ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCES - A VALID APPROACH FOR THE FUTURE

This paper attempts to integrate concepts of organizational competency across a number of levels of analysis. It provides grounded evidence on existing application and practice, and synthesizes research and dev elopment in the area of organizationally derived management competenci es. Consideration is given to the underlying theoretical assumptions a nd definitional issues raised by existing practice. The paper highligh ts the range of human resource strategies or programmes used to integr ate activity and implement strategic changes, and examines the shift i n thinking about the importance and nature of management competency. O rganization-specific approaches are reviewed and the benefits analysed . A critical review of attempts at integration suggests that applicati on of competency-based approaches within organizations has fallen behi nd advances in strategic human resource management and that there is a need to shift application towards more future-oriented and strategic contexts, Weaknesses associated with existing approaches to management competency are analysed as is the issue of validity. Finally, the imp lications of considering competencies as an organizational level resou rce for human resource strategy are discussed,