In today’s dynamic and competitive corporate world, the identification and development of employee competencies are crucial aspects of long-term business success.

An effective strategy to achieve this is competence mapping, which not only helps to identify the existing skills of employees, but also provides a detailed picture of the skills and potential of each individual within the execution of their role or in a specific project. 

In this article, we questioned why competence mapping is essential for monitoring employee performance and continuous improvement in the company, and we sought the most comprehensive answers to enable you to gain a thorough understanding of this important aspect of the company.

What is competence mapping?

Competence mapping is a strategic process through which organisations identify, assess and document the competences of employees.

These competences may vary from the level of education and training to specific skills, behavioural competences and past work experience.

The main objective of competence mapping is to create a clear overview of available and potential skills within the team.

How to structure it?

• Identification of competencies: in this phase, the competencies required for the various roles within the company are identified. These competencies may concern both specific technical knowledge and behavioural skills.
• Evaluation of existing and potential competencies: employees are evaluated to determine which competencies they possess or could cultivate. This can be done through interviews, supervisor evaluations or specific competence tests.
• Map creation: once data on existing competencies has been collected, this information is organised into a map that provides a visual overview of the competencies present among company members, enabling HR managers to identify gaps and areas of strength.
• Development and planning: with a clear understanding of available competencies, companies can develop strategies to fill gaps.

What competence mapping is for

Competence mapping is a fundamental process for any company that aims to maximise the potential of its employees and adapt effectively to changing market needs. We can call it a strategic tool that supports business growth and success.

Here are the specific areas where competence mapping is extremely useful:

• Staff development: enables the creation of customised development programmes, helping employees to improve skills and grow professionally.
• Succession planning management: helps with succession planning by identifying potential internal leaders. This enables the company to prepare employees in time for future leadership roles, improving business continuity.
• Performance appraisal: provides an objective basis for evaluating employee performance. Appraisals can be based on the specific competencies required for a given role, ensuring a fair and accurate evaluation.
• Adapting to change: as technologies and markets evolve, the skills required may change. Mapping helps the company adapt quickly by identifying new skills needed and implementing targeted training programmes.
• Creating strong and motivated teams: facilitates the creation of balanced and diverse teams, ensuring that each member brings unique skills to the group. This can improve team collaboration and efficiency.
• Fostering a positive corporate culture: promotes a culture of continuous learning and development, thereby enhancing employee engagement and creating a stimulating and positive working environment.

Competence mapping typologies

There are different competence mappings, each of which is designed to meet specific business needs.

Here are some of the main types:

• Intellectual competences: focuses on the analysed subject’s ability to be able to better organise and plan his or her work.
• Motivational skills: the professional is stimulated to improve certain areas of his or her work by cultivating perseverance, learning and efficient time management.
• Emotional competence: the ability to be able to control one’s emotions at work and the impact these have on the professional’s work is measured.
• Social competences: allows one to understand whether the individual is capable (and how effectively) of working in a team.
• Individual competence mapping: put into practice to understand the skills, knowledge, potential and possible shortcomings of each individual employee.
• Role mapping: this analysis is still individual but focuses exclusively on the professional and not on the person. Let’s say it is a more technical and less empathic approach.
• Team mapping: this scheme serves to identify the competences of the entire team.

The skills most analysed in the mapping phase

During competence mapping, different competence categories are analysed in order to comprehensively and accurately assess employees’ skills.

The detailed analysis helps organisations identify employees’ strengths and areas for development, thus contributing to continuous improvement in company performance.

The most commonly analysed skills include:

Technical skills

Specialised: for the sector or industry, such as computer programming, graphic design, or production-related skills.

Digital: skills in the use of digital tools and technologies, including software, online platforms and data analysis tools.

Behavioural skills

Communication: communicating effectively both verbally and in writing, including active listening skills.

Collaboration: working well in a team, managing conflicts and collaboration between professionals.

Problem solving: analysing complex problems, developing creative solutions and making considered decisions. 

Leadership: being able to inspire, guide and motivate others, both in positions of authority and in collaborative contexts. 

Adaptability: to adapt quickly to changes, to learn new skills and to face new challenges.

Organisational skills

Time management: planning tasks, managing deadlines and working efficiently. 

Project management: planning, executing and monitoring projects, managing resources and time effectively. 

Problem solving: identifying and solving organisational and operational problems efficiently.

Social and emotional skills

Empathy: understanding and responding to the needs and feelings of others, fundamental to empathic interactions and understanding of another’s point of view.

Emotional intelligence: recognising, understanding and managing one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others, to improve relationships and social interactions.

Leadership skills

Strategic vision: being able to see in the long term and develop a vision consistent with that of the company.

Innovation: stimulating innovation and originality in business activities.

Change management: effectively managing change within the company, guiding employees through periods of transition.

The benefits of competence mapping

Competence mapping offers numerous benefits for companies, helping to improve operational efficiency, develop staff and foster success.

We have collected some of the main advantages below:

• Optimising human resources
• Effective business planning
• Staff Development
• Increased operational efficiency
• Greater employee involvement
• Stimulates innovation and creativity
• Opportunities to better prepare for the future

How to create competence mapping

The creation of competence mapping is a structured process involving several steps that guarantee accurate and effective results. It is a dynamic process that requires constant data collection, monitoring of progress and adaptation of strategies according to the company’s needs.

Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Clearly define the objective of the mapping (e.g. improving recruitment planning, developing training plans, succession management) and the level of detail required.
2. Identify the competencies required for each professional within the organisation, based on role descriptions and company expectations.
3. Conducting structured interviews with employees and supervisors to assess existing, potential and acquired competencies.
4. Create targeted questionnaires to collect feedback on specific skills from employees.
5. Analysing existing performance evaluations to identify key competencies and areas for improvement.
6. Document and organise the information collected, creating a competence classification system that is consistent and comprehensible to all stakeholders.
7. Create a visual map or diagram representing skills in a clear and understandable format. Use software tools or spreadsheets to organise information in an orderly manner.
8. Based on the mapping, create customised development plans for employees, including training courses, mentoring or specific work experiences.
9. Monitor the effectiveness of development plans, regularly assessing and updating employees’ skills.
10. Keep the skills map up-to-date to reflect newly acquired skills and organisational changes.

Don’t worry, we also leave you with some tips to optimise and speed up the process:

• Involve employees, managers and stakeholders in the process to ensure an accurate representation of competences and foster greater involvement.
• Use competence management software that simplifies the process of data collection and map creation.
• Provide continuous training to employees and managers on the competence mapping process to ensure in-depth understanding and active participation.
• Collect continuous feedback from employees and stakeholders to improve the process over time.

Example of competence mapping

Let us assume that you want to assess the competencies of the company’s marketing department by looking at a specific time frame. Once you have chosen this starting point, you should use a 9-box grid that will allow you to easily identify the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

The horizontal rows are for the evaluation of the employee’s current performance; the vertical rows concern the potential evaluation.

The horizontal lines are divided into excellent, average, poor; the vertical lines are divided into high, average, low.

Whoever judges the employee’s work will have to make an assessment for each individual level.

When you have completed this evaluation, you will see that on the top right of the grid you will find the employees with the best score while on the bottom you will find those with the worst score.

This grid is perfect for understanding the potential and concrete performance of each individual employee with ease and intuition.

Competence mapping is essential for business success, and we at Kilpatrick want to be at your side to make this process efficient and profitable for your company: contact us and find out how we can work together to grow and evolve your business.