Abstract:

Undertaking activities aimed at identifying and assessing factors limiting the improvement of managerial competences in high technology enterprises, a critical analysis of literature on the subject was performed, which enabled the systematization of dispersed knowledge on managerial competences. Filling the theoretical cognitive gap, an attempt was made to clarify this ambiguous concept, because so far no coherent definition of ‘competence’ has been introduced that would be adopted by all theorists. On the basis of a critical analysis of literature on the subject, it was found that the concept of competence is understood as the totality of knowledge, experience, skills and attitudes, where: (1) knowledge is the content preserved in the memory of a person in a managerial position, which results from the learning process, (2) experience [Thomas and Cheese, 2005, pp. 24-29] is the totality of knowledge and skills acquired on the basis of observations and own experiences of a person holding the position of a manager, (3) skills constitute a manager’s ability to function efficiently in an organization, (4) attitudes are beliefs and behaviours towards someone or something. Theoretical considerations allowed for the formulation of a conclusion that individual elements of competences are interrelated, and it is difficult to indicate their clear divisibility. However, such attempts were made because key competences of managers in high technology enterprises were proposed using the method of source critique and logical analysis, interview technique, questionnaire technique, the method of competent judges, comparative analyses and statistical tests of measuring relationships between variables. These competences were related to the characteristics of high technology enterprises due to the positively assessed role of this sector in stimulating socio-economic development [Roszyk-Kowalska and Kraśniak, 2020, p. 38]. Managerial competences were selected on the basis of an analysis of literature on the subject and with the involvement of experts from the area subjected to empirical research. It was found that managerial competences differ depending on the industry [Tiruneh, Fayek, 2019, p. 3], the specificity of managerial work or the requirements set for a manager. Therefore, in economic practice it is postulated to construct key competences, i.e. those that all people in managerial positions need in order to satisfy the needs of self-realization and being active in an organization, for which they should constitute capital.