Make room for self-developed competence!

The right competence means a lot for companies' ability to succeed. At the same time, competence is reported as the biggest challenge going forward. An education that, not many decades ago, lasted a lifetime can now be challenged after just a few years. This leads to an extensive need to reskill and upskill in many companies. Some also have to combine this with recruiting new competence from outside. These changes are usually managed from the top, based on a strategic plan, with varying opportunities for involvement and personal initiative along the way. This can easily challenge motivation and productivity in the organisation. We care more and more about our work feeling meaningful, and imposed requirements for competence development are not necessarily experienced as positive.

A lot of gold can come from below

On the other hand, there is “bottom-up” competence development that must not be forgotten. This is the competence each person develops on their own initiative. I call it “self-developed competence”. It has great potential to reduce the need for larger, top-down changes and to increase well-being and productivity in the organisation. Research has shown that autonomy, and being able to develop and apply competence, are very important factors for job motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Self-directed learning also involves less bureaucracy and use of resources compared with competence development managed from above.

• Guide: Competence development in the organisation

What is meant by self-developed competence?

I think the following statement from my colleague Elisabeth is a good example of self-developed competence:

“I spend a lot of time online watching YouTube videos, reading articles and forum posts, attending webinars and the like to find answers to what I'm wondering about. With small doses here and there, I've suddenly learned something useful for my job.”

This is a win-win. Elisabeth's development wishes are combined with the company's development needs. We can also expect Elisabeth's motivation for and effect of learning to be high when she has taken the initiative herself and benefits from what she has learned straight away.

Through this form of learning, Elisabeth has, on her own initiative, become a super-user of the company's most important tool. She is the first person we go to when the rest of us know what we want, but not how to achieve it.

We have been lucky that Elisabeth is well acquainted with the company's goals and purpose, and that what she chooses to spend time learning is important for the company's opportunities. Her knowledge has also been seen and recognised by the rest of us, so she has gained confidence that this is something she can do more of.

• Read: Psychological safety in the workplace

How do you prevent self-developed competence from becoming tacit knowledge?

It can easily go unnoticed that an employee has developed vulnerable competence that only one or a few people in the organisation have, or critical competence that is difficult to replace through external recruitment. That is why it is important that managers are given the task of keeping track of what competence is being developed in the team. Even if we have the same job, we will probably have different preferences and competence that affect what we learn in our day-to-day work. We therefore need to go down to the individual level to get a good overview, and the employee appraisals become a natural place to raise this topic. Not necessarily to register the competence in a system, but to ensure that what is developed is seen and recognised, that sharing is facilitated where possible, and that we get to know the competence that will need replacing if the employee can no longer cover the need. Sometimes there may also be a need to clarify the framework for self-directed learning. Some companies give it completely free rein, while others need more direction and structure.

• Get to know Motivati and our competence module

Do you have a culture that makes room for self-directed learning?

Certain prerequisites need to be in place for us to really benefit from the potential of self-directed learning. The theory of how to develop a culture for a ‘learning organisation’ provides good pointers for what promotes learning and development.

A learning organisational culture is not just about acquiring new knowledge; it is also about sharing knowledge and experience with others. This creates a community where employees can learn from each other and benefit from each other's competence. An important part of a learning organisational culture is the ability to learn from mistakes and failed projects. Instead of blaming individuals, a learning organisational culture focuses on identifying what went wrong and how to improve in the future.

In the learning organisation, the manager has an important role as a role model and carrier of culture and structure, without being controlling. In other words, trust must be shown. The organisations that succeed in developing a learning culture are characterised by an environment where employees are willing to learn and continuously improve themselves and the organisation, and are able to adapt to change. That is what we need in a rapidly changing working life.

• Read: What is good feedback?

Reference: Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (2000) Self-Determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being.