Interaction-based assessment of competences acquired within the work process

In the company-based practice of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), competences that employees have acquired informally – i.e. within the work process – are frequently recorded and reported as part of work processes. Often this practice-based validation takes place by means of a consciously organised, interaction-based assessment by managers who are involved in the ongoing work processes. On the basis of conceptual considerations on informal competences and with reference to various practical examples, the article highlights the potentials and limitations of interaction-based assessment procedures.