The Dissemination of Competency-Based Management Tools in North America since David C. McClelland

This article focuses on the predictors of job performance used by organizations in managing their human resources. It begins, in particular, with an examination of the events following the 1973 publication of a seminal article by David McClelland in American Psychologist recommending that organizations test for competence rather than intelligence when selecting. The article follows the development of this new predictor up to the present day and explores how competency theory has translated into models that can be applied in the world of work. Based on an analysis of North American literature and firm-level case studies (N=150), the article shows how the theory, first applied through an “inductive” approach-based on a scientific method and in-depth analyses of a given job and the key competencies needed for effective job performance—gradually shifted to a “deductive” approach—based on the use of pre-formatted competency dictionaries, addressing practical concerns. While these two approaches are quite different, they share the same goal, namely, obtaining a list of key competencies (between 6 and 20) that reflect the requirements of the job as closely as possible and help to reshape human resource practices such as selection, training and career management. In practice, many firms began simultaneously using both approaches in a complementary fashion, thus implementing a hybrid approach. In this approach, the use of dictionaries provides a broad selection of possible choices which enable firms to quickly identify the most crucial competencies in a participatory atmosphere, thereby making it easier to appropriate the approach. If necessary, behavioral-event interviews can then be held to examine some competencies in a more analytical way in order to validate some choices or opinions put forward in the first step. Throughout the article, the authors highlight the challenges that have accompanied the transition from theory to practice. In conclusion, they raise questions about the predictors to come, in particular the concept of talent which is currently overtaking the concept of competency.

Keywords: competency management, David McClelland, management tools, predictor of performance, talent management.