My encounters with Competency movement

Morning Muses: My encounters with Competency movement

T. V. Rao

1965- 66: Learnt about Lesson plans and how to teach concepts, knowledge, attitudes and skills (K, A,S) in B. Ed. course  at the Regional College of Education, Mysore from best Teachers like Dr. P N Dave, (just returned working at St. Louis with Richard D’ Charms), C L Anand and PR Nair

1966-68: Learnt all about learning theories, traits, types, self concept, 16 PF and many other tests including McClelland’s TAT for Achievement Motivation Training (AMT). MBTI was not yet popular

1969-70: Leant how to develop programmed material to teach K, A and S from a Certificate in NCERT of Programmed Learning.

1970: Reviewed R. F. Mager’s books on Instructional objectives that talked about cognitive, conative and affective domains and how Benjamin Blooms classification of educational objectives dealing with Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills.

1974: David McClelland walks into a paper presentation I was making at the Indian International centre, New Delhi when I was presenting the results of the evaluation of the Gujarat Entrepreneurship effort.  Manohar Nadkarni and Udai Pareek got him to listen to my findings as they proved that AMT created entrepreneurial movements and Behavioural tests helped in identifying potential entrepreneurs in Gujarat.

1975: David McClelland invites me on short term project as Research Associate at Harvard and East West Centre Hawaii invited me to present my findings. While with McClelland, he hands over an article written by him on “Testing for Competence than for Intelligence” published in American Psychologist and talks how AMT has limits for managerial success and power and psychosocial maturity matters more. I also learn the new methodology of assessing psychosocial maturity with Abigail Stewart at Wesleyan and McClelland at Harvard. We also analyze the TATs of Indian Managers was also taken to McBer and introduced to the staff there by David

1981: Udai Pareek and I attend a USAID meeting in Washington to discuss entrepreneurial and managerial competencies project, Lyle Spencer and Richard Boyatzis were present and Boyatzis gifts a draft copy of his forthcoming boo the competent Manager furthering the concept of competencies and new Interview methods used.

1984: David and team from Harvard conduct at EDI, Ahmedabad the new technique of Behaviour Interviewing to assess competencies. I was at XLRI and could not attend. I send Fr. Abraham to participate. Original notes still available with Fr. Abraham and me. EDI later makes a film of this method to assess competencies.

1986: I introduce the methodology to assess competencies through anonymous assessment by known people:  Leadership styles and organizational effectiveness program.

1986-1992 I Make efforts to assess competencies through Assessment centres and later what got to be termed in the USA as 360 Degree feedback.

1996: TVRLS starts programs on Competency mapping and Demystifying assessment centres and 360 degree feedback based on competencies

1997: TVRLS starts programs on Competency Mapping.

2000: Train the trainer in Competency mapping and Competency mapping education manuals prepared and published by TVRLS. TVRLS begins to popularise competency consulting and organises every year one or two train the trainer programs.

2000- 2015: TVRLS trains consultants for other well known consulting companies on competency mapping. Use of competency based assessment and development of competency models continues.