Competence definition in IATF 16949

Answer:

Competence is defined as "the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills". This means that the person is competent when it is able to perform a task successfully. Competencies refer to skills or knowledge that lead to superior performance. Measurable skills, abilities and personality traits that identify successful employees against defined roles within an organisation.

Skills define specific learned activities, and they range widely in terms of complexity. (“Mopping the floor” and “performing brain surgery” can both be classified as skills.) Knowing which skills a person possesses helps us determine whether their training and experience has prepared them for a specific type of workplace activity. In other words, skills give us the “what.” They tell us what types of abilities a person needs to perform a specific activity or job.

But skills don’t give us the “how.” How does an individual perform a job successfully? How do they behave in the workplace environment to achieve the desired result? Competencies provide that missing piece of the puzzle by translating skills into on-the-job behaviors that demonstrate the ability to perform the job requirements competently.