A qualitative approach to middle managers' competences

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute further insights into how organizations can diagnose if they have middle managers who are able to reach their objectives, to be outstanding in the competitive environment that they belong to, that is to give new roles and initiatives, using a qualitative approach.Design/methodology/approachIn this management research, the critical incident technique through semi‐structured interviews is used to identify the critical job requirements which are indicated through the difference between doing the job correctly and doing it incorrectly or efficiently and inefficiently. The events of critical incidents could be coded for various characteristics or competences, which seem to be relevant to the particular middle managers' job. After that, they were grouped into five teams for the easiest assessment and the annotation of the findings, i.e. competences directed on management job, on integrity, on personal effectiveness and performance, on people and on specialized knowledge.FindingsQualitative evidence was found for managerial competences, values and the way these competences are related to effectiveness and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should explore how these results can be linked to contextual elements and to business performance.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to increased managerial competence awareness, which is important for intrapersonal development and interpersonal cooperation.Originality/valueThis is one of a few studies that have centered on the middle managers only of the organizational chart and compared their different skills, needs and requests. It provides relevant insights into a thorough understanding of middle managers' competences, which are 21 in total. These 21 areas are divided into five main categories/clusters.