Abstract

The ways of organizing the production of goods and services have undergone major changes during the last decades of the twentieth century, creating the need to transform the theories and practices of work and organizational psychology (WOP). By occupying a prominent place in the changes in the worlds of work and WOP, the notion of competence exists. As is common in humanities and psychology, this notion covers different meanings from different conceptions and authors. In this study, we chose to focus on the contributions to the debate on competence from a significant number of existing publications in Brazilian Portuguese by Philippe Zarifian, a French sociologist and economist whose ideas have produced interesting developments in the sectors of WOP in Brazil, thereby inspiring a reconfiguration of conceptions and practices. The competency model brings a real possibility of deep transformations, enabling the participation of men involved in their work. However, without meeting certain conditions, such a model of competence can turn into another means of the exploitation and destruction of workers’ collectives.

Professional Competence; Work; Work and Organizational Psychology