Furthermore, competencies are meant to capture many more attributes, on both the individual and group levels, than are KSAOs. As previously stated, the determination of competencies is crucial to the process of competency modeling. Competency models are based on the assumption that employees who possess certain competencies should facilitate the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. There are a number of tools that can be used to determine these competencies. Job analyses and job descriptions can be useful for determining the base KSAOs that are linked to success in a given job.
Interviews can also provide useful information.
Interviews with employees can be utilized to determine motivations and values that are commonly associated with success on the job. Interviews with executives involved with strategic planning will help organizations create a model directly linking competencies to organizational goals and objectives. Once competencies have been selected, they can be used in various ways to construct the competency model. One common denominator across models is that the stated purpose of the model should drive how the model is created as well as the format of the model. Namely, the model's purpose dictates both the amount and sources of information that are necessary to construct the model.