ESDC Competency Dictionary

What is in the Competency Dictionary?

The content of the dictionary reflects the competency-based management model adopted by the public service for performance management (Core and Key Leadership Competencies), as well as including content from Skills and Competencies Taxonomy, which ESDC’s Skills and Employment Branch is developing for the labour market to facilitate a pan-Canadian dialogue on skills. The decision to integrate as much as possible of the Taxonomy’s content into this Dictionary is driven by the desire to encourage the use of a common language that allows for greater comparability and mobility between the public and non-public sectors.

The dictionary is divided into 5 sections:

1. Core Competencies: These competencies have been deemed by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) to be common to all public servants, and as such apply to all employees, of all groups and levels. Examples of effective and ineffective behaviours are provided for each core competency.
2. Key Leadership Competencies: Approved by the Clerk of the Privy Council in 2015 to promote the Clerk’s vision for a public service that is collaborative, innovative, streamlined, high performing, adaptable and diverse, the key leadership competencies (KLCs) are used across the public service to assess the performance of employees in a management role. Examples of effective and ineffective behaviours for the manager role are provided for each key leadership competency.
3. Skills: This section is drawn from the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy, as well as a variety of public and private sector sources. Skills are listed in alphabetical order. Examples of effective and ineffective behaviours are provided for each skill.
4. Abilities: This section mirrors content found in the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy. It is subdivided into four categories: cognitive, physical, psychomotor and sensory abilities. Only a definition is provided for each ability.
5. Personal Attributes: This section lists personal characteristics or strengths that can affect how well someone performs a job. The content is mainly drawn from the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy, with some attributes adapted from the UK’s Civil Service Strengths Dictionary. Only a definition is provided for each personal attribute.

The Dictionary does not include a knowledge section since the knowledge required to perform a job can be very specific and may apply only to a small part of the organization or even only to a few individuals. Knowledge related to technological tools also tends to quickly become obsolete. In addition, in light of the rapid and on-going transformation of how Canadians access services, knowledge requirements are likely to become fluid in the near future as artificial intelligence enables the automation of tasks that previously required knowledge of policies, procedures, processes and programs. However, even though they are not included in ESDC Competency Dictionary, managers still have the flexibility to include knowledge requirements in job posters or job profiles if they wish to do so.

What are Competencies?

Competencies

are the combined utilization of knowledge, skills, abilities and personal attributes to successfully perform a job, role, function, task, or duty.

Skills

are developed capacities that an individual must demonstrate to be effective in a job, role, function, task, or duty.

Abilities

are enduring attributes and capacities that influence the acquisition of knowledge and skills to perform a job.

Personal attributes

are personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job.

In other words, competencies are made of what you know already and what makes you capable of learning what you don’t know yet, in order to perform in a job.

What is the Dictionary’s Intended Use?

This Dictionary is one of the building blocks of ESDC’s competency-based management (CBM) approach and tools. Functional communities, with support from HR, can use its contents to develop generic success profiles for roles or job families within the organization. Branches/regions and functional communities, again with support from HR, can use the contents of the Dictionary to create learning paths for the development or enhancement of competencies or skills from a capacity building or professional development perspective. Moreover, managers and employees can use the definition and examples of behaviours provided for each competency and skill to assess or self-assess performance and identify competencies and skills gaps at the individual and team level. They can also use the Dictionary to personalize generic success profiles for recruitment and talent management purposes, by adding or removing key work activities or skills to take into account the work expected of the individual in a specific position within the team.

How are Competencies, Skills, Abilities and Personal Attributes Assessed?

ESDC uses a five-level proficiency scale to assess or self-assess the competencies and skills listed in this Dictionary:

Emerging

I demonstrate some effective behaviours occasionally, with prompting/coaching

Developing

I demonstrate many effective behaviours on a regular basis, but still need some support

Acquired

I demonstrate most effective behaviours on a regular basis. Help from an expert is required from time to time but usually, I demonstrate these behaviours independently

Mastered

I demonstrate most effective behaviours on a regular basis, and am seen within my immediate network as a “go-to person”

Exemplary

I usually demonstrate most effective behaviours, and I prompt & coach others. My immediate and extended networks consider me as an expert

This generic scale takes into account four factors: quantity, quality, frequency and autonomy. Other elements that make someone successful at a job, such as abilities and personal attributes, can be assessed through a variety of means that include simulations, interviews, portfolios, technical or personality tests, etc.