Tài liệu A study on competencies of young cadres in public sector the case of dai tu district people's committee, thai nguyen province, vietnam

UPPSALA UNIVERSITY & VNU UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS & BUSINESS V N U -U E B U PPSA LA Vr»JL U N IV E R S IT E T M A ST E R T H E SIS O F M P P M “ A STUDY ON COM PETENCIES OF YOUNG CADRES IN PUBLIC SECTOR: THE CASE OF DAI TU DISTRICT PEOPLE’S C O M M ITTEE, THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE V IE T N A M ” A u th o r CRN : N g u y e n T uan D un g : 9 0 0 8 0 5 - P253 S u p e rv iso r s : Dr. S v e n -E r ik Svard A ssoc. Prof. Le Q uan C lass : M P P M - Intake 7 H anoi, J a n u a r y 2015 U PPSA L A U N IV E R SIT Y & VNU Ư N IV E R SIT Y OF E C O N O M ỈC S & BU SINESS U PPSA LA U N IV E R S IT E T ACKNOVVLEDGEM ENT I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors, Dr. Sven-Erik Svard and Assoc. Prof. Le Quan for their invaluable useful comments, remarks, encouragement and engagement through the learning process o f this master thesis. Furthermore I would like to thank iM r. Ho Nhu Hai for introducing me to the topic as well for the support on the way. I sincerely thank the lecturers who enthusiastically imparted useful knowledge on public management during the master program to all class attendants. I also tliank the support o f the VNU University o f Economics and Business, the coordinators and program managers for their support and assistance. I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to my classmates, who supported me throughout thc course o f this M PPM course, by their aspiring guidance, invaluably constructive criticism and fricndy advice. 1 am sincerely grateíul to them for sharing their truthful and illuminating vicws on a number o f issues related to my thesis. Also, I like to thank the participants in my survey, who have willingly shared their precious time during the process o f interviewing. I would like to thank my lovcd oncs, who havc supportcd me throughout cntirc proccss, both by keeping me harmonious and helping me putting pieces together. Thank you all very much! Sincerelv yours, ABSTRACT Title: A study on competencies o f young cadres in public sector: The case oí'Dai Tu District People’s Committee, Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam. Level: Final assignmcnt for Master Program in Public Management. A u th or: Nguyen Tuan Dung Supervisors: Dr. Sven-Erik Svard; Assoc. Prof. Le Quan Datc when the thesis is prcsented: Dcccniber 5, 2014 Aims of the study Though has repeatedly been mentioned over the vvorld, conipetency development based on competency framework approach are hardly found in Vietnam in general, let alone its application to any particular localities. Thus, the study in its application is conductcd in onc administrative unit o f the country. The study is entitled “A study on competencies o f young cadres in public sector: The casc o f Dai Tu District Pcople’s Committee, Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam” . The study aims: - To develop the young leader s ta f f o f the district for meeting the demand oí' the next period. - To idcntity the essential competencies for D PC ’s young cadres - To clarify the current level o f fulfillment o f the young cadres in comparison with the near futurc’s nccds - To indicate barriers and solutions to develop competencies o f the young cadres bascd on the competency framework approach Methods Secondary data are obtained through credible sources as research joumals, published papers, books, official documents issued by State administration agencies or websites that associatcd with reputable institutions such as a respectcd university (Harvard University, etc.), a governmcnt body (Government o f UK, etc.), or well-known non-governmental organizations (UN, etc.). With the primary data, questionnaire is applicd by using four survcy tbrms for getting data. Questionnaire is used popularlv tor getting personal ideas with relatively exact results, so that I choose it for my method o f obtaining primary data. Hovvever, I focus only on staff and offícials o f the DPC, \vho can provide the most accurate and fair results. Results and Conclusions The study has systematized general issues on competency framework, its application in compctency developnient; find out the core essential competencies needed tor the D PC ’s young cadres divided into tvvo clusters: Cluster I: Building a successful team; Facilitating Change; and Quality Orientation” , and Cluster II: “ Research and Analysis; Strategic Decision Making, and Negotiation” . Current levcl o f thc six abovc competencies is evaluated, will overall average score o f 2.11, vvhicli is adequate for the current needs and have some potential for the future’s demand. The most mạịor barriers are indicatcd as “ inconsistent support ot' the senior cadres, unclear job descriptions, young cadres’ resistance, lack o f appropriate communication and unspoken codes” . However, the author has made out some practical solutions for applying the competency framework in thc DPC, those are “ Maximizing support o f the top scnior cadrcs, involving participation o f thc wholc staff, comprchensivc communication campaign, building deserving encouragement policy, and being closer to the young cadres” . Suggestions for future research The findings from the study can be examined in a pilot process to check its compatibility. A further research for this study can be “to monitor and evaluate the pilot process o f the competency frame\vork in Dai Tu District People’s Committee”, then to propose amcndment and adjustment for thc next step of implementation. Limitations - Due to limitation o f time and resources, this study mainly focuses on competency dcvclopment tbr young cadres o f Dai Tu District Committee. - Since the sample size is relatively small, the ĩindings cannot be generalized to the broader community. - The results o f the study (ie: the level o f essential competcncies) can be affccted by bias o f the respondents. - The study solely mentions to competencies required for needs o f the district in the next tìve years. Cuntribution of the thesis The thesis’s results fill in thc gap o f Dai T u ’s knowledge about compctcncy framework, and are initial basis for dcveloping a comprehcnsive competency framework for competency enhancement o f young cadres in the district. The thesis also gathers valuablc íìndings on competency-bascd approach for those who interested in studying this field. Key \vords Compctcncy, Compctcncy Framcwork, Dai Tu District, young cadrcs, competency dcvelopmcnt. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Background.................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Research Q uestions.................................................................................... 2 1.3. Research Purposc....................................................................................... 2 1.3.1. General o b jective.................................................................................. 2 1.3.2. Speci/ic objectives................................................................................. ,2 1.4. Scope of stu d y .............................................................................................. .2 2. Frame of refcren ces......................................................................................... ,2 2.1. Key con cep ts................................................................................................ .2 2.1. ỉ. C a d re s...................................................................................................... .2 2.1.2. Civiỉ se r v a n ts ......................................................................................... .3 2.1.3. Young cadres in Dai Tu D istrict P eople's C om m ittee.................. .3 2.1.4. C om petencv............................................................................................. ,3 2.1.5. Com petency fram ew ork (C F ).............................................................. .4 2.1.6. Competencv development (C D )......................................................... .5 2.1.7. Force-field analysis............................................................................... .5 2.2. Competency frame\vork practices in the \vo rld ............................... .6 2 .2 .1. History and developm ent o f C F ......................................................... .6 2.2.2. Benefits o f applying C F un C D ........................................................... .9 2.2.3. Barriers ofbuilciing and appỉying C F .............................................. .10 2.2.4. Solutions o f building and applying C F ............................................. .11 2.2.5. Com petency Assessm ent M e th o d ....................................................... .12 2.3. Necds of developing competencies of leadcrs in Dai Tu District .13 2.3.1. Potential developm ent oJ Dai Tu D istric t........................................ .13 2.3.2. The District 's missions in the 2015-2020 p e rio d ........................... .13 2.3.3. Current State o f Dai Tu District 's civil servants............................. .14 2.3.4. D em and o fC D fo r Dai Tu 's civil serv a n ts...................................... .15 2.4. Needs of CD for thc DPC’s voung c a d r e s.......................................... .16 2.4.1. Introduction to D PC .............................................................................. .16 2.4.2. Young cađres o /D P C ........................................................................... .18 2.4.3. Needs o fC D fo r the D P C ’s voung c a d re s........................................ .18 2.5. Research m o d c l...........................................................................................................19 3. Research m c th o d s ............................................................................................................. 19 3.1. Data collection............................................................................................................. 19 3.1.1. M ethod o f data c o lle ctio n ....................................................................................19 3.1.2. Steps o f da ta collection........................................................................................ 20 3.2. Methods of Data analysis..........................................................................................21 4. Data analysis....................................................................................................................... 21 4.1. Essential conipetencies for DPC’s young cadres.............................................. 21 4.1. ì. Two Central/ ocuses ofD cii Tu D istrict in the 2015 -2 0 2 0 p e r io d ................ 21 4.1.2. The m ost essential com petencies f o r D P C 's young c a d r e s .......................... 23 4.2. Current status of essential competencies of the D P C ’s young cadres......26 4.3. Barriers and solutions for the young cadres’C D ...........................................29 4.3.1. Bcirriers fo r th e yo u n g cadres ’ C D .....................................................................29 4.3.2. Force-field analysis................................................................................................ 31 4.3.3. Solutions Ịor the young c a d re s' C D ................................................................... 33 5. Conclusions and suggestion for further stu d ic s ..................................................... 34 5.1. C onclusions.................................................................................................................. 34 5.2. Limitations and suggestion for further stu d ie s ................................................35 R eĩercn ces................................................................................................................................36 A ppcndices.............................................................................................................................. 40 LIST O F A B B R E V I A T I O N S AND A C R O N Y M S CF : Competency Framework CD : Competency Development DPC : Dai Tu District People’s Committee DFID : Department for International EI : Extemal investment Development HUCF : Harvard University’s Competency Framework IPAA : Institute o f Public Administration Pts : Points UK : The United Kingdom UN : The United Nations us : The United States (of America) L IS T O F T A B L E S AND F I G U R E S TABLES Table 1: Lists o f chosen competencies for D P C ’s young cadres................................. 22 Table 2: Priority order of competencies for D PC ’s young c ad rcs................................ 24 Table 3: Assessment of competencies o f five selected young cadres.......................... 27 Table 4: Assessment o f competencies o f fíve selected young cadres.......................... 27 Table 5: Current status o f each essential co m p eten cy .....................................................29 FIGURES Figure I : Force-field analysis m o d e l....................................................................................6 Figure 2: Organizational structure o f D PC's Administrative Branch..........................17 Pigure 3: Agc structure at the D P C ..................................................................................... 18 Figure 4: The research model............................................................................................... 19 Figure 5: Average scores o f the young cadres’ essential com petencies.....................26 Figure 6: Forcc-ficld analysis o f competency development for the D PC ’s young cadres......................................................................................................................................... 32 1 1. Introduction 1.1. Background Novvadays, intemational integration is an inevitable trcnd o f most countries in the world, and Vietnam is not outside o f this trend. It brings considcrable opportunities and challenges to Vietnam in general and each o f its localities in particular. In order to make use o f comparative advantages and respond to challenges o f the newly complex and dynamic environment, leadership in the public sector must be radically transíbrmed. In a traditional context, public sector oíten just concentrates on training competency for planning and implementing policies tor leaders. Hovvever, no\vadays, leaders need to have global mind, deep understanding on international issues, effective leadership and management skills in a constant change world. It can be said that improvement in quality and efficiency o f human resources management has been one ot' the important contents in the career o f innovating State organizations and modemizing the public sector in Vietnam. The pressing demand o f Vietnam to enhance competencies o f the human resources is also stated in the Strategy for developing human resources toward 2020 o f thc Government. Thereíore, in 2008, a brand new innovative concept named “Job position'’ appcarcd in Law on Cadres and Civil Servants. On that basis, the Government (2013)1 issued Decree No. 36/2013/ND-C’P on ịob positions and structures o f civil ranks. The Decrce regulated that each job position is required to have its tunctions, missions and competencies requirements. The signiíìcance o f using that approach is to hclp find right pcrson to do right things, then it can hclp rc-organizc thc civil servants staff; detect ovcrlapping íunctions and duties o f the job position, agencies and organizations; effective serve the recruitment activities, utilization o f human resources, and assessment o f staíT training and planning. Though this issue has repeatedly been mentioncd over the vvorld, official research on competency development based on competency framework approach in Vietnam are hardly found, let alone its application to any particular localities. Thus, 1 The Vietnam Governm ent (2013). D ecree N o.3 6 /2 0 1 3 /N D -C P 9. L the study entitled “A study on compctcncies o f young cadres in public sector: The case of Dai Tu District People’s Committec, Thai Nguyen Province, Victnam” is conducted. 1.2. Research questions ì . 2.1. IVhat are the niosl essenliaỉ cum petencies req u ừ ed fo r young cadres cit Dai Tu D istrict Peopỉe ’s Committee? 1.2.2. What are current levels o f essential com petencies o f yo u n g cadres at Dai Tu D istrict People 's Committee? 1.2.3. Whut are the barriers and solutions to deveỉop com petencies o f the voung cadres based on the competency fram ew ork approach? 1.3. Research Purpose 1.3.1. General objective To develop the young leader staíĩ o f the district for meeting the demand of the next period. 1.3.2. Spccựìc objectives - To ideníify the essential competencies tor D PC ’s youne cadres - To clariĩy the current level o f fulfíllment o f the young cadres in comparison with the ncar future’s nccds - To indicate barriers and solutions to develop competencies o f the young cadres based on the competency framework approach 1.4. Scope of study Tliis study \vill conduct research on essential competencies o f D PC 's young cadres and application o f the competency framework on competency development in DPC. 2. Frame of refercnces 2.1. Key conccpts 2.1.1. Cadres 3 Cadres are defined in the Vietnam Law on Cadres and Civil Scrvants 2(2008) as “ Vietnamese citizens who are elected, approved and appointcd to hold posts or titles for a given term o f ofíìce in agencies ot' the Communist Party o f Vietnam, thc State, socio-political organizations at the Central level, in provinces and centrally run cities, in districts, tovvns and provincial cities (below collectively reterred to as district level), included in the payrolls and salaried from the State budget”. 2.1.2. Civil servants The Law on Cadres and Civil servants (2008) also speciíìes civil servants as “Vietnamese citizens who are recruited and appointed to ranks, posts or titles in agencies of the Communist Party oí' Vietnam, the State, socio-political organizations at the Central, provincial and district levels”. 2.1.3. Young cadres in D PC From my perspective, concepts about young cadres in public sector are hardly find in the world. Being under 40 years o f agc is one o f the cligibility for receiving the 1PAA Young Public Sector Leader Avvard’ in Australia. The avvard o f Young Global Leaders 4 (n.d) shared thc similarity in selection criteria with the award 0Í'1PAA in sctting an cligiblc age o f under 40 years old. In Vietnam, the Central Committee Party regulates in Directive 36/ C T-T W 5 that young members o f the provincial party’s executive committee are under 40 years old, and less than 35 years old at district level. Based on those clues, I dccidc to set the criteria for being a D PC ’s young cadres as following: (1) Undcr 40 years o f age at the present (2014), (2) under 35 years o f age at the íirst time o f being appointed to the leadcrship position, and (3) Being a leadcr of the D PC ’s divisions or higher. 2.1.4. Competency 2 The National A ssem bly (2008). L aw on C adres an d C ivil Servanls. IPAA. (n.d). 1PAA Young P ublic S ecto r L ea d er A w ard. 4 Y oung Global Lcadcrs. (n.d). Youiìg G lobal L eaders N om ination Form. 5 The Central C om m ittec Party. (2014). D irective No. 36-CT/TW . 4 David c. McClelland6 (1973) scemed to be tlic one who official introduccd “competency” as an assisting tool for effective work pcrformancc. Hc argued that “best predictors o f outstanding on-the-job períormance were underlying, enduring personal characteristics”, which he called “competencies”. Atter that, competencies vvas characterized bv Bovatzis7 (1982., p.21) as “an underlying characteristic o f a person in that it may bc a motive, trait, skill, aspect of one’s self-image or social role, or body o f knovvledge vvhieh he or she uses” , or “the behavioral characteristics o f an individual vvhich is causally related to effective or superior performance in a jo b ” . Homby and Thomas8 (1989) explained conipctency as the knowlcdge, skills and qualities o f effective nianagers to períorm effectively the management tunctions vvithin the vvorking situation. Bartram et al 9 (2002) had a different view when they considered competencies as only “ sets o f behaviors that are instrumental in thc delivery ot' desired results” . A conccpt that I preĩer the most bclongs to Pcople In Aid IO(2007). This organization đeíines competencies as integrated set o f skills, knowlcdge1 attitudes and behaviors required to perform cffectivcly in a given job, role or situation. 2.1.5. Com petency J'ramework (or com petency model) Chung-Hcrra and hcr co-authors "(2003) dctìncd compctency framework as tool to determine the knovvledge, skills, compctencies and manner required for effectively perfomi task in an organization. 6 M cClelland, D. (1973). T e stin g fo r com peten cy ra th er than intelligence. Am erican P sychologist, 28.1-14. 7 Boyatzis, R. (1982). Tlie C om petent M anager: A M o d elJ o r ejfective p e rỊo n n a n ce, Chichestcr: W ilcy, pp.21. 8 Hom by, D. & Thomas, ‘‘ Bartram, D., Roberton, ẹffectiveness. 10 People In Aid. (2007). 11 Chung-Hcrrcra, B. G., com peleiìcies m odel. R. (1989). Tmvards a b etter Standard o f m anagem ent. I. & Callinan, M. (2002). Introduction: Ả fra m e w o rk fo r exam ining organ isation aỉ B ehaviours whìch le a d to effective p erịo n n a n ce in hum anitarian response. Enz, c. A., & Lankau. M. J. (2003). G ro o m in g [u tu re /lo sp ita lilv leaders: A 5 Strebler ct al 12( 1997) statcd that a competency framework is a tool uscd to express, assess and measure competencies; it is not merely a list o f competencies. Reccntly, the Charter Institute o f Personnel and Dcvclopment 13 (2014) deĩines competcncy framework as “a structure that sets out and deíìnes eacli individual competency (such as problem-solving or peoplc management) individuals working in an organisation or part o f an organisation” . required by 3.1.6. Competencv developm ent According to De Vos, et al.1 (2011), competency development is “an important feature o f compctency management which encompasses all activities carried out by the oríỉanization and the employee to maintain or enhance the cinployee’s functional, learning and career competencies” . Tam poe15 (1994) found that it is crucial to tocus on the continuous competency development o f an organization’s employees to have opportunity to stand out to their competitors. 2.1.7. Force-field analysis “ Force íìeld analysis model vvas developed by Kurt Levvin lh(1951), for listing, assessing and analyzing forces for and against a proposed change. The model is also deíìned hy Collins English Dictionary 1 (n.d) as “a decision-making technique, often prcsentcd graphically, that identitìcs all the positive and negative forces impinging on a problem” . 12 Strebler, Marie, D ilys Robinson. & Paul Heron. (1997). G citin g the B est ou t o f Com petencies. 13 CIPD. (2014). C om peten ce an d c o m p eten cvfra m cw o rk s. 14 De V os, A., D e Hauvv, s. & W illem se, 1. (2011). C om peten cy D evelopm en t in organ i:ation s: Buiỉding an m terg ra tive m o d el llìrough a qu a ỉìta tive stiuiy. 15 Tampoe, M. (1994). E xploiling the co re com peten cies o f vou r o rg a n iia tio n . Long range planning, 27(4), pp. 66-77. 16 Lewin, K. ( 19 5 1). Fiehi Theory in S o cia l Science. 17 forcc-ficld analysis. (n.d.). C ollins Englisli D iciion arỵ - C om plete & U n a b rid g ed lOih Edition. DRIVING PORCES PROPOSED CHANGE Figure 1: Force-field analysis m odel 2.2. Competency framework practices in the world 2.2. Ị. H istoiy and developm ent o f the com petency fram ew ork Competency framework approach is formed and developed extensively in the us in the 1970s in the movement o f training and education for vocational educationers and trainers based on the task períormance, the competcncy-based approach had strongly dcvelopcd to a new level in 1990 vvith application in numbcr o f national organizations in the us, UK, Australia, Ncw Zealand, Wales, etc. (Kerka, 2001 ) ,!i. According to O E C D 19 (2001), thc usc o f compctency íramcvvorks is widcsprcad throughout the public services. Compctcncy frameworks arc vary among organizations 20 (Sanghi, 2007), since each organization has its own job position, recruitment, development and succession process. With the same direction, Jirasinghe and Lyons 2l(1995) assume that competencies (framework) are devcloped through analyzing a profession or a IKKerka, s. (2001). C om p eten cy-B a sed E d u ca tio n an d Training. IQOECD. (2 0 0 1). P ublic S eclo r L eadership fu r the 2 1 11 Centurỵ. Sanghi, s. (2007). The handbook o f com petencv m apping: U nderstanding, design in g a n d im plem enting com petency m odels in organizations. 21 Jirasinghe, D.J. & Lyons, G. (1995). M anagem ent com peten cies in action: A P ra c tic a l fram ew ork. 7 particular job, that also meant each job position ncccỉ to havc its own compctcncy framework. OECD (2001) set those following criteria for competencies o f public sector leaders, namely: - Focusing on dclivery o f results; - Challcnging assumptions; - Understanding the environment and its impact; - Thinking and acting strategically; - Buildine new pattems and ways o f vvorking; - Developing and communicating a personal Vision o f change. (pp. 15). UNPAN22 (2006) developed the Senior Civil Service Competency Framework, in which fivc competencies werc idcntificd including: - Credibility: serves the nation, respects public Service ethics, respects the rule o f law; - Having a Vision: crcates Vision, explains strategic choices, sets objcctivcs; - Innovation: dcvelops his/her skills, dcvelops the organization and implements innovations; - Leadership: builds and cncourages the team, dcvelops co-operation networks; - Outcome orientation: makes decisions and takes rcsponsibility, achieves results, uses public propcrty reasonably, follo\vs and develops the law. (pp. The Government o f Canada23 (2007) indicated four elements o f competencies for its public sector leaders, namclv: 22 Ư NPAN. (20 0 6 ). L eadersh ìp an d the Lisbon S tra teg v - A m issing link in the p u b ỉic secto r? 2Ì Government o f Canada. (2007). K ev L eadership C om petencies. 8 - Value and ethics: Serving vvith integrity and rcspect - Strategic Thinking: Innovating through analysis and ideas - Engagement: Mobilizing people, organization, partners - Management Excellence: Delivering through action management, pcople management, financial managcment. The u s Office of Personnel Management (n.đ) indicated 28 leadership competencies divided into 06 core groups, namely the abilities to lead change, lead people, be results driven, have business acumen, build coalitions, and liave other fundamental competences. The Greater London Authority24 (n.d) indicated in its competency tramevvork compctencies that are indispensable for effective performance o f the organization. Those competencies are divided into 04 clusters, nainely “ Working with others”, “Leadership” , “ Delivering results” and “Organizational context” . Harvard Univcrsity dcvclopcd a compctcncy dictionary with 42 compctencics, which covered from job-rclcvant bchaviors, motivation to technical knowledge/ skills. This dictionary will be used as the ìnain references for building a competency framework for dcvelopmcnt o f young cadres’ competencies in DPC. In Vietnam, the Ministry o f Home Affairs :5(2012) issucd instruction on building compctency framework, in vvhich competency framework o f cach job position is built on the basis of job períbrmance requirements, are reílected in the respective job descriptions, including the capacity and skills required to complete the assigned task. Recently, the Vietnam Government :6(2014) set an objectivc to enhancc compctencies o f young cadres and civil servants in remote and disadvantaged rcgions. No particular competency framework is deíìned, however, some preference competencies are as following: Plan organizing and implcmentation, time 24 The Grcatcr London Authority. (n.d). C om peiencv F ram ew ork G u id e fo r M an agers and staff. 25 Ministry o f Hom e A íĩairs. (2012). C ircu lar No. I4/20I2/T T -B N V . 26 The Victnam Government. (2014). D ecision No. 567/Q D -T T g. 9 management, communication, presentation, teamwork, and construction o f projects for socio-economic dcvelopmcnt. 2.2.2 Benefits o f applying com petency [ramexvork on developing human resources Spencer and Spcnccr 27( 1993) mentioned in their book that competency framework prescnts a widely applicable human resource method “to selection, career pathing, períbrmance appraisal, and development in the challenging years ahead” . One advantage o f the competency framework is to enable organizations to identify and describe the capabilities associated with the íunctions and tasks o f the organization and each officer. Another advantage is to effectively support civil servants in administrative sector in familiarizing vvith the procedures and principles, especially when they have job rotation or is assigned more task. The nature of competency t'ramework is to be associated with the job description. Theretore, any decision o f rotation or assignment will come with assessment o f capacity to meet the requirements according to the job description and training plan. United Kingdom is among the countries which popularly applies the competency framework in promoting its public sector effectiveness. The Greater London Authority 2s(n.d) states that application of competency framework can help enhance its processes o f managing pcoplc as job role profiling, recruitment and selection, pertormance management and revievv, and learning and career development. The Department for International D ev elo p m e n t24 (UK) also builds up its corc competcncy framework vvith thc purposc o f changing the organizational culture, build team capability and boost individual períormancc. Horton et al. 3°(2002) found out that the usefulness o f competcncy íramevvork spread across range o f human resource management functions, “from assisting with :7 Spencer, L.M and Spencer. S.G (1993). C om petence cit w ork: M o d e lsfo r su p erio r perform an ce. The Grcater London Authority. (n.d). C om petencv F ram ew ork G uide f o r M an agers a n d sta ff. The Department tor International Developm cnt. (n.d.). D FID C ore C om peten cv F ram ew ork. 30 1lorton, s ., Hondcrghem, A. & Famham, D. (2002). C om peten cv m anagem enl in the p u b lic sector. 10 dravving up jo b and personal dcscriptions for recniitment, providing morc objcctive criteria for evaluating and assessing staff and identifying training needs” . Streblcr et al. ''(1997) belicved that compctency tramevvork will provide a common language and facilitating change in an organization. Horton, s., Hondertỉhem, A. and Farnham, D. (2002) concluded that the competency framework is used for the top civil servants’ selection and recognize needs for training and development. Particularly, it provides puipose and direction, makes a personal impact, help applicants think strategically, draw experience and Creative ideas for enhancing results, and help employer to get the best from their people via motivate and develop them. In his revievv papcr, Vazirani 33(20 10) stated that the application of competency framework enhances recruiting process, employee development and períbrmance management; Identiíìes training needs and employee development, unify corporate culture across organization; Establish integration o f human resource processes, and establish connectivity through clear expectations fơr success. 2.2.3. Barriers o fb u ild in g and applying com petency fram ew ork The building and application o f competency framework are not easy and simple. The following are some experience shared by tầmous researchers. F u m h a m 34 (2008) indicated in his book common barriers o f using competency f'ramework to develop the human resources, those are when there is lack o f beliet' from senior managers; thc development phase is too long; the framework itself is too complicated with more-than-enough number of competencies; the communication can cause misunderstanding and contusion; or thc framework also ncctl to be updated to catch up with changes o f the organization and job positions. 11 Strebler, M aric. D ily s Robinson. & Paul Hcron. (1997). G ctlin g the B est out o f C om petencics. Horton, s., H onderghem , A. & Farnham, D. (2002). C om peten cv M an agem en t in the p tib lic sector. " V azirani, N. (2 0 1 0 ). R eview P aper: C om pelencies a n d C om peten cv M o d el - A b r ie f o veriew o f its d evelo p m en t a n d a p p lica tio n . 14 Furnham. A. (2 0 0 8 ). P erso n a lity an d Intelligence at work: E xploring an d expiaining individual differences at w ork. Potter ct al. 35(n.d.) sharcd a similar idea with Furnham about barriers of competency framcwork application, most o f the time it is disagreement betwccn managers and staff, duc to lack o f communication or lack o f clarity within the frameworks. The framework cannot \vork well vvithout involvement o f the \vholc organization. In the book “Competency Management in the Public Sector: European Variations on a theme”, Horton et al.36 (2002) explained diffículties of implementing and using competcncy framework were lack o f understanding among staff, absence o f line manager commitment, lack o f support from senior managers. Some other difficulties are on identitying needed competencies, and describing the behaviors. Vazirani37 ( 20 10) found that competencies related to personal characteristics, traits and motivation are hard to dctìne, and therefore tough to assess. He suggestcd that we can indirectly measure those competencies by assessing behaviors which associatc with. 2.2.4. Solutions oJ building and applying com petency fram ew ork Spcnccr and Spcncer'8 (1993) put an emphasis on the point that competencics are requircd to bc closely-conncctcd to performance in the workplacc. They experienced that suríầcc knowledge and skill competencies are quitc simple to develop compared to personal competencies as scll-concept, traits and motivcs. Thcretore, tliey believed tliat knowledge and skill training for the personal competencies vvill be more worthwhile than for the others. 5 Potter, J. & Cotter, N. (n.d). G etting the m ost ou t o f a com peten cy fram ew ork. }b Horton, s ., Honderghem, A. & Farnham, D. (2002). C om peten cy M an agem en t in the Public Sector. E uropean Variations 011 a Theme. 17 Vazirani, N. (2010). R eview P aper: C om petencies a n d C om pelen cv M odel - A b r ie /o v e r v ie w o f its developm en t an d application . '* Spenccr, L.M and Spcnccr, S.G (1993). C om pelence a t w ork: M o d e lsfo r su p e rio r p er/o n n a n ce.