Identifying and Prioritizing Manager's Competencies in Technology R&D Centers

Nowadays the role of technology as a key factor in creating wealth and permanent competitive advantages in various levels has been proven. With due attention to the role of R&D centers in promoting firms’ technological capabilities, the management of these centers are extremely important. So, it is essential to present a framework in order to selecting new managers or extending the capabilities of current managers of these centers. In current study the concept of manager competencies and some previous frameworks in this area have been studied. Then, through holding a panel with 12 academic and industrial experts, the identified competencies were confirmed. Afterwards, 32 competencies were categorized in 3 categories: 1. Individual and personality competencies, 2. Managerial and leadership competencies, and 3. Technical and professional competencies. Finally, through inviting 62 executive managers who work in these centers, and introducing and explaining about identified competencies, a questionnaire was given to them. Via analyzing the questionnaires with Friedman test, each of the competencies and categories were prioritized. The results show, three competencies including: 1. Team work, communication and knowledge sharing, 2. Organizing and conducting research teams, and 3. Motivating and empowering experts and knowledge workers have higher priority than other identified competencies. Also, in terms of categorized competencies, individual and personal competencies have higher priority than other categories.