Technical competence

Technical competence
See also
Job specification Coaching and mentoring Employability skills Sources of innovation Training evaluation Team development Job scope Managerial skill Internal training

Technical competence refers to knowledge, skills and competencies of employees which are needed to effectively perform tasks required on particular workplace. It refers not only to competencies of production workers (ability to perform basic maintenance tasks, such as cleaning, lubricating, inspection, minor repairs, adjustment, calibration, etc.) but also to competencies and skills of administrative and management employees (IT equipment maintenance, printers, copiers, etc.).

Technical competence may also refer to skills and abilities of consumers which are needed to use particular product (e.g.. smart-phone, computer).

Competences of project managers

The best project managers to provide successful work need to acquire competencies that will improve their effectiveness directly. There are many personal attributes and skills that can impact effectiveness of their job. Mainly mentioned are skills of leadership, communication and skills that are used in relations with others to achieve propriate efficiency of work, to initiate and provide positive relations with co-workers etc. Technical competence is one of these useful attributes of good project managers. Some of the technical competencies attributes that are important in project management are knowledge about tools and methods used in project, about involved technology, product appliance, supporting technologies, technological evolution and tendency. Main competence is knowledge about technology. Best project managers to estimate technical concepts and solutions need to understand the technology. Even welly developed interpersonal skills will not positively influence communication with project team in the field of technical appellations without technical knowledge. Most of this knowledge is being improved while the project team is working (K. P. Grant 1997, p. 1- 2).

Technical competences in internet commerce

Some analysis refer dependency between technical competences of a system and trustworthiness of internet commerce participants. Technical competences of systems that salespersons are using to do their business are factors of clients trust but not only to one shop but internet shopping at all. Internet shopping is unquestionably connected with computer systems. Those systems, way that they work and all aspects connected with them are building trustworthiness of e-consumers. There are three factors that build it (M. K. Lee 2001, p. 80-81):

• Perceived technical competences
• Performance level of system
• Human operator – his knowledge about using this systems.

Technical competences of system is connected directly to the way that it works. This is its capability to do operations thoroughly in the way that it is expected it will do. If something is not working correctly it cause fall of trust in it. Main technical competences of systems are their speed, capacity to serve many clients in the same time and connected with visible aspect of system, its layout (M. K. Lee 2001, p. 81).

References

• Bassellier, G., Reich, B. H., & Benbeast, I. (2001). Information technology competence of budiness managers: A definition and research model. Journal of management information systems, 17(4), 159-182.
• Grant, K. P., Baumgardner, C. R., & Shane, G. S. (1997). The perceived importance of technical competence to project managers in the defense acquistion community. IEEE Transactions on engineering management, 44(1), 12-19.
• Lee, M. K., & Turban, E. (2001). A trust model for consumer internet shopping. International Journal of electronic commerce, 6(1), 75-91.
• Murphy, S. E., Blyth, D., & Fiedler, F. E. (1992). Cognitive resource theory and the utilization of the leader's and group members' technical competence. The leadership quarterly, 3(3), 237-255.

Author: Maciej Soczówka