Abstract:

Remote and hybrid work are transforming the way professionals learn, collaborate, and develop within contemporary organizations. As work becomes increasingly distributed, designing effective competence development and training strategies has become essential for educators and organizational leaders. This paper proposes an integrated framework that supports the identification of competence needs in remote work settings and guides the design of training and assessment approaches.

The framework introduces a typology of remote work configurations based on two core dimensions: task complexity, referring to the cognitive effort and judgment a task requires, and the degree of team cooperation needed to coordinate work with others. Crossing these dimensions yields four configurations—Routine Independent Work, Expert Autonomous Work, Coordinated Routine Work, and Collaborative Knowledge Work—each with specific implications for worker requirements and professional development priorities.

We extend the typology by integrating a behavioral competence model comprising task-related, social, and individual competencies. The model supports the identification of configuration-specific competence demands and training priorities, offering a structured basis for planning targeted training, feedback, and assessment practices. This alignment enables educators and trainers to differentiate learning needs across remote work scenarios and to design interventions that more accurately reflect the realities of distributed work.

The empirical component of the paper presents illustrative case studies drawn from professionals situated in each quadrant of the typology. These cases show how the framework can be applied diagnostically to identify configuration-specific challenges, learning needs, and enabling conditions for effective performance. They also demonstrate how organizational design, communication structures, and collaboration patterns shape the competence requirements of remote work.

By integrating conceptual modeling with empirical insight, the paper offers a practical tool for aligning remote work design with competence development strategies. The framework helps educators, trainers, and organizational leaders establish training priorities, design competence-based learning pathways, and support adaptive, context-sensitive professional development in hybrid work environments.

Keywords:

Remote work, hybrid work, competence development, training needs assessment, work typologies, professional learning.