Research On The Composition And Development Of The Competence Of Line Leaders In The Manufacturing Industry

Innovation in the manufacturing industry is the main force driving the high-quality development of the national economy,and the strategic action of revitalizing "Made in China" and building "Skilled China" requires a large number of skilled talents.However,the change of macroeconomic situation and the improvement of automation technology are reshaping the ecosystem of manufacturing industry development,which has put forward new demands for middle-skilled positions such as line leaders in enterprises.Thus,the exploration and analysis of the competence of line leaders is a key issue in the interactive integration of the current needs of economic and industrial innovation,talent training reform in vocational education and individual career development.And it is also an important part of enhancing the added value of products in the manufacturing industry,improving the multi-level talent training system,and exploring the theoretical development of competence in the context of workplace change.Therefore,this study aims to conduct a theoretical and practical exploration of the composition and development of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industries.This study follows the guiding principle of "problem formulation-problem analysis-problem solving",and makes comprehensive use of job task and competence analysis,behavioral event interview,Delphi method,life course research in-depth interview and qualitative comparative analysis to answer the questions of the content structure,development process,influencing factors,development path and logical mechanism of the competence of manufacturing line leaders in turn.The specific research and exploration are as follows:Firstly,a theoretical analysis framework for the composition and development of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry was constructed.On the one hand,the content,form and analytical dimensions of competence development are clarified from skill accumulation theory,STW theory and structuration theory through theoretical research and literature analysis.On the other hand,by integrating the three theories,the conceptual framework of the "bright line" of career development and the "dark line" of competence development of line leaders in the manufacturing industry are intertwined.Secondly,the content composition framework of the competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry was constructed.First,the preliminary results of the competence composition of line leaders containing 65 elements by conducting the job task and competency analysis of 22 experts of line leaders.Second,the elemental composition of competence of line leaders in the manufacturing industry was supplemented by interviewing 20 line leaders on behavioral events and open coding and focused coding of interview results with the help of NVivo software.Third,after two rounds of expert consultation by Delphi method,the content composition of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry was verified.Fourth,the competence model of line leaders in manufacturing industry was integrated and refined by combining with the competence model of manufacturing industry by O*NET.Thirdly,the process,rules and real problems of competence development of line leaders in manufacturing industry are clarified.By selecting two representative and somewhat different cases of competence development of line leaders,the study analyze the different patterns,spatial-temporal regulations and realistic problems of competence development of line leaders in the manufacturing industry from the temporal direction(students,apprentices,workers,technicians,line leaders)and spatial direction(school,transition from school to work,workplace).Fourthly,the factors influencing the competence development of manufacturing line leaders are explored.In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 line leaders in manufacturing industries in combination with life history research methods,supplemented by semi-structured interviews with 8 human resource supervisors or direct supervisors in manufacturing companies,and combined with participant observation records of the researcher,and integrated psycho-social analysis methods that can reflect the interaction between the individual level and the social level.The focus is on interpreting the subjective and structural elements that affect the development of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industries.Fifthly,the logical mechanism of competence development of line leaders in manufacturing industries was revealed.A cross-case comparative analysis was conducted on 15 cases of competence development of manufacturing line leaders to discover the combination factors and driving paths that promote different outcomes of competence development of line leaders in different contexts,and then uncover the internal logic and interactive mechanism of competence development of line leaders in manufacturing industry.The main findings on the composition and development of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry through the three main sections of theoretical research,empirical research and positivism research are as follows:Finding1,the conceptual analysis framework of the composition and development of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry is a three-dimensional analysis framework of "one vertical and two sides",which provides a theoretical perspective and analysis ideas from time and space place changes,and provides insight into the dynamic process of the composition and development of competence of line leaders.Finding2,the competence model of line leaders in manufacturing industry contains 106 specific competence elements,which are divided into six categories:personal effectiveness,academic competencies,work competencies,industry competencies,management-related competencies,and job-specific competencies,and conceptualized into three categories of basic competence,industry competence,and job-specific competence,which constitute a "pyramid" graphic framework.This is the "static" mapping of the competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry.Finding3,the development of competence for line leaders in manufacturing industry is an orderly combination process of progression in stages and expansion and deepening in scope,and at the same time,this process is intertwined with their career development or career mobility.Competence has a "cumulative" effect,and the cumulative effect of basic competence,industrial competence and job-related competence shows an increasing trend.Workplace learning is the "critical period" for the formation and development of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industry,and its specific role is reflected in the following: constructing the competence development of line leaders in the interaction of "conspiracy".On the other hand,the goal of competence development of line leaders is anchored in the "conflict" controversy.In addition,it is clear that the problems of competence development of line leaders in manufacturing industry come from three main sources: firstly,the job characteristics of line leaders lead to a poor foundation for development;secondly,the non-standardized transition from school to work leads to a change in development mode;thirdly,the non-cooperative relationship between workshops leads to a lack of motivation for competence development of team leaders.This part is the "dynamic" characterization of the competence development of line leaders in manufacturing industry.Finding4,subjective constructs and structural constraints are the two main forces affecting the development of competence of line leaders in the manufacturing industry:the role of structure on the development of competence of line leaders in the manufacturing industry is mainly manifested in the shaping of changes in their competence development stages by the rules and resources of society at the individual,collective and social levels;the role of the agency in the development of competence mainly reflected in the change of the content and action in different ways.Finding5,the main paths to promote the competence development of manufacturing line leaders can be classified as rule-and/or resource-driven,dynamicdriven,and career development-driven.Based on this,the internal logic of competence development of manufacturing line leaders is characterized as follows: relational logic shows the dynamics of competency development and two-way construction;pattern logic shows the stage of competence development and social accumulation;action logic shows the contextuality of competency development and reflective creation.Based on the logical evolution and path-driven,the interaction mechanism of competence development of manufacturing line leaders presents a model in which process and result,active and passive,macro and micro coexist.Based on the above findings,the study puts forward the following suggestions to promote the competence development of line leaders in the manufacturing industry:individual actors have to dynamically construct themselves as active learners;vocational education in school consolidates and deepens the basic training while promoting the backward extension of skill acquisition.In addition,it is important to promote the role of enterprises in all aspects,focusing on the front-loading of the function of skill formation and more actively expanding the role of the workplace in promoting the development of competencies.And to promote institutional reforms that are conducive to the growth of line leaders in the manufacturing industry.This study explores in depth the composition of competence of line leaders in manufacturing industries and the development process of their deeply embedded structure and agency interaction,expands the theoretical perspective of vocational education competence research and vocational education talent cultivation,extends the dynamic and spatial-temporal nature of competence research,and promotes the improvement of the practice of cultivating skilled workers represented by line leaders in manufacturing industries,thus providing a complex and comprehensive picture of the competence development and career growth of line leaders in manufacturing industry in a specific spatial and temporal development environment.This kind of "black box" uncovering research has a fascinating characteristic for researchers and has an important significance for subsequent vocational education research and talent cultivation.