MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES IN MANAGEMENT THEORY - A LITERATURE SYNTHESIS AND A CLASSIFICATION PROPOSAL
MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES IN MANAGEMENT THEORY - A LITERATURE SYNTHESIS AND A CLASSIFICATION PROPOSAL

Summary/Abstract: Aim: This paper synthesizes and systematizes concepts of managerial competencies in management sciences and organizational economics, with particular emphasis on linking competencies to resource allocation, costs, and organizational economic performance. Methods: The study is a review-based and theoretical approach. A critical literature analysis was conducted, combining synthesis and comparison of definitional approaches, classifications, and competency models. Sources were selected from domestic and international literature indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, with an emphasis on post-2020 publications that address digitalization, uncertainty, and crisis conditions. Results: The review confirms substantial terminological ambiguity and fragmentation, which limit comparability across studies and weaken practical applicability. As an authorial contribution, the paper proposes an integrative classification that consolidates dispersed models into seven overarching competency groups: strategic and business; leadership; managerial and organizational; cognitive and meta-competencies (including adaptability and resilience); social and communication; technical and knowledge management; and human resource management. Evidence from empirical studies suggests that interpersonal, planning, and adaptive competencies are consistently crucial for managerial effectiveness across various sectors, while a recurring competency gap persists between current and desired profiles. Conclusions: Managerial competencies should be conceptualized as a dynamic human capital resource shaping operational efficiency, adaptive capacity, and economic performance. Competency models are justified for HRM diagnosis, development, and succession planning, provided they are contextualized to sector-specific conditions and VUCA-related challenges.

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