ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews competencies, their measurement and management via technology, and gaps in linking competencies and performance for managerial work and for work where there are extensive interdependencies. Classic challenges of talent measurement and development have grown with the rise of global supply chains and technology platforms that enable interconnections of people across time and space in ever-evolving ways. The difference between job requirements and competencies is the distinction between the tasks needed to be successful in a job on average, versus what distinguishes superior from average performance. Recent digital advances have helped improve the measurement and management of individual, team, and organisational performance drivers, yet significant gaps persist. The conflict between the arguments for and against competencies are most significant for more complex jobs, in particular, higher-level professional and managerial roles. The objective of managing job performance is as old as human history, and it leads organisational leaders to focus on individuals.
