Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Competence or expertise
English answer:
expertise (at least in this context)
Added to glossary by
Christine Andersen
Sep 1, 2008 08:47
15 yrs ago
7 viewers *
English term
Denmark
the message, not just the words
Native in: English (Variant: UK) 
Works in: Danish to English, English
Competence or expertise
English
Marketing
Advertising / Public Relations
What you have and what you advertise
Am I just old fashioned, or does the word 'competence' sometimes have a ring of 'also ran' about it compared with 'expertise'?
"the quality of being competent" according to the dictionary.
"You can't run a business without competent employees"
Preferably highly competent... But somehow you need something more than just competence.
Compared with 'expertise', which is:
'great skill or knowledge in a particular field."
To succeed, you have to know how to apply comptetence...
Or am I just splitting hairs?
The context is a proof I am reading for a Danish client, in quite good English, but where 'kompetanser' sound fine to Danish ears, or some at least... and is a bit of a buzz-word, I would prefer 'expertise' in English.
It will eventually appear on the client's website.
The client writes, e.g.
"Our competences:
Consultancy
Sparring
Strategy
..."
"the quality of being competent" according to the dictionary.
"You can't run a business without competent employees"
Preferably highly competent... But somehow you need something more than just competence.
Compared with 'expertise', which is:
'great skill or knowledge in a particular field."
To succeed, you have to know how to apply comptetence...
Or am I just splitting hairs?
The context is a proof I am reading for a Danish client, in quite good English, but where 'kompetanser' sound fine to Danish ears, or some at least... and is a bit of a buzz-word, I would prefer 'expertise' in English.
It will eventually appear on the client's website.
The client writes, e.g.
"Our competences:
Consultancy
Sparring
Strategy
..."
Responses
| 4 +8 | expertise |
Sarah Messeri (X)
|
| 4 +1 | Competencies |
lindaellen (X)
|
| 3 +1 | expertise |
Arnold T.
|
Responses
+8
4 mins
Selected
expertise
Competence implies the ability to be able to do something, while expertise implies excellence. "Our areas of expertise" would be the better way to advertise their services
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ken Cox
: As others have previously commented in related postings, 'competence' is a bit blasé in English -- if you're only competent, you don't have anything special to offer, and in some fields competence is taken for granted.
8 mins
|
| agree |
Casey Butterfield
13 mins
|
| agree |
cmwilliams (X)
: I like 'areas of expertise'. 'Competencies' just doesn't sound natural to me in this context.
23 mins
|
| agree |
Lori Dendy-Molz
: I hate the overuse of 'competence' and 'competencies' in business writing these days.
35 mins
|
| agree |
Wil Hardman (X)
1 hr
|
| agree |
Gary D
: you can do a compentence test, but not an expertise test.
1 hr
|
| agree |
Phong Le
2 hrs
|
| agree |
Ioanna Daskalopoulou
: Competencies might refer to skills also.
1 day 1 hr
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks for a quick, but well-explained answer!"
+1
17 mins
expertise
Expertise has to do with how much is known of a particular field of knowledge : electronics, physics etc.
Competence has to do with having both the knowledge and the skills to do a specific job or task.
For consultancy, "expertise" would be appropriate in this context.
Competence has to do with having both the knowledge and the skills to do a specific job or task.
For consultancy, "expertise" would be appropriate in this context.
+1
15 mins
Competencies
I can't say that I like the term, it is real "business-speak", but it is often used, and I have frequently used it in this context. See the wiki article for a more detailed explanation. I only copies part of it below.
Core competency versus competitive advantage
Core competencies are capabilities that serve as a source of competitive advantage for a firm over its rivals. Core competencies emerge over time through an organizational process of accumulating and learning how to deploy different resources and capabilities. Examples of capabilities include management (ability to envision the future of their industry, effective organizational structure), marketing (effective promotion of brand-name products, effective customer service, innovative merchandising), human resources (motivating, empowering and retaining employees), manufacturing, distribution, management information systems and research & development.
The criteria for determining whether a capability is a core competency is whether it is capable of producing sustainable competitive advantage. A capability can deliver competitive advantage without meeting all of the required criteria, but this will only be for a limited time.
Hanson uses an updated model with four criteria of sustainable competitive advantage:
Valuable: the capability allows the firm to exploit opportunities or neutralize threats in its external environment
Rare: capabilities that few, if any, of its competitors possess
Costly to imitate: capabilities that other firms cannot easily develop. Take note however, this does not simply mean it is expensive to imitate, it means it is difficult to imitate (i.e. the capability developed through unique historical conditions, the capability itself is ambiguous or the relationships that underpin the capability are complex to understand and imitate).
Non-substitutable: the capability does not have a strategic equivalent. One example is R&D, the objective of which is obtaining new technology. To obtain new technology you could develop it internally, or you could monitor the external environment for developments then acquire them (a strategy Nucor has followed) - these are strategic equivalents. [2]
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Note added at 18 mins (2008-09-01 09:06:16 GMT)
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Perhaps you could use both, i.e. "Our competencies" and "To succeed, you have to know how to apply expertise".
Core competency versus competitive advantage
Core competencies are capabilities that serve as a source of competitive advantage for a firm over its rivals. Core competencies emerge over time through an organizational process of accumulating and learning how to deploy different resources and capabilities. Examples of capabilities include management (ability to envision the future of their industry, effective organizational structure), marketing (effective promotion of brand-name products, effective customer service, innovative merchandising), human resources (motivating, empowering and retaining employees), manufacturing, distribution, management information systems and research & development.
The criteria for determining whether a capability is a core competency is whether it is capable of producing sustainable competitive advantage. A capability can deliver competitive advantage without meeting all of the required criteria, but this will only be for a limited time.
Hanson uses an updated model with four criteria of sustainable competitive advantage:
Valuable: the capability allows the firm to exploit opportunities or neutralize threats in its external environment
Rare: capabilities that few, if any, of its competitors possess
Costly to imitate: capabilities that other firms cannot easily develop. Take note however, this does not simply mean it is expensive to imitate, it means it is difficult to imitate (i.e. the capability developed through unique historical conditions, the capability itself is ambiguous or the relationships that underpin the capability are complex to understand and imitate).
Non-substitutable: the capability does not have a strategic equivalent. One example is R&D, the objective of which is obtaining new technology. To obtain new technology you could develop it internally, or you could monitor the external environment for developments then acquire them (a strategy Nucor has followed) - these are strategic equivalents. [2]
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2008-09-01 09:06:16 GMT)
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Perhaps you could use both, i.e. "Our competencies" and "To succeed, you have to know how to apply expertise".
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Ken Cox
: IMO 'competencies' is OK (or at least tolerable) inside the HR department, but not suitable for advertising the specialities of a company. However, 'applying expertise' is a bit redundant; 'applying knowledge and skills' is a better option.
32 mins
|
| agree |
Demi Ebrite
: 'Competencies' would be the word used; A company has 'expertise' in specific areas, and it would be highly unusual to state that 'Consultancy', 'Sparring', or 'Strategy' are areas of expertise, as they are so overtly general. IPO 'strategy' = expertise
3 hrs
|
Discussion