Bridging Competence Gaps in the Sales Team An Empirical Study of Mapping Professional Learning Needs in the Organizational Setting.

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how professional learning needs can be systematically mapped within sales teams to bridge competence gaps. Conducted at Toyota Material Handling Europe, semi-structured interviews with six technical sales representatives were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis revealed three interconnected findings. Firstly, competence is the situated understanding of customer operations rather than product knowledge. Secondly, competence gaps manifest as failures in boundary-spanning translation across technical-commercial domains. And lastly, a fundamental misalignment exists between formal training systems. Many critical learning needs remain tacit because they emerge situationally in practice. These findings indicate that competence gaps are structurally produced rather than solely individual deficits. The study recommends that organizations rethink competence development by treating professional learning as infrastructural work, designing interventions around authentic practice contexts, and supporting professionals' active agency in identifying and addressing emergent learning needs.