Acquisition of competences in the workplace : human resource development in Statoil

Abstract

This report investigates learning within and across units in a large, dispersed organization. Three firm-specific competences were identified as relevant outcomes of learning: Intraorganizational competence, intraunit competence, and firm-specific technical competence. Data were obtained from 981 employees in Statoil, the major Norwegian oil company. Intraorganizational job history and communication appear to have large, positive and diminishing effects on firm-specific competences. Further research is needed to clarify the impact of organizational structures. The research reported here further support the claim that exposure to information should replace the notion of experience as an explanation of learning. This research also demonstrates that different competences can be distinguished empirically.