Analysis of the Construct of Competence from a Management Perspective

Abstract

Competence-based approaches have become widespread and effective tools in HR management. Their main aim is to identify those personal employee characteristics which differentiate high-performing employees from the less effective ones. Despite the widespread nature of the methodology, the literature shows that as regards the application of competences, several questions still lack unequivocal answers. Competence is a complex term, which can be broadly interpreted as operative intelligence covering not only „whats”, but „hows” as well. However, when defining the term, some consider competence as a deep and persistent part of the personality, while other interpretations claim that it is a result of workplace socialisation. There is agreement that competence is linked to outstanding performance but it is debatable how outstanding performance should be defined. Thus, the various interpretations differ in these issues: whether competence depends on personality or on the situation, whether it can be developed, and whether it is linked to the individual, the position or the organization.