**5. Conclusions and suggestions**

#### **5.1 Conclusions**

Based on the results of this study, the conclusions are as follows.

First, the competency model by job levels for the university administrative staff at National University Corporation A was derived by competencies classified by job levels and common competencies. This result is similar to previous studies revealing that there are competencies for university administrative staff required at each job level as well as common competencies. Digital literacy and Problem-solving competencies were verified as commonly required regardless of job levels. The fact that digital literacy competency is included in the common competencies implies that administrative staff are required to strengthen their digital literacy because of the increased implementation and use of digital technologies with the computerization of educational and administrative duties at the universities. In the present era where digital transformation occurs rapidly, the success of the digital transformation depends on the ability to secure human resources with digital competency [5], and including digital literacy competency in the competency model and fostering it can mark a big turning point for raising the competitiveness of university organizations. Accordingly, it is necessary to continuously provide learning opportunities for the university administrative staff to improve their digital literacy competency, and there is a need to develop training programs and present road maps by levels of digital literacy required for each job level and duty.

Second, five specific competencies were derived for each job level of the university administrative staffs. In this study, the competency model was developed efficiently by utilizing the generic model overlay method proposed by Dubious [30], and organizational characteristics and requirements were reflected based on in-depth interviews. The completed competency model classified competencies by job levels based on five items, and elementary, intermediate, and advanced behavioral indicators were presented with the definitions of the competencies to increase the utility as the basic data for diagnosing and fostering each competency. Competency models are used restrictively in the areas other than education and training, such as career development and assessment [2]. They can be used to determine suitable applicants during the selection and recruitment stages, verify the effectiveness of the programs in the education and training stage, and judge the attainment of goals in the assessment stage. Therefore, it would be necessary to consider the methods of expanding the scope of behavioral indicators for each level of difficulty to the criteria for measuring the transition effects of the competency diagnosis tools and competency-based programs.

Third, the completed competency model verified high-priority competencies to be developed for each job level by analyzing the training needs for each job level through questionnaires. This result has significance in verifying the competencies to be developed preferentially for each job level and presenting the directions for human resource development for university organizations. The competency model must be modified and supplemented periodically to identify the training needs by job levels and set the directions for HRD operation in the future. In particular, since digital literacy is a concept that responds sensitively to technological advancement and social needs, it needs to be modified and supplemented continuously [37]. Accordingly, the competency model should be reconfigured based on the level of changes in competencies and used in practice [5].

*Competency Modeling and Training Needs Assessment for Staff Development in Higher… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109812*

#### **5.2 Suggestions**

Based on the results of this study, suggestions for future research are as follows. First, additional research is required on the development of competency models for administrative staff at national and private universities. Since this study is limited to a large national university corporation with about 1100 corporate employees, there are limits in generalizing the study results onto national universities of all sizes. In the public sector, performance and research efficiencies differ according to the size and characteristics of the organizations [56, 57]. There are differences in the scope and level of work performed by the administrative staff according to organizational size. In particular, private universities are founded by educational foundations and therefore are influenced by the affiliated foundation. Administrative staff put greater emphasis on the private relationships than on the public ones, and they show various desires for job stability, remuneration, and job promotion depending on the location and size of the university [3]. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct additional research on the development of competency models based on the characteristics of each organization.

Second, in welcoming the digital transformation era, university administrative staff must promote talent transformation to increase their work efficiency and strengthen the competitiveness of the universities. Digital transformation and smart infrastructure formation accelerated by COVID-19 demand that people work in a new environment. Accordingly, learning agility, the ability to learn new aspects quickly, has become one of the core future competencies, along with digital literacy [58]. Such competencies must be developed by taking approaches on both individual and organizational levels. Organizational competencies are the preconditions for strengthening individual competencies [59], and adequate organizational support and intervention are needed in the circumstances that demand a new way of working. Particularly, the universities have difficulties applying the educational mechanisms of regular organizations because they guarantee tenure, subdivide duties, and implement regular job rotations [60]. With such characteristics of the universities under consideration, studies must be conducted on providing a self-directed learning environment, improving the competencies of the administrative staff through the reconstruction of the organizational culture, and changing perspectives instead of simply providing a one-time educational opportunity.

Third, the organization of the job system for the university administrative staff must be reviewed in alignment with the digital transformation era. Major universities are seeking changes based on digital technologies as a strategy to align with the digital transformation era. When universities implement digital technologies, they lead to the collaboration between the human beings and AI instead of human-to-human collaborations. Some jobs and resources are replaced by AI, and the job system needs to be reorganized through job analysis, mapping, and redesigning [58]. From the viewpoint of promoting the coexistence of AI and human beings [58], additional research must be conducted on the process of recreating duties so that employees in charge of establishing organizational strategies can make their duties meaningful by changing the perception of them [61].

### **Acknowledgements**

We would like to acknowledge the support of the Academy of University Administration of Seoul National University.
