Threefold Nature of Competences in Enterprise Management: A Qualitative Model

Different understanding of the concept of competences generates problems both in the theory and practice of enterprise functioning. It hinders communication in discussions related to their nature and, as a result, competence management in enterprises. Perhaps that is why competence management is not treated in companies at the same level of importance as, for example, marketing, accounting or logistics. This is indicated, for instance, by small budgets earmarked for this activity, a fact that is known from numerous personal contacts with companies initiated in different projects. Is it the purpose of the article to answer the following question: is it possible to reconcile different views on competences, creating a coherent model of this phenomenon which will facilitate competence management in enterprises? The specification of the purpose has led to the adoption of the following scope of research which encompasses 1) a review of own research, including unpublished work which made it possible to notice the problem and justify next research steps, 2) preliminary desk research which should be deepened in the future, 3) coming up with a proposition of a model integrating different approaches to competences. The theoretical result is the proposed model in which various views on the subject of competences were linked. Competences in this model were presented in qualitative terms. In the practical operation of enterprises, the implementation of the developed model will help managers to organize knowledge related to competences and to understand how much they affect the effectiveness and efficiency of actions taken in each area of enterprise operation. The adoption of the proposed model may accelerate the development of competence theory and transfer at least part of the ongoing discussion in the area of knowledge management to a wider area of competence management.