Future Competence Development within Technical Communication mapping of competence level and need of competence Development Prof Viveca Asproth, PhD Ulrica Löfstedt, PhD Christina Amcoff Nyström

TIC – Technical Information Centre Collaboration between Swedish Defense Material Administration – FMV, MidSweden University and 12 organizations/businesses within TC and a reference group – approx. 15 other organizations Funded with aid from strucutral funds, 50% Aim: Strengthen and expand activity within TC in the region (Jämtland/Mid Sweden)

Present situation ”poor” Basic specifications Employees within TC Not complete Errors… Difficult to visualize and Communicate the requirements No feedback - End-urser - Employers Uncertainty about level of details And degree of user friendliness Or Feedback on ”wrong” issues Lack of guidelines and methods Missing context and connection Missing maesures of client benifit and results Tacit knowledge

Used method Interview guide based on study visits and contact with director of studies for the study programme ”Human Resource Management and Labour Relations”, MidSweden University 22 in-depth interviews 25 inquiries The interviewees are representative for businesses in the project Interviews and inquiries during May-October, businesses

Results of the study - employees Experienced uncertainty in the daily work -Technological knowledge -Diction (sv språkbehandling) -Softwares -Feedback -New clients and new systems Support missing in the daily work -Mentorship/”sounding board” -Expert knowledge -New discovering within TC -Register/list of systems and the decision procedure -Aid with linguistic structure and translation

Results … Experienced difficulties -Poor basic specifications -Access to the ”product” -Technology -Systems and software (systems for producing TC) Handling of difficulties -Communication -Work flow management systems -Information search -Development of requirements/make demands

Results … Tacit knowledge -”double manning” for new employees (sv: ”Gå-bredvid”) -Oral communication -Internal meetings -Summing-ups and evaluations -Documentation of the process for problem-solving Suitable forms for education – competence development -”continous” recurrent educations – 2-4 times/year -Situation adapted (form is depending on content)

Results … Efforts concerning competence development -Half of the interviewees thinks that the efforts from the employer are enough -Missing: Plans for education, initiative and intention from the management and information. Networks -Some persons are member of some kind of network (professional or private). -There is a big interest for networking (internal and external) -The Swedish society on Technical Communication - FTI (Existing network)

Results … Need for competence development – broadening/diversification -Other employees tasks -Technology -Project Management Ditto - intensification -Different softwares -Systems security -Technical Writing (english) -Project Management -Technology -Communication

Results … Ditto – changing of tasks -Most of the interviewees were satisfied Level of educational need – group -Presentatation techniques -Project Management -Work process -Language -Communication – the role of the ”consultant” -Other projects and groups -Key tools/systems – the own production systems

Results … Level of educational need– organization -Collaboration – ”we” -Situation and context -Language -Results -Work process -exchange of knowledge and information -Quality systems, production systems

Results … Visions about technical communication -More pictures/photos -Less paper based TC -3D -Modularization -distribution of information through internet -Wireless, interactivity

Results - Managers Forms for education (competence development) -Adaption to situation -Needs are analysed and education is offered based on the results -No competence development model is used Tacit knowledge -When someone quit (pension …) -Teamwork supports transfer of knowledge -Mentorship

Results - Managers Level of educational need - individual level - Technology -Tools -Language -Pedagogic Level of educational need – group level -Project management Level of educational need – organizational level -Processes and process descriptions -Methods and roles -Work with requirement/demands (communication with clients)

Need of competence development Agreements from both employees and managers -Uncertainty might decrease or disappear through different kind of educational efforts -Tools and technology -Presentation techniques/pedagogy -Project management -Language -Forms for education – competence development -Communication Disagreements -How to map and be aware of the need for competence development

Recommendations/con- clusions Need of education – different levels: individual, group and organization Experienced difficulties – poor basic specifications Learning – feedback Situation and context Competence maintenance – contemporary social and environmental studies, 4 spheres Networks Tacit knowledge

Doctrine Tech. Org.HumRes Synergy-4 Organization (structure, job descriptions, decision making process) Doctrine (Philosophy and policy directing the organization) Human Resources (Maybe the most important resource within the organization) Technology (infrastructure and existing technology)

Present situation ”poor” basic specifications Employees within TC Not complete Errors… Difficult to visualize and communicate the requirements No feedback - End-urser - Employers Uncertainty about level of details and degree of user friendliness Or Feedback on ”wrong” issues Lack of guidelines and methods Missing context and connection Missing maesures of client benifit and results Tacit knowledge

The TIC-project continues… 24 March, workshop about education: proposals for courses, structure of education (distance courses, flexible mode, half-time…), organization, resources, marketing Work package 5: Identification of tools for competence mapping within organizations (needs, plans, analysis, competence databases …) Autumn 2009: Courses in XML, IT for network collaboration Spring 2010: Course in multimedia production (planning) What’s next?

1.Identification and evaluation of growing areas of interest for businesses within TC 2. Identification and evaluation of future (quality) demands on TC 3.Inventory and evaluation of competence and need of competence development 4. Inventory and evaluation of existing education within TC 5. Identification of tools for competence mapping within organizations 6. Identification/development of material for competence maintenance, (course material, syllabus …) 7. Test of material for competence maintenance 8. Test of demonstration technique 9. Evaluation and learning from tests 10. Guarantee of Knowledge, dissemination of knowledge, and knowledge intensification What’s next?