Building a Better Competence Environment

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• Alexander Røyne-Helgesen – TALK · MAY 2026

Focusing on Collaboration and Innovation – how to transform a struggling competence environment into a market-leading one.

Event

Duration

Location

≈ 45 minutes  ·  {{slideCount}} slides

DevDays Europe

Vilnius, Lithuania

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• Bio

Driving growth through technology and leadership.  Technology Leader, Speaker, Event Manager, Design Engineer, AI Prompt Engineer and Frontend expert with over 20 years of experience

Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen

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Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen

Driving growth through Technology and Leadership

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Focusing on Collaboration and Innovation – how to transform a struggling competence environment into a market-leading one.

Building a Better Competence Environment

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Why should we care?

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• PART I — Why should we care?

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CEO asks CTO: "What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?"

CTO: "What happens if we don't and they stay?"

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Identifying the situation

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  • We keep losing deals we should have won
  • Our best people don't stay long enough
  • We struggle to attract the people we really want
  • We're react to the market, not shaping it
  • We feel others are ahead of us technically

Does this feel familiar?

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The uncomfortable truth

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• PART II — the uncomfortable truth

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Status quo is not working

Good intentions do not scale

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94% of employees said they would stay with their employer if it invested in their development

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/94percent-of-employees-would-stay-at-a-company-for-this-one-reason.html

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This is not a strategy problem.

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It's an environment problem.

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What actually creates value?

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• PART III — What creates value?

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\begin{gathered} \text{Employees} \times (\text{billable hours} \mid \text{employment}) = \text{value} \end{gathered}

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We don't sell time, we sell knowledge

  • Increased delivery quality: When employees have updated competence, we provide better solutions to customers.
  • Attractive employer: A company that invests in people attracts the best talents.
  • Long-term profitability: Customers are willing to pay more for expertise and quality → sustainable growth.

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Value

If we are to be the best in our field, we must invest in what truly matters: people.

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Why we fail today

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• PART IV — WHy we fail today

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Competence building cannot be driven solely by volunteer effort and token rewards

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Why this does not work today

  • It is driven by volunteers
  • It happens after hours
  • It is not structurally supported
  • It is rewarded symbolically

Good intentions do not scale.

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What needs to change?

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Any organization that designs a system will produce a design that is a copy of the organization's communication structure

Conway's law

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The four pillars

{{slide}} — The FOUR PILLARS

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• PART V — The four pillars

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Our ability to work together, that is our greatest strength.

Christopher Pike, Captain of USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

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  • CollaborationCollaboration as a core value
  • CultureA culture of continuous improvement and innovation
  • InnovationInnovation and product orientation as the driving force
  • MeasuringMeasuring and celebrating success

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Collaboration as a core value

  • Mutual trust Prioritise time and resources
  • Open communication Share ideas and challenges
  • Shared ownership/responsibility Both leadership and employees

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I

• 1st pillar - Collaboration

Transformation begins with collaboration. This involves building a bridge between leadership and employees, and establishing a shared understanding of goals and values

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II

A culture of continuous improvement and innovation

  • Create space for experimentation

    Dedicate time to innovate

  • Reward learning and sharing

    Provide incentives

  • Minimise technical debt

    Innovation without obstacles

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Continuous improvement must be part of the organisation's DNA. This requires a culture that values experimentation, learning, and knowledge sharing

• 2nd pillar - Culture

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III

Innovation and product orientation as the driving force

  • User-centric development

    Understanding employee needs

  • Small, value-driven initiatives

    Build value over time

  • Focus on technology and the future

    Invest and research

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• 3rd pillar - innovation

To build a world-class professional environment, innovation and product development must be a strategic priority

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IV

Measuring and celebrating success

  • Define clear goals

    Set clear OKRs

  • Measure the value of initiatives

    Document KPIs

  • Celebrate small and big wins

    Recognition fosters motivation

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• 4st pillar - Measure

A transformation requires that we make progress visible and celebrate successes along the way

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So what does this actually look like, not in theory, but in practice?

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In practice

  • Dedicated professional development time For example, 8 hours per month where employees can focus on courses, certifications, exploring new technologies, etc.
  • Shared professional events Professional days, communities of practice, internal workshops, or conferences where knowledge is shared.
  • Social investments Low-threshold events that strengthen the sense of community, everything from professional evenings to team-building activities.
  • Visible leadership Leadership must lead by example by demonstrating that professional development and well-being are prioritised areas of focus.

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Make it credible

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• PART VI — Make it credible

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Make learning profitable

  • Productivity and innovation

  • New market opportunities

  • "Sell the brainpower"

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This is not a cost. It's a growth strategy

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Money alone does not create value

People do. Knowledge does. Culture does.

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A culture that ties it all together

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After all, knives do not sharpen themselves.

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Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to

Sir Richard Branson

• Take away

Alexander Røyne-Helgesen · Talk · May 2026

§ {{slide}}

Focusing on Collaboration and Innovation – how to transform a struggling competence environment into a market-leading one.

Building a Better Competence Environment

devdays europe: Building a Better Competence Environment: Focusing on Collaboration and Innovation

By Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen

devdays europe: Building a Better Competence Environment: Focusing on Collaboration and Innovation

This session is the result of my reflections on how to transform a struggling competence environment into a market-leading one. I believe that the connection between collaboration, culture-building, and an innovation/product-oriented perspective can provide a structured path forward.

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