Competence-Based Knowledge mangement

Step 1: How are competences identified in a company?

Here is an example “football team”.

Mr. X has been given the task of building up a football team. Mr. X quickly gathered the basic conditions: There are 11 positions in his team, divided into the four areas “goalkeeper”, “defence”, “midfield” and “attack”.

Since each area of a team has certain tasks and requirements, the players in their positions also need certain skills. These skills are called “competencies“.

Mr. X therefore decides to identify the required skills or “competences” and collect them for each area in a so-called “core activity profile”. In a “core activity profile”, all competences are recorded that a player needs to complete the tasks in his area.

In order to be able to collect the required competences of the players in the areas, Mr. X first works out the exact tasks of the individual areas, here the example “midfield”:

The midfield forms the link between the defence and the attack. Simply put, it should pass the ball as quickly as possible to the strikers so that they can then score a goal.

On the basis of the tasks, Mr X then identifies activities (e.g. playing the ball accurately to the strikers) that are necessary to accomplish these tasks.

Afterwards, Mr X finally derives the required competences (e.g. passing accuracy) that enable the players to optimally fulfil the required activities.

Now Mr. X still has to describe the competences clearly and precisely so that others also understand what Mr. X means by the competence. In addition, Mr. X gives each competence the required “target level”, a value between 1 and 3 that indicates how well someone must master a competence.

Afterwards, Mr. X has to find suitable qualification measures for each competence, after all, he would like to show his players a selection of possibilities if they need qualification.

When surveying the competences, Mr. X finds that not all positions in his field are the same. For example, one position in midfield has the special task of taking the ball away from the opposing team early on when they are trying to score a goal. So Mr. X adapts the “core activity profile midfield” according to the requirements – he creates a so-called “position profile” from the “core activity profile”. A position profile is created whenever competences of the core activity profile have to be adapted for a position (additional competences, deletion of competences, changed characteristics).

Now, in the annual discussions with his players, Mr. X can very well assess how well a player has mastered the required competences, where the player might need to be better qualified and what possibilities there are to do so.

Mr. X’s procedure is summarised once again using the example of “midfield”:

•  Determination of the essential tasks, e.g.: Interface between defence and attack
•  Determination of the necessary activities to accomplish the tasks, e.g.: Ball distribution
•  Determination of the required competences, e.g.: Passing accuracy
•  Definition of competences: Can pass the ball accurately and precisely to a teammate
•  Development of suitable qualification measures for each competence
•  If necessary, create position profiles based on the core activity profile