Competencies and workplace learning: Some reflections on the rhetoric and the reality

Journal of Workplace Learning

Volumn 13, Issue 4, 2001, Pages 144-164

  Garavan, Thomas N ^a   Mcguire, David ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK   (Ireland)

Author keywords

Competences; Competency framework; Human resource development; Workplace learning

Indexed keywords

EID: 84986077055     PISSN: 13665626     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/13665620110391097     Document Type: Article

References (115)

1. Albanese, R. (1989), “Competency-based management education”, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 66-79.
2. Alderson, S. (1993), “Reframing management competence: focusing on the top management team”, Personnel Review, Vol. 22 No. 6, pp. 53-62.
3. Antonacopoulou, E.P. and Fitzgerald, L. (1996), “Reframing competency in management education”, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 27-48.
4. Arthur, M.B. and Rousseau, D.M. (1996), “Introduction: the boundaryless career as a new employment principle” in Arthur, M.B. and Rousseau, D.M. (Eds), The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organisational Era, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
5. Ashworth, P.D. and Saxton, J. (1990), “On competence”, Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 3-25.
6. Athey, T.R. and Orth, M.S. (1999), “Emerging competency methods for the future”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 215-28.
7. Baker, T. and Aldrich, H.E. (1996), “Prometheus stretches: building identity and cumulative knowledge in multi-employer careers”, in Arthur, M.B. and Rousseau, D.M. (Eds), The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organisational Era, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
8. Beleherman, G., McMullen, K., Leckie, N. and Caron, C. (1994), The Canadian Workplace in Transition, Ontario Inc. Press.
9. Bergenhenegouwen, G.J., ten Hom, H.F.K. and Moorjman, E.A.M. (1996), “Competence development – a challenge for HRM professionals: core competences of organisations as guidelines for the development of employees”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 20 No. 9, pp. 29-35.
10. Birdir, K. and Pearson, T.E. (2000), “Research chefs’ competencies: a Delphi approach”, International Journal of Contemporary Management, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 12-22.
11. Boam, R. and Sparrow, P. (1992), Designing and Achieving Competency, McGraw-Hill, Reading.
12. Boon, J. and Van der Klink, M. (2001), “Scanning the concept of competencies: how major vagueness can be highly functional”, 2nd Conference on HRD Research and Practice across Europe, University of Twente, Enschede, January.
13. Boyatzis, R.E. (1982), The Competent Manager: A Guide for Effective Management, Wiley, New York, NY.
14. Boyatzis, R.E. and Kolb, D.N. (1995), “From learning styles to learning skills: the executive skills profile”, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 10 No. 5 pp. 24-7.
15. Brown, J.S., Collins, A. and Duguid, P. (1989), “Situated cognition and the culture of learning”, Educational Researcher, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 32-42.
16. Brown, R.B. (1994), “Reframing the competency debate: management knowledge and meta-competence in graduate education”, Management Learning, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 289-99.
17. Burgoyne, J. (1989), “Creating the management portfolio: building on competency approaches to management development”, Management Education & Development, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 56-61.
18. Cappelli, P. and Crocker-Hefter, A. (1996), “Distinctive human resources are a firm’s core competencies’’, Organisational Dynamics, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 7-21.
19. Cappelli, P. and Singh, H. (1992), “Integrating strategic human resources and strategic management” in Lewin, D., Mitchell, O. and Shewer, P. (Eds), Research Frontiers in Industrial Relations & Human Resources, Industrial Relations Association, Madison University of Wisconsin.
20. Cockerill, T. (1989), “The kind of competence for rapid change”, Personnel Management, Vol. 21 No. 9, pp. 52-6.
21. Cockerill, T. and Hunt, J. (1995), “Managerial competencies: fact or fiction?”, Business Strategy Review, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 26-34.
22. Collin, A. (1989), “Managers’ competence: rhetoric, reality and research”, Personnel Review, Vol. 28 No. 6, pp. 20-5.
23. Cornelius, N. (1999), Human Resource Management: A Managerial Perspective, Thompson Business Press, London.
24. Cornford, T. and Athanasou, J. (1995), “Developing expertise through training”, Industrial & Commercial Training, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 10-18.
25. Cranfield University of Limerick (1999), Department of Personnel and Employment Relations, University of Limerick, Munster.
26. Currie, G. and Darby, R. (1995), “Competence-based management development: rhetoric and reality”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 19 No. 5, pp. 11-26.
27. Dale, M. and Iles, P. (1992), Assessing Management Skills: A Guide to Competencies and Evaluation Techniques, Kogan Page, London.
28. DeFillippi, R.J. and Arthur, M.B. (1996), “Boundaryless contexts and careers: a competency-based perspective” in Arthur, M.B. and Rousseau, D.M. (Eds), The Boundaryless Career, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
29. Derouen, C. and Kleiner, B. (1994), “New developments in employee training”, Work Study, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 13-6.
30. Devisch, M. (1998), “The Kioto people management model”, Total Quality Management, Vol. 9 Nos. 4-5, pp. 62-5.
31. DTI White Paper (1995), Competitiveness: Forging Ahead, CM2867, HMSO, London.
32. Eraut, M. (1994), Developing Professional Knowledge and Competence, Falmer Press, London.
33. Feldman, D. (1996), “Managing careers in downsized firms”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 145-61.
34. Fielding, N.G. (1988), “Competence and culture in the police”, Sociology, Vol. 22, pp. 45-64.
35. Fletcher, S. (1992), Competence Based Assessment Techniques, Kogan Page, London.
36. Freedman, D.H. (1992), “Is management still a science?”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 70 No. 6, pp. 26-38.
37. Garavan, T.N., Bamicle, B. and O'Sulleabhain, F. (1999), “Management development: contemporary trends, issues and strategies”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 23 No. 4/5, pp. 3-12.
38. Gorsline, K. (1996), “A competency profile for human resources, no more shoemakers’ children”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 53-66.
39. Greenhaus, J.H. and Callanan, G.A. (1994), Career Management, Dryden Press, London.
40. Grugulis, I. (1997), “The consequences of competence: a critical assessment of the management NVQ”, Personnel Review, Vol. 26 No. 6, p. 428-44.
41. Hamel, B. and Prahalad, C.K. (1993), “Strategy as stretch and leverage”, Harvard Business Review, March-April, pp. 75-84.
42. Havaleschka, F. (1999), “Personality and leadership: a benchmark study of success and failure”, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 114-32.
43. Hayes, J., Rose-Quirie, A. and Allinson, C. W. (2000), “Senior managers’ perceptions of the competencies they require for effective performance: implications for training and development”, Personnel Review, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 48-56.
44. Hirsch, W. and Jackson, C. (1996), Strategies for Career Development – Promise, Practice and Pretence, Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton.
45. Hodgetts, R.M., Luthans, F. and Slocum, J.W. (1999), “Strategy and IIRM initiatives for the ’00s environment: redefining roles and boundaries, linking competencies and resources”, Organisational Dynamics, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 7-21.
46. Hoerr, J. (1989), “The pay-off from teamwork”, Business Week, pp. 56-62.
47. Hogg, P. (1994), “European managerial competencies”, European Business Review, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 21-6.
48. Holms, L. (1995), “HRM and the irresistible rise of the discourse of competence”, Personnel Review, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 16-28.
49. Hondeghem, A. and Vandermeulen, F. (2000), “Competency management in the Flemish and Dutch Civil Service”, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 25-34.
50. Horton, S. (2000), “Introduction – the competency movement: its origins and impact on the public sector”, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 7-14.
51. Johnston, R. and Sampson, M. (1993), “The acceptable face of competence”, Management Education & Development, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 216-24.
52. Jubb, R. and Robotham, D. (1997), “Competences in management development: challenging the myths”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 21 No. 4-5, pp. 171-77.
53. Kakabadse, A. (1991), The Wealth Creators, Kogan Page, London.
54. Kakabadse, A. and Anderson, S. (1993), “Top teams and strategic change”, Management Development Review, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 10-22.
55. Kamoche, K. (1996), “Strategic human resource management within a resource capability view of the firm”, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 213-34.
56. Klink, M.R., Van Der Boon, J. and Bos, E. (2000), “The investigation of distinctive competencies within professional domains”, Proceedings of the First Conference of HRD Research & Practice across Europe, Kingston University, Kingston-upon-Thames, pp. 105-14.
57. Kossek, E.E., Roberts, K., Fisher, S. and Demarr, B. (1998), “Career self-management: a quasi-experimental assessment of the effects of a training intervention”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 51, pp. 935-60.
58. Krogh, G. and Roos, J. (1995), “ A perspective on knowledge, competence and strategy”, Personnel Review, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 56-76.
59. Kuijpers, M. (2000), “Career development competencies”, Proceedings of the 2nd Conference of HRD Research & Practice across Europe, University of Twente, Enschede, pp. 309-14.
60. Langley, A. (2000), “Emotional intelligence – a new evaluation for management development”, Career Development International, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 25-36.
61. Lave, J. and Wagner, E. (1991), Situated Learning. Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
62. Lei, D. and Hitt, M.A. (1996), “Dynamic core competencies through meta-learning and strategic context”, Journal of Management, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 549-61.
63. Losey, M.R. (1999), “Mastering the competencies of HR management”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 99-111.
64. McClelland, D.C. (1973), “Testing for competence, rather than intelligence”, American Psychologist, Vol. 28, pp. 1-14.
65. Mabon, H. (1995), “Human resource management in Sweden”, Employee Relations, Vol. 17 No. 7, pp. 57-83.
66. Management Charter Initiative (1990), Management Competencies: The Standards Project, MCI, London.
67. Martin, G. and Staines, H. (1994), “Managerial competence in small firms”, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 13 No. 7, pp. 23-34.
68. Matlay, H. (2001), “HRD in the small business sector of the British economy: an evaluation of current training initiatives”, Proceedings of 2nd Conference on HRD Research & Practice across Europe, University of Twente, Enschede, 26-27 January.
69. Metz, E.J. (1998), “Designing succession systems for new corporate realities”, Human Resource Planning, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 31-7.
70. Mirabile, R. (1997), “Everything you need to know about competency modelling”, Training & Development, August.
71. Nanda, A. (1996), “Resources, capabilities and competencies”, in Moingeon, B. and Edmondson, A. (Eds), Organisational Learning and Competitive Advantage, Sage, London.
72. National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) (1997), Criteria for National Qualifications, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, London.
73. New, G.E. (1996), “Reflections: a three-tier model of organisational competencies”, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 11 No. 8, pp. 44-52.
74. Newton, R. and Wilkenson, M.J. (1995), “A portfolio approach to management development: the Ashworth model”, Health Manpower Management, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 16-31.
75. Nordhaug, O. (1998), “Competencies specificities in organisations”, International Studies of Management & Organisation, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 8-29.
76. Nordhaug, O. and Gronhaug, K. (1994), “Competencies as resources in firms”, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 89-103.
77. Oliveara-Rees, F. (1994), “Qualification versus competence: a discussion on the meaning of words: a change in concepts of a political issue”, Beroepsopleiding, Vol. 1, pp. 74-9.
78. Orpen, C. (1997), “Performance appraisal techniques, task types and effectiveness: a contingency approach”, Journal of Applied Management Studies, Vol. 6 No. 2, p. 139.
79. Orstenk, J. (1997), Learning to Learn at Work, Eburon, Delft.
80. Overmeer, W. (1997), “Business integration in a learning organisation: the role of management development”, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 245-61.
81. Parker and Wall in Sparrow, P. and Marchington, M. (1998), Human Resource Management – The New Agenda, Financial Times/Pitman Publishing, London.
82. Pottinger, P. (1987), “Competency assessment at school and work”, Social Policy, September/October, pp. 35-40.
83. Prager, H. (1999), “Cooking up effective team building”, Training & Development, Vol. 53 No. 12, pp. 14-20.
84. Prahalad, C.K. and Hamel, G. (1990), “The core competences of the corporation”, Harvard Business Review, May/June.
85. Raelin, J.A. and Cooledge, A.S. (1995), “From generic to organic competencies”, Human Resource Planning, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 24-33.
86. Reichel, A. (1996), “Management development in Israel: current and future challenges”, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 22-36.
87. Reid, M.A. and Barrington, H. (1994), Training Interventions: Managing Employee Development, IPD, London.
88. Resnick, L.B. (1987), “Learning in schools and out”, Educational Researcher, Vol. 16 No. 9, pp. 13-20.
89. Sandberg, J. (2000), “Understanding human competence at work: an interpretative approach”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43 No. 1, pp. 9-17.
90. Schlusmans, K., Slotman, R., Nagtegaal, C. and Kinkhorst, G. (1999), “Competency-based learning environments: introduction”, in Schlusmans, K. (Ed.), Competency-Based Learning, Lemma, Utrecht.
91. Schroder, H.M. (1989), Managerial Competencies: The Key to Excellence, Kendall Hunt, Dubuque, IA.
92. Selznick, P. (1957), Leadership and Administration, Harper & Row, New York, NY.
93. Senior, B. (1997), Organisational Change, Financial Times-Prentice-Hall, London.
94. Shea, G.P. and Guzzo, R.A. (1987), “Group effectiveness: what really matters?”, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 25-31.
95. Spangenberg, H.H., Schroder, H.M. and Duvenage, A. (1999), “A leadership competence utilisation questionnaire for South African managers”, South African Journal of Psychology, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 117-29.
96. Sparrow, P.R. and Hiltrop J.M. (1994), European Human Resource Management in Transition, Prentice-Hall, Hemel Hempstead.
97. Spencer, L.M. (1983), Soft Skills Competencies, Scottish Council for Research in Education, Edinburgh.
98. Spencer, L.M. and Spencer, S. (1993), Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance, Wiley, New York, NY.
99. Stuart, R. and Lindsay P. (1997), “Beyond the frame of management competencies: towards a contextually embedded framework of managerial competence in organisations”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 26-33.
100. Sullivan, S.E., Carden, W.A. and Martin, D.F. (1998), “Careers in the next millennium: directions for future research”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 165-85.
101. Taggar, S., Hachell, R. and Saha, S. (1999), “Leadership emergence in autonomous work teams: antecedents and outcomes”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 52 No. 4, pp. 899-911.
102. Taylor, F.W. (1911), The Principles of Scientific Management, HarperCollins and Norton, New York, NY.
103. Teece, D.J. (1990), “Firm capabilities, resources and the concept of strategy: four paradigms of strategic management”, CCC Working Paper, No. 90-8.
104. Thomson, R. and Mabey, C. (1994), Developing Human Resources, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
105. Tolley, G. (1987), “Competency achievement and qualifications”, Industrial & Commercial Training, September/October, pp. 6-8.
106. Townley, B. (1994), Reframing Human Resource Management: Power, Ethics and the Subject at Work, Sage, London.
107. Training Standards Agency (2000), definition as in Horton, S., “Introduction – the competency movement: its origins and impact on the public sector”, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 7-14.
108. Tyre, M.J. and Von Heppel, E. (1997), “The situated nature of adaptive learning in organisations”, Organisational Science, Vol. 1, pp. 71-83.
109. Van der Wagen, L. (1994), Building Quality Service with Competency-Based Human Resource Management, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford.
110. Veres, J.G., Locklear, T.S. and Sims, R.R. (1990), “Job analysis in practice: a brief review of the role of job analysis in human resource management” in Ferris, G.R., Rowland, K.M. and Buckley, R.M. (Eds), Human Resource Management: Perspectives and Issues, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA.
111. Webster, J. (2000), “Manual of competencies”, unpublished, Dublin.
112. Winterton, J. and Winterton, R. (1996), “The business benefits of competence-based management development”, Department of Education & Employment, Research Series RS16, UK.
113. Winterton, J. and Winterton, R. (1999), Developing Managerial Competence, Routledge, London.
114. Woodall, J. and Winstanley, D. (1998), Management Development: Strategy and Practice, Blackwell, Oxford.
115. Woodruffe, C (1991), “What is meant by competency?”, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 22-33.