HRM and the irresistible rise of the discourse of competence

Despite debate and criticism, the notion of “competence” has risen to prominence very rapidly and now has an important place in the vocabulary of human resource management (HRM). Seeks to explain such a rapid rise by drawing on discourse theory. The discourse of competence may be seen to arise through the convergence of discourses in four separate domains, and thereby gain legitimacy from the stocks of already formulated meanings in these separate domains. Taking a discourse theory approach also exposes the control aspects of competence through the constitution of the individual as a social subject in terms of the inscription of assessment judgements. However, the convergence of discourses has not resulted in complete closure. Concludes with some speculation about the degree to which the competence approach will successfully achieve employer commitment.