Demand-oriented Competency Development in a Manufacturing Context: The Relevance of Process and Knowledge Modeling

Competency management is a crucial success factor for organizations in the area of tension between knowledge management, human resource management, and process management, and has to be considered from a knowledge economy perspective. A basis for developing appropriate qualification measures in organizations is the comparison of necessary and available competencies. Given the time and cost intensity of the comparison process, the use of appropriate methods is of particular relevance for enterprises. This paper presents a procedural method and a software tool which enable resource-saving comparisons. Usually, employees’ “to competencies” are determined on a strategic level. Currently available “is competencies” can be derived from the actual knowledge transfer or from existing competence profiles. The method and tool first allow for the appropriate visualization of both competencies. After an automatized comparison of both contents, an overview of given and missing “to competencies” will be provided. Not available competencies can be addressed as qualification requirements and reflections regarding staffing or task allocation can be conducted.