Kyvykkyyteen

Kyvykkyyteen is the illative case form of the Finnish noun kyvykkyys, commonly translated as capability or competence. In Finnish, kyvykkyyteen denotes movement toward or commitment to capability and is frequently used in contexts describing aims, investments, or development of an organization’s or an individual’s abilities.

Etymology and nuance: Kyvykkyys comes from kyvykäs, meaning capable or competent, with the noun-forming suffix -yys. The illative suffix -een/-eeni attaches to indicate direction, as in kyvykkyyteen panostaminen (investing in capability) or kyvykkyyden kehittäminen (development of capability). The term emphasizes systemic capacity—encompassing processes, resources, governance, and human capital—rather than only discrete skills.

Usage and scope: The concept is common in Finnish management, strategy, HR, and defense literature. Kyvykkyyteen is used to discuss building and leveraging organizational capabilities as a strategic resource, such as operational resilience, digital capability, or innovation capability. It contrasts with osaaminen (skills or know-how) by highlighting larger capabilities that enable a range of outcomes.

Translation and examples: In English, kyvykkyyteen is typically expressed as “in capabilities” or “to capability,” depending on context. Example: “Yritys panostaa kyvykkyyteen kehittääkseen toimitusprosesseja” can be rendered as “The company invests in capabilities to improve its delivery processes.” The term thus functions as a bridge between language of skill and language of strategic capacity.