Competence management is a core discipline of HR development and planning, as well as an internal company process in which all employees’ existing competences are recorded, documented and strategically managed. A competence analysis forms the basis for competence management and can be created and carried out online with minimal effort using our LamaPoll tool. Here, we introduce competence management and its benefits, present our survey template for a competence analysis and offer tips for your competence management process.
Table of Contents
What is competence management?
Competence management is a discipline of management and of workforce planning, development and recruitment. It aims to actively manage all competences available within a company in order to achieve strategic business objectives. It focuses on the systematic recording (competence analysis), description and documentation of employees’ competences, as well as on transferring, using and developing them within the company. As an online survey tool, LamaPoll can make a particular contribution to competence analysis and therefore to the foundation of competence management.
Benefits of competence management
A major benefit of competence management is the opportunity to identify unused potential in employees’ competences – for example, in leadership competences. Particularly in large companies, many professional, practical and social competences are available but often neither documented nor known. Unused employee potential should be fostered and developed; competence management is a core discipline of HR development.
Competence management also helps identify promising candidates and talent as part of workforce planning and recruitment. This requires a basic analysis of which competences are needed for each role and area of the company, and which competences are already available.
A third benefit of competence management is increased employee retention, achieved by strengthening and supporting employees in their competences. It is not always necessary to recruit new talent when competences are lacking within a company. In many cases, it is more effective to extend or adapt existing employee competences, for example through training, in order to close competence gaps. Supporting competence development also benefits employees and strengthens their connection with the company.
Three benefits of competence management at a glance:
- Identifying and developing future leaders
- Identifying suitable candidates to address competence gaps
- Strengthening employee retention
Competence analysis: identifying competences online
Competence management – the strategic handling of competences within a company – begins with a competence analysis: recording the competences that are already available. Once recorded, they must be made transparent, meaning documented, so they can be used and, where necessary, developed. A competence analysis can be carried out most easily with an anonymous online questionnaire, for example an online survey created with LamaPoll. Each employee receives the survey by email with a link. We offer a questionnaire template focused on digital competences within a company, which you are welcome to use as a guide.
In addition to a competence analysis using an online questionnaire, it is advisable to conduct a qualitative interview in order to gain meaningful insight into employees’ competences.
Please note: Recording and documenting employees’ competences involves employee-related data. The works council must therefore be involved in all cases.
What does competence management involve?
Strategic competence management begins by recording the employee competences currently available in the company: the competence analysis, meaning an analysis of the current state. In a second step, target competences are identified, thereby defining the desired state. The third step involves developing and implementing suitable measures to address competence gaps, which usually emerge from the comparison between the current and desired states.
Step 1 – Analyse the current state
First, analyse employees’ current competences: the competence analysis. Which competences are available in the company at all? An online survey using an online tool for data collection and evaluation is useful here.
Step 2 – Identify the desired state: target competences
Which competences are needed for which role or position? The second step of competence management involves analysing the competences required for all roles – known as target competences – and thus identifying the desired state. Competence profiles are suitable for documenting the desired state.
Step 3 – Develop and implement measures
The third and final step uses the results of the current-state and desired-state analyses to develop and implement measures. Comparing the two states often reveals competence gaps. Measures must then be identified and implemented to close these gaps, for example through training, adapting existing competences or recruiting new talent with the missing competences.
In the competence management process, all available employee competences are analysed and compared with the target competences. This forms the basis for developing measures for workforce planning and development.
Tips for the competence management process
As with every business-strategy process, competence management requires a structured approach and transparent communication with everyone involved. This is particularly important because recording competences can create uncertainty and fears among employees about possible consequences, such as internal competition, transfers or redundancies. From the outset, it is important to counter these concerns and to communicate transparently – before competences are recorded – the objectives and benefits of competence management for each team and individual. This can include referring to training that may be provided when competence gaps are identified. Recording employee competences on a broad scale through a competence analysis also requires early involvement of the works council.
Tips for competence management:
- Plan the whole process in a structured way: define objectives, procedures and communication with employees
- Involve the works council early when recording competences
- Communicate the process early and transparently to employees to prevent uncertainty and fears
- Use an online survey for the competence analysis
Conclusion: Competence management, including a basic competence analysis within the company, offers decisive benefits for HR development by enabling targeted measures for workforce development and planning. LamaPoll’s survey tool can be used in particular for online competence analyses among employees.
Competence management is an important measure for increasing employee retention. You can find further measures for employee retention and satisfaction here: Employer Branding: Definition, Examples & Measures
What is LamaPoll?
LamaPoll is a survey tool for creating employee surveys and measuring employee satisfaction. You can use it to create, conduct and analyse all types of employee survey. Create your employee survey in just a few steps, apply your organisation’s corporate design and invite employees conveniently by email or via your intranet. You can quickly gain insights that help improve employee satisfaction. You can register for our survey tool free of charge and immediately conduct surveys for up to 50 employees with no obligation. If you need more responses to your online employee survey questionnaire, simply choose one of our monthly plans. You can also use our employee survey questionnaire templates and examples.
