Competence management

Competence management ensures that an organisation can maintain competitiveness and deliver on its customer promises even when circumstances change. The strategy is to identify and anticipate what strategic capabilities are needed in the organisation to develop its capabilities.

In practice, competence management means working with employees and their potential and ability to benefit the organisation. It requires the organisation to know what skills are needed, what skills the staff already has, and how they can be developed.

If the necessary skills are unavailable, people within the organisation may be willing to learn new things and develop their skills. This is where you should turn to first. If necessary, the organisation must also consider recruiting a suitable person. So it's about hiring the best employees and keeping them in the organisation.

Competence management is often associated with the concepts of interaction and dialogue. In practice, interaction means that goals are set and decisions are made together. Interaction requires an open and respectful dialogue, which is at its best listening, thinking together, seeking solutions and learning together. Good interaction improves team spirit and boosts the commitment of employees to work and achieve goals. People who are heard feel important.

Two other items that are emphasised in competence management are self-directedness and learning. As the nature of work and the working environment change, it is essential to provide every employee with the opportunity to act independently, take responsibility for their work and learn new things. Continuous learning and embracing skills and knowledge outside of one's area of ​​expertise are essential skills of the future that will allow people and companies to thrive in changes.

Managerial skills include competence management. Its goal is to help employees do their work in the best way and to encourage them to learn. The manager supports, encourages and gives constructive feedback. However, competence management is not only the duty of the manager. All members of the organisation must assume responsibility for it.

Typically, the manager's work includes mapping skills and planning skills development together with the employees. The manager ensures the implementation of onboarding and mentoring and presents opportunities to develop work and train, considering the employees' ideas and needs. The manager provides an opportunity for each of their employees to be heard in development discussions, for instance.

The work requirements are constantly changing, and they require staff to update their skills in a process-like manner. The skills of employees are a significant competitive advantage in the market. Therefore, competence management is an integral part of strategic personnel management. Supervisors and management must realise how they can strengthen the skills and know-how that support the strategy and the continuous development of individuals and teams.