Competency management and project-based organization: an emphasis on their articulation. Qualitative analysis of four multi-sectoral cases.

Summary In a context of strengthening project-based organizations, the question of skills management is becoming a key issue for companies as well as for research in management sciences. For firms, it is a question of jointly managing the development of skills and the development of innovative products and services. If the literature recognizes the necessity of the articulation between competency management and project-based organization, it remains limited as to the specification of its reality. The objective of this research is, therefore, to understand how companies effectively manage this articulation. Our research is based on a qualitative approach, centered on a multiple case study, conducted within four companies organized by projects and evolving in different sectors (IBM, HEWLETT-PACKARD, ARKOPHARMA and TEMEX). The analysis of our four cases, compared to the existing literature, highlights three main results. First, functional and integration competencies are essential competencies on which project-based companies must focus in terms of management and development. Secondly, it appears that the articulation between skills management and project-based organization is structured around three key dimensions: knowledge management, human resources management and strategy. Finally, we propose a ternary typology of the actors involved in the joint management of skills and projects, distinguishing between "strategists", "organizers" and "recipients". In the end, the thesis that we defend is that the joint management of competences and projects forces us to leave the reference framework of projects, and therefore to advocate a global approach, at the level of the company.