Managing 'competence', an analytical essay.

The papers presented during the Medef's international meeting in 1998 provide evidence of an attempt by the members of this French employers' organization and of labor unions to draw up a joint approach to 'competence' with the aim of laying down acceptable rules for all. This 'managerial revolution' associates wage-earners with their firm's objectives. Furthermore, it forces all parties to reconsider the wage-earning relationship as it is played out between 'competence' and 'qualifications', between competence and the organization. This revolution can be interpreted macroeconomically by putting it in relation to the crisis in Fordist regulations and, too, microeconomically as a modification of the terms in the wage-earning relationship. The theoretical and practical problems that arise as the 'management of competence' is implemented are pointed out: the transferability of competence, the relation between individual and collective competence, the assessment of the fair value of competence. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.