Identify and Assess the Differences Between the American and British Approaches to Competencies. Compare These Approaches to Those in Your Own Country or in a Culture with Which You Are Familiar.

Competencies:

Competencies are defined as characteristics of individuals that are the foundation of behavior or performance at work (McClelland, 1998). These job performances are knowledge abilities, values, personality, work style and attitudes. Competencies can be important to staffing, succession planning, team building, career counseling, training and development.

There are different approaches to competencies in order to achieve the following objectives: (Blemans et al, 2004)

* Increase productivity

* Improve work performance

* Training that enhance the organization's objectives

* Employees will get the knowledge of expectations

* This approach build the trust between employees and managers

Differences between UK & USA approaches:

In study of different approaches of British and American to competencies, we see that due to cultural societal differences, UK and USA take different approaches to competencies.

The first different is the difference in behavioral approaches. What this means is two different approaches that one focuses on the input that can enhance the successful performance achievement, while other focus on the outcome of competencies. This kind of approaches has been equalized in contemporary time. UK had standard work-oriented approach, which is mostly European approach (Farnham & Stevens, 2000). In countries that try to keep an equal and standard situation for citizens such as European countries, and especially in Socialist countries such as Scandinavian, they take standard approach. If one look at the country of Norway can see that the government is encouraging the employers to employ people who have some difficulties or in a way they are handicapped (Hovden, 2010). The government provides some incentives and facilities for the employers to hire these people and use their competencies while government is paying them. By doing this, the handicapped people can integrate with society and everyone share the equal right. In most HSE process in Norway, that outcome is not as important as the process. In contrary to this, the countries that individuals are encouraged to prove their competencies, the firms focus on the outcome and the more an employee can increase the outcome, the more will be appreciated. One good example of outcome approach competencies is IKEA. They hire people with all kind of competencies and cultures and try to develop the employees' competencies by training and incentives for outcomes. (Reid & Stadler, 2010)

The other difference is emphasizing on standard, superior or excellent performance (Pilbeam & Corbridge, 2010). British approach is to achieve