In 1990, C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel coined the term “core competencies”, or the collective learning and coordination skills behind a firm’s product lines and the source of its competitive advantage.  Today, “competencies” have become commonly defined as a set of knowledge and skills needed to perform a job optimally. Competency mapping is the process of analyzing a given job and extracting the mission-essential knowledge, skills, work attributes, and experience necessary to successfully perform a job at optimum efficiency and effectiveness.  The process of extracting competencies involves job-task analyses, direct observation, process analyses, and interviews with incumbents and their direct supervisors.  Once competencies are established, they are all placed in a table called a KASE Matrix.  FirstStep typically prepares KASE Matrices for executive, leadership, and mission-critical jobs.  These are given to Human Resources and have a variety of uses.

KASE MatricesTM Click Picture to View Full Size One of FirstStep’s core competencies is our ability to develop KASE Matrices which are our versions of competency maps.  KASE Matrices are used in a variety of ways to increase the overall performance of organizations.  Many of our clients use KASE Matrices to design questions used in selection interviews, and organizational assessments.  They are valuable tools for enhancing the effectiveness of performance appraisals, establishing employee-managed career planning programs, mentoring programs and have proven to be invaluable in succession planning. Core Competencies and Competitive Advantage We believe that leveraging core competencies is essential to attaining strategic advantage.  Core competencies reside in the minds of process experts – the people who maximize available resources, make adjustments and adapt to ever changing circumstances.  They get the most from their human and capital resources.  No one person, piece of equipment, or software application is by itself a core competency, but rather it’s the combination of knowledge, attributes, skills, experience and creative application that generates core competencies.   The FirstStep Advantage FirstStep has been doing competency work for over 20 years in a variety of organizations within the U.S. and abroad.  We know how to uncover mission-essential competencies as well as core competencies and leverage them through integrated talent management systems tied directly to strategic plans.  We offer our clients an exceptional combination of expert OD consultation and Human Capital Management software solutions.