Innovation and Ontologies

154 Deployment in Business
2.3.1 Human Resource Management with Ontologies
According to Hilb (2005), Human Resource Management of a company encompasses the
activities of: personnel planning, recruitment, placement and development; personnel controlling
and administration; as well as dismissals.
To support in particular the activities of personnel planning, placement and development,
competency catalogues are widely used. The catalogues document the actual skills of the
employees and contain the skill profiles required for certain positions. The comparison of actual
and required skills 186 allows a matching of persons and jobs as well as an identification of possible
gaps (Biesalski & Abecker, 2005; Biesalski, Breiter & Abecker, 2005).
figure 50 Excerpt of competency catalogue (based on Biesalski & Abecker, 2005) [own translation]
Development and use of these catalogues can well be supported and enhanced by an ontological
approach. The University of Karlsruhe has developed in cooperation with DAIMLERCRYSLER AG
(plant Wörth) an ontology-based framework for integrated Human Resource and Skill
Management to improve strategic training planning via competency management.
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Skills in the profile can be weighted (e.g. beginner, advanced, expert, trainer). A reference skill profile for a position is a list of weighted skills
needed to fulfill the requirements of this position (Biesalski & Abecker, 2005).