Significance and Rationale behind Introduction

• As the Competency Assessment System for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) took root successfully and the need for those in middle management positions in the central government to have appropriate competencies was emphasized, the scope of the subject of competency assessment was expanded to include director-level positions. Accordingly, each government ministry/agency must conduct its own competency assessment or request the Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) to conduct assessment for them in order to assign a director-level position.

  Ministry/Agency that conducts in-house assessment: the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea Customs Service, Korean Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

• The MPM is striving for successful operations of the competency assessment for director-level positions by implementing a certification system for the ministries and agencies conducting the assessment in-house and actively engaging in the assessment for other ministries and agencies.

History

In order to implement competency assessment for director-level positions, the MPM in 2009 began to make preparations to establish a competency assessment system, including deriving common competencies for director-level positions and conducting pilot operations. In 2010, the grounds for the implementation of competency assessment for director-level positions were established in the Decree on the Appointment of Public Officials; from 2015 it was made mandatory that only those who passed competency assessment may be newly recruited, promoted or transferred to a director-level position. The director-level competency assessment system consists of “five competencies, three exercises and six evaluators”.

Competency Assessment System

Subjects of Competency Assessment

Competency Development Program

• A civil servant may choose to complete the Candidate Development Program for Director-level positions (3-day course, National Human Resources Development Institute (NHI), etc.) unlike the SCS Candidate Development Program.
• If they wish, a candidate for a director-level position who has difficulty completing a regular learning and development course and a candidate from the private sector for an open competitive position, etc. may take a short-term training course provided by MPM’s Human Resources Policy Division and NHI's e-learning course, "Understanding Standard Competencies of Director-level Positions and Competency Assessment". In addition, the NHI is operating a “Competency Level-up” course for those who did not pass the competency assessment.

Competencies Subject to Assessment

• There are a total of five competencies verified through the director-level competency assessment -- policy planning, performance management, organizational management, communication and coordination of a conflict of interest.

  Competencies	Definition
  Policy Planning	Identify current issues by analyzing from diverse perspectives; suggest the best alternatives by reviewing the validity of policies to be developed
  Performance Management	Set performance goals in line with the organization’s mission and strategies; review and manage the work process to achieve such goals
  Organizational Management	Organize human and physical resources required to achieve goals in consideration of overall relationships between the organization and divisions; motivate and support individuals to engage in work in a proactive manner
  Communication	Listen to others carefully; understand their true intentions; deliver opinions in a clear and effective manner
  Coordination of a Conflict of Interest	Resolve a conflict of interest between various stakeholders; establish and maintain a cooperative work relationship in order to achieve the common goal

Assessment Methods

In accordance with the Assessment Center Method, competencies are assessed by evaluators directly observing and evaluating the behavior of the subject of evaluation in a simulated job situation; three specific assessment methods are used. In one assessment, six evaluators participate in assessing six persons.

Evaluators of Competency Assessment

Evaluators consist of a pool of former and incumbent civil servants, university professors of the academic world concerned and non-governmental experts in the field of human resources; becoming an evaluator requires sufficient experience by observing a several number of actual assessment cases after completing education on evaluation in advance.

Passing Competency Assessment

Each competency is evaluated on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the highest; the subject passes competency assessment ①if the average score of the five competencies is graded as ordinary or above (2.50 points or higher) or ②if the average score of the five competencies is 2.30 or higher and the subject received 3.0 or higher for at least two competencies.

Re-assessment

• In the case of promotion, those who have failed the competency assessment at previous attempts may undergo re-assessment without a limit on the number of attempts. However, if a civil servant has failed two assessments consecutively, he/she can take a re-assessment after six months from the date of the latest assessment.
• Candidates for appointment of open competitive positions, positions appointed through competitive recruitment exams for experienced professionals and positions in a responsible administrative agency appointed according to the open recruitment procedure may undergo re-assessment only once if requested by their competent ministers.

Feedback on Competency Assessment

• Once competency assessment is complete, the subject is informed of the result of the assessment (i.e. pass or fail), the level of competency, strengths and weaknesses in each competency, suggestions for further competency development, etc. Such feedback aims to help the subject identify his/her current competency level and weaknesses and use it as a reference for further development