Preliminary Competency Model for Executive Secretary Unit: A Study of Mahidol University’s Executive Secretary Unit

Abstract

          This study was to investigate the approaches of developing a Preliminary Competency Model for Executive Secretary Unit of Mahidol University in order to meet the requirements of the organizational or the unit’s goal. This was to find the core qualifications of the functional competency, and to find the operational definition of functional competency. An integrated approach was used in developing the competency model for Executive Secretary Unit. This approach was to integrate both quantitative and qualitative research even beginning from the literature reviews, instrumentation, and data collections from respondents who were the top executive group, the division director group, the ex-secretary group and the current secretary group. The data collection was twice conducted. The analysis was concentrated on comparing the differences of thought on the core competency. In addition, a technique of focus group was conducted with the divisional directors and with the current secretary group in order to support the findings and to augment the results of the research.

          The results revealed that the respondents were convergent in the core competency of the unit (according to the previous studies of the university). The elements were virtue-orientation, responsibility, teamwork, systematic work plan, and result-based focus. The functional competencies were knowledge, skills, personality, thrust, self-realization, understanding other, work accuracy, flexibility and empowerment. These nine competencies were so indispensable and should have been the core and the functional ones for the executive secretary unit. They were corresponded with the idea of Spencer and Spencer renowned scholars who viewed that any workplaces should have more than seven to nine competencies (cited in Bozkurt, 2011:28). Consequently, the Preliminary Competency Model was then inevitably involving core competencies , functional competencies and operational definition of functional competency.