Reducing Competence Gap and the Enterprise's Effectiveness

The growing intensity of globalization processes, the increasing complexity or dynamics and the discontinuity of the changes occurring in the environment make contemporary enterprises face the need to continuously adapt to arising challenges. In order to ensure adequate effectiveness of an enterprise it is necessary to undertake repeatedly some coherent actions leading to reaching a permanent competitive advantage. Thus, it is necessary to identify continuously the environment's requirements – in the context of key competencies indispensable to create and strengthen a permanent competitive advantage, as well as the company's adequate reaction through the processes of corporate learning. Both the competitive position of an enterprise and its effectiveness depend to a high degree on the correct identification of competence gap and on initiating adequate actions aimed at reducing such a gap. The paper presents the results of empirical studies performed in order to define the actions aimed at identifying and reducing competence gap, the factors which support or hinder such activities, the results obtained and the course of the processes of corporate learning in Polish enterprises. The studies were carried out in 56 enterprises, with the use of a specially developed questionnaire. Finally, the work presents some recommendations for managers, concerning the directions of changes that should be made in the approaches to identify and reduce competence gap in such a way that these activities should take account of attempts to achieve both the adequate competitive position and the enterprise's effectiveness.