Competence Development of Two Roles at Volvo Group A Qualitative Study Investigating the Current and Future Competences

Abstract

As a result of the increasing demand in today’s ever-changing world, organizations must continuously manage and adapt their competences in order to remain competitive in the market. Thus, the significance of competence development is essential for achieving success. Accordingly, there was a need for Volvo Group to analyze the current and future competences of the two roles: Logistics Product Project Manager and QJ & Quality Campaign Coordinator within the newly established Product Projects & Quality team. The purpose of this study is to develop a competence framework that consists of a mapping of the current competences and a vision for the future competences of the two roles. Furthermore, a discussion regarding how to bridge the gap between the current and future state is provided. This study has been conducted using a qualitative approach through several workshops and interviews with the two roles, team manager and other relevant Volvo Group employees. Furthermore, a literature review was conducted to enhance the researchers understanding of the research topic to make informed decisions. From the study, a framework was created by combining different internal frameworks and integrating the data collected from the workshops and interviews. The results shows that the two roles do not require new competences for the future, but rather improve the level of the current competences. Moreover, the discussion regarding how to bridge the gap between the current and the future state reveals the importance of creating an organization that fosters learning by considering aspects such as organizational culture and motivation.