Author: Matija Jurin, COO
Artificial intelligence is changing the way we think about knowledge, expertise, and people development. The value of professionals is increasingly defined not only by their ability to execute tasks, but also by their understanding of problems, the quality of their judgment, and their ability to connect technology with specific business objectives.
For Comping, this means that technical knowledge remains essential, but is no longer sufficient on its own. The ability to ask the right questions, understand the broader context, critically evaluate AI-generated results, and align them with client needs is becoming increasingly important.
This is why technical and so-called soft skills should no longer be viewed separately. The greatest value lies precisely at their intersection. A professional who understands business but lacks technical knowledge will struggle to assess the capabilities and limitations of AI. Conversely, a technically excellent professional who does not understand the business problem may simply use AI to do the wrong thing faster.
From Task Execution to Problem Solving
AI has the greatest impact on the value of work that can be clearly defined, standardized, and easily verified. The more predictable a task is, the greater the potential for technology to accelerate or partially automate it.
However, the more complex the problem, the less clear the context, and the greater the consequences of a wrong decision, the more important human judgment becomes.
This is also changing how organizations should approach recruitment and employee development. Alongside the question, "What does this person know?", it is becoming increasingly important to ask, "What kinds of problems can this person solve independently with the help of technology and AI?"
Particular attention must be paid to junior employees. Traditionally, simpler tasks provided opportunities for less experienced employees to develop their skills. If AI takes over some of these tasks, organizations must deliberately create new learning opportunities through mentoring, collaboration with experienced colleagues, and the gradual assumption of greater responsibility.
Knowledge That Outlasts Individual Tools
One of the greatest challenges for technology companies is determining which skills and areas of knowledge should be systematically developed and which may quickly lose their relevance.
At Comping, we believe it is more useful to think about competencies in several layers than to try to predict which technology will be most in demand three or five years from now.
The first layer consists of enduring competencies: critical thinking, problem definition, business understanding, communication, decision-making under uncertainty, and client relationship management. AI generally increases the value of these competencies.
The second layer consists of fundamental technology concepts, such as software and data architecture, security, cloud computing, AI and machine learning concepts, integration patterns, and data governance. Specific technologies evolve, but an understanding of these underlying concepts remains relevant for much longer.
The third layer consists of specific tools: programming languages, frameworks, AI tools, and products from individual technology vendors. These are essential for today's work, but their market value can change rapidly.
It is therefore important not to equate familiarity with a particular tool with long-term professional competence. The goal is to develop professionals who can understand, adopt, and apply new technologies as market needs evolve.
Comping's Knowledge Is More Than the Sum of Individual Expertise
For Comping, a particularly important priority is transforming individual experience into organizational knowledge.
A project should not end with successful delivery to the client alone. It should also leave behind knowledge that can benefit other colleagues, accelerate future projects, and strengthen the capabilities of the entire organization.
That is why we have systematically strengthened our employee development, mentoring, and knowledge transfer processes.
Operational managers play an important role in this effort. Their responsibility is not limited to managing projects and delivering results. It also includes identifying clients' future needs and connecting those needs with employee development.
Operational managers and HR work together to ensure that existing employees receive the support they need to take on new tasks and roles, while making the experience gained through projects accessible to other teams.
Knowledge Sharing as Part of Everyday Work
A culture of knowledge sharing is difficult to establish if employees are expected to share their expertise only when they happen to have spare time.
At Comping, we have therefore incorporated knowledge transfer and mentoring activities into the SMART goals of the employees involved, linking the achievement of these goals to additional rewards, including rewards for mentors.
This makes knowledge sharing a recognized and valued part of everyday work.
Mentoring, however, is not simply about transferring technical information. Working alongside experienced colleagues also provides opportunities to pass on ways of thinking, experience in working with clients, contextual understanding, decision-making skills, and the ability to identify risks. These are precisely the competencies that are most difficult to capture in traditional documentation.
AI Can Accelerate Knowledge Transfer
We see AI as an additional opportunity to structure, document, and make internal knowledge easier to find.
It can help summarize project experiences, organize content, and enable employees to find relevant information more quickly. However, its value depends on the quality of the content and people's willingness to turn their experience into knowledge that others can access and use.
AI can help knowledge circulate more quickly throughout an organization, but it cannot replace a culture in which people are motivated to learn, mentor others, and share their experiences.
The Ability to Learn as a Long-Term Competitive Advantage
We cannot predict with certainty which technological skills and knowledge we will need several years from now. What we can do is build an organization capable of identifying emerging needs quickly enough and preparing its existing employees to meet them in a timely manner.
This is where we see one of Comping's most important long-term capabilities.
Our value lies not only in the knowledge we possess today, but also in our ability to transform experience gained on one project into knowledge accessible to the entire organization, develop people through mentoring and new responsibilities, and acquire new technological expertise quickly enough to respond to our clients' needs.
In an era when AI is accelerating change, the organizations that gain a lasting competitive advantage will be those that have built a system in which people learn continuously, knowledge is transferred systematically, and every new project strengthens the capabilities of the entire company.
