Competency modelling targeted on boosting configuration of virtual organisations

Abstract

The modelling of organisation's competency has been researched during the last decades. One line of this research has focused on addressing collaborative networks of organisations. Virtual organisations breeding environments (VBEs), as the base for dynamic formation of virtual organisations (VOs), are particularly in need of strong management of their organisations’ competencies. Many large first generation VBEs fail due to their inability to dynamically process and analyse information about their member organisations and particularly processing their members’ competencies needed for dynamic and agile VO configuration. This article introduces the ‘4C-model’ (capabilities + capacities + costs + conspicuities) developed to comprehensively specify competencies of VBE member organisations. As such, the 4C-model directly addresses and promotes efficiency in VO formation, and thus increases organisations’ involvement in potential virtual organisations. The article further addresses the development of an ontology for the competency model.

Keywords:

• competency modelling
• virtual organisation
• virtual organisations breeding environment

Acknowledgements

The work on this article is partially supported by the FP6 IP project ECOLEAD (2004–2008) (Camarinha-Matos et al. 2008a, ECOLEAD 2008), funded by the European Commission.