Competence Assessment in Oil and Gas: What Methods Do You Recommend?

I'm working on a project on competencies for an oil and gas company. I have already mapped out the competencies. Now, I would like ideas on what competence assessment methods and procedures I can use to measure them. I welcome any ideas!

Regards,
Konraad

There are many standard frameworks available for these. Refer to some of the best work by MC firms such as Tower Perrins. They have a great set of white papers.

Hi,

I can suggest the method we adopted in our organization. Once competencies have been identified for key positions, seek the help of consultants who can design suitable psychometric tests. These tests would help identify individual competencies compared to expected ones. Each individual member would need to undergo one-on-one counseling by the counselor, and thereafter, the group can undergo appropriate training at development centers. Depending on the group's size and regional distribution, this process could take 3 months. The group needs to be reassessed on the same competencies 6 months after the training.

Consultants would be able to design the right questions, and their involvement ensures the individual members of unbiasedness.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Thanks. That is an option we are considering. The only problem is that most of our workers are always out in the field working on different rigs and platforms and only visit the office maybe once a year. I think something in-house or online-based tests and simulations could do.

Hi,

I understand your difficulty. The two main problems we associated with in-house tests were:

1. Lack of technical expertise in designing such tests and, more importantly, in analyzing them.
2. Since senior personnel were the target group, they would tend to take the whole process lightly.

If you have such expertise, then there isn't a problem at all. If you don't, then I would really suggest seeking the help of consultants. One of your personnel could visit the rigs and get the form filled out; the consultant does not need to go. Additionally, the consultants will be able to find the best route.

I hope it goes well.

Regards

Hi Rummy,

Thank you for the contact details. Our company is based in the Netherlands, and after reviewing your website, I noticed that you have an office in the Netherlands. As the project leader and the person responsible for making the final recommendations for the Competence Project, I will recommend your company for assistance with the competence assessment strategy.

Regards,
Konraad

Dear Konraad,

Conduct an assessment center in which you can call 10-12 people. Perform the following activities:

1. Group discussion on any given topic.
2. Case study.
3. Any psychometric test like 16PF, MBTI, etc.
4. On-the-job study.
5. Application of MBO in any activity.
6. Team-building oriented game.

Finally, conduct a Behavioral Event Interview (BEI). Competency should be assessed based on the outcomes of all the above.

Thank you.

Dear Konraad,

I have completed my MBA final year project on Competency Mapping for a leading Automobile Industry. I assume you have experience with competency mapping for individual job roles.

My project procedure is as follows:

We conducted a Job Analysis to identify the key competencies required for superior performance in a given job:
1. Identify the key competencies for the individual job role.
2. Define the Sub-Competencies.
3. Prepare the Competency Assessment form to assess individual competency levels. Two sets of questionnaires are required: Self Rating and Superior Rating.
4. The Competency Based Assessment form includes priority, Sub-Competency, Self Rating, Superior Rating, and Gap.
5. The Self Rating form should be completed by the employee, and the Superior Rating form by the respective HOD.
6. Your task will involve assessing the Self Rating and Superior Rating with the Gap, providing clear data on employee possession versus organizational requirements. The assessment assigns 30% weight to employee self-rating and 70% weight to superior rating to avoid bias.
7. If an employee scores above 20, they need training to improve that specific Sub-competency. If the score is below 20, no training is required.
8. Initially, we conducted this assessment in three departments with three different job roles, yielding successful results.

Advantages include:
- Engaging in the competency mapping process allows you to participate in the assessment.
- Enhancing familiarity with your organization.
- Enhancing the overall output of your organization.
However, the process is time-consuming.

If you require the assessment form for the above process, please email me at mail2gkarthik@indiatimes.com.

Regards,

Karthik G.
AM-HR & IR,
EAPL

Dear Konraad,

Conducting an Assessment Center

Conduct an assessment center in which you can call 10-12 people. Do the following activities:

• Group discussion on any given topic.
• Case study.
• Any psychometric test like 16pf, MBTI, etc.
• On-the-job study.
• MBO - application of any activity.
• Team-building oriented game.

And finally, conduct a Behavioral Event Interview (BEI).

Competency should be assessed based on the outcomes of all the above activities.

Thank you very much. I think I will go for that. Attached is the competence assessment procedure that I have come up with. I hope to collect all behavioral indicators to make an objective-based competence assessment.

Regards,
Kartik Chandra Dutta