Vol.46, No 5 (2013)

Juergen Muehlbacher

WU – Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for Change Management and Management Development

Jure Kovač

University of Maribor

Adam Novotny

Eszterházy Károly College, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences

Anna Putnová

University of Technology Brno, Faculty of Business and Management

Abstract

Background/Purpose: After a strong focus on transition processes in Central East European countries (CEE), this topic has been displaced by more dramatic merger and reorganization processes or the recent financial crisis. This obscures the fact that we know almost nothing about the management competencies in these countries, which is an important building or stumbling block for future development. Therefore, we will examine the individual competencies of almost 300 top and middle managers in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia, and we will compare the different sets of competencies and interpret them according to the given economic situation in these countries.

Karel Pavlica

Škoda Auto University, Department of Managerial Psychology and Sociology

Eva Jarošová

University of Economics, Prague, Department of Managerial Psychology and Sociology

Robert B. Kaiser

Kaiser Leadership Solutions

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The paper presents the first results of the IGA/2012/7 project “Versatility of Organizational Management and its Reflection in the Area of Organizational Culture“. The paper tries to answer in particular a question if there exist and what are the relations between a process of management competencies development and process of organizational culture creation and change. The research is based upon two methods: (1) Leadership Versatility Index® (LVI ®) and Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS). The research data are presented in a form of two cases. Qualitative analysis of these data has led to two preliminary conclusions: (1) Some of the research expectations concerning an existence of the relations between organization´s management versatility and organizational culture might be confirmed in a future; (2) DOCS data can bring a new light on the LVI ® results and on the process of management competencies development. They help managers to understand that a change and development of their management competencies is not their personal business but a need with important strategic consequences for the whole organization. Reliable answers to all research questions and hypothesises are conditionedby a statistical analysis of the data collected in more organizations, however.

Georg Kodydek

Ronald Hochreiter

WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Management, Institute for Change Management and Management Development

Abstract

Background/Purpose: In this article, we investigate how college students and graduates with diverse backgrounds experience working in groups by focusing on their perceptions regarding group work, attribution of leader coaching, and self-perspectives of personality traits. Moreover, this article explores relationships between personality factors (using the Big Five factors) and selected individual competencies from Bartram’s Great Eight Competencies (2005). We furthermore review current management research on competency management, personality, and also identify current trends for young professionals who are about to enter the job market. This study was conducted in an experimental setting at a large European business school. Participants were 80 business students from Austria, Turkey, China, and the United States of America with a fairly even gender split who had to work on tasks in homogeneous and heterogeneous settings. We assess participants’ ratings following Rammstedt and John’s Big Five Inventory (2007) and a modified version of Wageman, Hackman and Lehman’s Team Diagnostic Survey (2005) that we enhanced accordingly. Results are analyzed and discussed with relation to global challenges and developments regarding competencies, diversity, and group work.

Maja Zajec

University of Maribor

Davorin Kofjač

University of Maribor

Matjaž Roblek

University of Maribor

Abstract

Background/Purpose: In the formation of new processes, innovations generated by people possessing the right knowledge and talent play a crucial role. Our starting point was the fact that every new change in processes can alter the knowledge structure of a work position or work role. This means that a person can become a knowledge bottleneck in the process. If this person is found on a critical path, the process cannot produce the output in a desired form, extent or quality, unless the bottleneck is removed. For this reason, we developed a decision model founded on fuzzy logic. The result of the fuzzy model is knowledge estimation based on deviation between the required and actual knowledge. For faster decision making, we made a presentation of allocated people on desired roles using the heat map technique. Therefore, the employers make better decisions on actual knowledge allocation, acquiring missing knowledge, or defining knowledge required for the future, which makes them more competitive.

Petra Šparl

University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences

Anja Žnidaršič

University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences

Helmut Kasper

WU – Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for Change Management and Management Development

Jürgen Mühlbacher

WU – Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for Change Management and Management Development

Jure Kovač

University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Today management competencies are seen as the only long-term strategic advantage of any company. However, from corporate experience we know that only 10 % of the knowledge acquired is transferred into entrepreneurial practice. Current trends in management development often overemphasize individual learning and ignore the missing fit between individual behavior and organizational performance.To meet these demands, we collected competency ttributions of managers attending executive courses in Austria and Slovenia. A questionnaire with closed and open question will help to explore and compare the relation between organizational performance and current management competencies in these countries. The results confirm our predictions to a lesser extent. However, they represent a basis for further examination of the relationship between managerial competencies and organizational performance.

Michael Forster

Philipp Parrer

Nina Maria Wöss

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This paper is based on a study which investigates the relevance of management competencies in Austrian organizations, focusing on start-ups. The study as well as the existing literature confirms that personal competencies such as ambition, selfconfidence or assertiveness are perceived as more important by start-ups than by established companies. However, further results of the paper show that especially leadership competencies play a major role in developing a growing start-up whereas personal competencies fade into the background and can even have a negative impact on turnover growth. In general, the paper discusses special characteristics of competence classes for start-ups and examines differences and similarities in comparison to established companies. As it has already been indicated, the evidence leads to different and surprising considerations for entrepreneurs and growing start-ups.