of Planning & Administration (IIPA), Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM), Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA; also a CBP provider on iGOT Karmayogi), Center for Global Development (CGD), and International Innovation Corps (IIC). 

The workshops were designed to build the capacity of these organisations in identifying the roles and activities required for their positions, as well as developing competencies to map to their roles (through the C-DE process). This would in turn enable the institutions to assist other MDOs in running the C-DE process for their own positions and build the capacity of their staff.

Here is a video introducing the Competency-driven engagement (C-DE) process.

Have a look at the training C-LOP team conducted with IIPA on the C-DE process.