Skill versus competence

a bibliographical comment on a contemporary french debate

Abstract

The paper draws an overview on the contemporary debate of the French sociology of work in matters of difference between the skill and competence approach. A more comprehensive em­phasis is placed upon the latter, searching for a socially sustainable definition of it. From this point on, the problems related to the competence approach appear. Firstly, that approach is confronted to the so-called Japanese Model, focusing on their similarities and differences. Af­terwards, the paper introduces the range upon which competence can be negotiated am ong social partners, drawing the attention on the meaning of established social patterns as profes­sional norms am ong work people called “classification criteria . The essay pinpoints the dan­ger of a professional evaluation based on the individualisation such competence model brings up and ranks counter-arguments competence model supporters make use of. Finally, it high­lights how the debate is anchored to the social practices played by collective actors in the glo­bal industrial relations system, as well as the possibilities and limits of the m odel’s use while applying it to small and m edium enterprises.