Lodge, Martin creator Hood, Christopher text xu| 2005 continuing ng p.779-87. `Competency' is a word that seems to have crept into the language of public administration and policy relatively recently, although largely under the radar of academic scholarship in Europe. This article introduces a symposium of papers that address key questions about competency management: how and why has it become popular and what are the implications of the spread of `competency' approaches? As the introductory paper, it outlines the intellectual background to competency approaches and outlines three interpretations of their development. One interpretation sees them as a passing fad; a `difference' interpretation sees them as a common label for widely varying patterns and practices; and a `sameness' interpretation treats competency management as a symptom of broader politico-administrative developments. - Reproduced. Civil service Public Administration 180718