Influence of management competence on personal work effectiveness of middle managers

INFLUENCE OF MANAGEMENT COMPETENCE ON PERSONAL WORK EFFECTIVENESS OF MIDDLE MANAGERS In Agriculture enterprises In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of MASTER OF BUSI

INFLUENCE OF MANAGEMENT COMPETENCE ON PERSONAL WORK

EFFECTIVENESS OF MIDDLE MANAGERS

In Agriculture enterprises

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

September 2013

INFLUENCE OF MANAGEMENT COMPETENCE ON PERSONAL WORK

EFFECTIVENESS OF MIDDLE MANAGERS

Case study in enterprises under Ministry of Agriculture

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Under the guidance and approval of the committee, and approved by all its members, this

thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

Acknowledgements

During the implementation of this thesis, I have received the attention and support

from teachers, friends, and colleagues at the College of Management for Agriculture and

Rural Development No 2

First, I would like to give my sincere thanks to Dr Phan Trieu Anh – the course

instructor – who has dedicated to instructing me on the implementation of this thesis

I am also grateful to Instructors in the School of Business –International

University - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City for recently teaching me

useful professional knowledge, practical approaches in a scientific way, and strong

motivation in study and research

Secondly, I would like to give my warm thanks to the Managing Board and my

colleagues in the College of Management for Agriculture and Rural Development No 2

who have always created favorable conditions for me to complete my course

I would like to thank those who are current students and alumni currently working

in agricultural enterprises who have helped me to collect valuable data so that I can

complete my thesis

Finally, my thanks also go to my family and MBA04 classmates who have

encouraged, shared and helped me complete my course

NGUYEN THI MINH – MBA 04023- YEAR 2013

Plagiarism Statements

I would like to declare that, apart from the acknowledged references, this thesis

either does not use language, ideas, or other original material from anyone; or has not

been previously submitted to any other educational and research programs or institutions

I fully understand that any writings in this thesis contradicted to the above statement will

automatically lead to the rejection from the MBA program at the International University

– Vietnam National University Hochiminh City

Copyright Statement

This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults

it is understood to recognize that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation

from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s

prior consent

© Nguyen Thi Minh / MBA04023 / 2013

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background and Rationale of research 1

1.2 The Problems Statement 2

1.2.1 Problem Statement 2

1.2.2 Research Objective and Research Question 2

1.3 Research Methodology 3

1.3.1 Primary Data 3

1.3.2 Secondary data collection 4

1.4 Research Implications: 4

1.5 Scope and Limitation 4

1.6 Structure of Research 5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

2.1 What is management? 7

2.2 Managerial Levels 8

2.2.1 Top Level of Management 8

2.2.2 Middle Level of Management 9

2.2.3 Lower level of management 10

2.3 Managerial Skills 10

2.3.1 Conceptual skill 10

2.3.2 Human relation skills 10

2.3.3 Technical skills 11

2.4 The Concepts of Competencies 12

2.4 Personal work effectiveness 19

2.5 Result of Empirical Research 20

2.6 Focus of the study 22

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 23

3.1 Approach: 23

3.2 Research Process 23

3.3 Research Model 24

3.4 Hypotheses 25

3.5 Sample selection methods 25

3.5.1 Sample size 25

3.5.2 Data collection method 26

3.6 Respondents selection methods 27

3.7 Quantitative Research Methods 28

3.7.1 Questionnaire design 28

3.7.2 Measure 29

3.8 Data Analysis Techniques 29

3.8.1 Descriptive statistic 29

3.8.2 Reliability test 30

3.8.3 Exploratory factor analysis 30

3.8.4 Regression analysis 32

3.8.5 Conclusion 32

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDING AND DISCUSSION 33

4.1 Demographics of Respondents 33

4.1.1 Gender and Ages 33

4.1.2 Job position 34

4.1.3 Working duration 35

4.1.4 Education 36

4.1.5 Summary 36

4.2 Descriptive Statistics of Managing Self 37

4.2.1 Descriptive Statistics of Managing Work 38

4.2.2 Descriptive Statistics of Managing Team 39

4.2.3 Descriptive Statistics Of Managing Collaboratively 40

4.2.4 Descriptive Statistics of Personal work effectiveness 41

4.3 Reliability Test 42

4.3.1 Managing seft 43

4.3.2 Reliability statistic of managing self after delete MS1 43

4.3.3 Work-management skills 44

4.3.4 Team-management 45

4.3.5 Collaboration management 46

4.3.6 Personal work effectiveness (PWE) 47

4.4 Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) 48

4.4.1 Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for dependent variables (DVs) 49

4.5 Revision of Research Model and Hypothesis 51

4.6 Correlation Testing 52

4.7 Regression Analysis 53

4.7.1 Linear regression of Model 1 54

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 57

5.1 Summary 57

5.2 Conclusion 58

5.3 The significant of the study 61

5.4 Research limitations: 62

5.5 Suggestion for further research: 63

References 64

Appendex 68

Appendex A – the questionnaires 68

BẢNG KHẢO SÁT 68

Appexdes B, Exploratory Factor Analysis 72

List Of Figures

Figure 1: Management Levels 8

Figure 2: Managerial Skills 11

Figure 3: Research Process 23

Figure 4: Research Model 24

Figure 5: Frequency distribution of respondents by gender 33

Figure 6: Frequency distribution of respondents by age 34

Figure 7: Frequency distribution of respondents by positions in company of managers 35 Figure 8 Frequency distribution of respondents by working duration 36

Figure 9: Frequency distribution of respondents by Education of managers 36

Figure 10: Revised Conceptual Research Model 51

List Of Table

Table 1: Concepts of Competencies 12

Table 2: Key competencies for management 15

Table 3 : Descriptive Statistics of Managing Self 37

Table 4: Descriptive statistics of Managing Work 38

Table 5: Descriptive statistics of Managing Team 39

Table 6: Descriptive statistics of Managing Collaboratively 40

Table 7: Descriptive statistics of work effectiveness 41

Table 8: Reliability statistics of managing self 43

Table 9: Cronbach’s Alpha of Trust first time 43

Table 10: Reliability statistics of work-management skills 44

Table 11: Reliability statistics of Team-management 45

Table 12: Reliability statistics of Team-management 46

Table 13: Reliability statistics of Team-management 47

Table 14: KMO and Bartlett's Test for DVs 49

Table 15: Total Variance Explained for DVs 49

Table 16: Rotated Component Matrix of DVs 49

Table 17: Pearson's Correlation Coefficient of four independent variables and PWE 52

Table 18: Model Summary and ANOVA table of Model 1 54

Table 19 Coefficients of Determination with Dependent Variable 54

Table 20: Anova of Determination with Dependent Variable of Personal Work Effectiveness 55

Abstract

To become a professional Middle Manager, each manager must always study and

practice knowledge, professional skills, management competences, positive attitude and

good practices in their career

With the desire to gain insights into management competency, this research -

“Influence of Management Competence on Personal Work Effectiveness of Middle

Managers” aims to define the role and impact of management competence in shaping

personal work effectiveness of middle managers The subject has been deployed from

March 2013 to August 2013 with 305 observations The people, who were surveyed, are

mid-level managers in state-owned enterprises in the agricultural sector Selected

management skills needed as a basis for forming management competences are

self-management, work self-management, team self-management, and collaboratively management

The subject aims at to proposing a training focus for the College of Management

for Agriculture and Rural Development No 2 through result of the scientific research

“the contribution of management competences to personal work effectiveness”

The result of research has identified influence of management competence on

personal work effectiveness, and it showed that management competence plays a vital

role in individual work performance whatever position you hold in business and in

planning and selecting subsequent management team Business leaders also need to

identify these management skills in sourcing, training, recruitment or promoting someone

worthy of middle manager role in their businesses

However, the limit of the subject is different perception between different people

about individual work performance Moreover, in addition to management capacity, there

are many other factors affecting individual work performance, such as social

relationships, thinking, sharpness, work environment, etc

Keywords: Management Competence, Personal work effectiveness, Managing self, Managing Work, Managing Team, Managing Collaboratively

CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION The background of the selected topic is introduced in the first chapter Then, the

problem area will be next discussed to provide a deeper understanding about the research

area for reader In the end of this chapter the contribution of this research is also

presented

1.1 Background and Rationale of research

In every business, the management team always plays a crucial role in the

planning and implementation of the objectives and tasks of the department unit

Managers are responsible for assigning tasks and supervising subordinate employees to

ensure and complete assigned tasks, as a focal point to advise the leadership on the field

is assigned

With such roles, examining the competency of middle managers in the

organization / business is essential This is the basis to detect the strength of the

management team, to develop and find weaknesses to plan additional training On the

macro side, the survey staff competency management help for higher levels of leadership

organizational strategy, management team development through promotion, transfer

positions accordingly, develop training program

According to Prof Do Kim Chung (University of Agriculture, Hanoi) survey

results on the competency of leaders and management of agricultural and rural

development (2008): “in which field, 61% of the consular officer directors, managers of

agricultural growth from the staff with technical expertise, have not been trained

managers Over 70% of all graduates of the University and over 14 years of management

up, not to be equipped with new knowledge, approximately 75% have not been trained on

basic knowledge and skills in agricultural management in the context of global economic

integration Level foreign language and computer skills of the team are also very limited,

especially in poor districts and remote areas.”(Source: Ministry of Education and

Training: Workshop “Training and fostering leadership and management of agriculture and rural development”)

Therefore, developing a management competency assessment survey program for

current managers in Agriculture field is essential, not to purify the structure of an

organization, but more importantly is proposed towards improving the competency of the

team staff, improving the management board’s performance and contributing to greater

efficiency in the operation of an organization

1.2 The Problems Statement

1.2.1 Problem Statement

The first purpose of this paper is to identify the critical managerial competencies

of managers; and second one is to determine the influence of managerial competency on

personal work effectiveness Moreover, this study will provide managers the overview of

management competency of individuals, organizations and the industry, and identify

what factors needed to accumulate through working and training courses

1.2.2 Research Objective and Research Question

Research objective and research question: From problem statement, the study

raises the following research question:

(1) What is the current competency of middle managers of the agricultural sector?

(2) What are the influence managerial competencies on personal work

effectiveness of these managers?

Based on these two research questions the following specific research objectives

were developed: To determine the relationship between management competency and

personal work effectiveness

1.3 Research Methodology

1.3.1 Primary Data

This study applies quantitative approach as the major method to collect and

process data via SPSS software, and then qualitative method were used to analyze

research findings in order to identify the relationship among variables, which might

support and make quantitative approach more reasonable

In this research, Questionnaire would be the most effective tool It is carefully

designed to meet any requirements The questions were taken from previous literature on

management competency and all of the questions were self-structured to cover the

specific research problems

The questionnaire that measures managerial competency consisted of the

following major sections: Managing self, managing team, managing work and managing

collaboratively

Then about 280-300 managers, who are working in the organizations (state own

enterprises) under Ministry of Agriculture, were involved in the survey The

questionnaires were sent to the managers directly After that, the quantitative approach

were applied to collect and analyze data for finding out the determinants of management

competency on personal work effectiveness

1.3.2 Secondary data collection

Secondary data were the basis for finding the theoretical model relating to thesis

objective Therefore, it assisted in determine how to approach the primary research and

the composition, content and conduction of the questionnaires as well as identify the

particular variables of interest for further investigation

1.4 Research Implications:

This thesis were expected to bring the following benefits:

It were seen as an opportunity for management board to clearly understand

their own organization’s strengths, limitations, and make plans to improve the

performance so as to catch up with the requirements of the organization in future

As a manager working at the College of Management for Agriculture and Rural

Development No 2, I hoped that this topic would help us identify the college’s training

orientation, and find out which management skills or knowledge need updating and

supplementing to bring satisfaction, job effectiveness to managers and thereby would

help enterprises efficiently use human resources in their units

This thesis gave me the opportunity to qualify for graduation Master In addition,

by doing this thesis, it were a good opportunity for me to apply theories, research

methodology, collection data, analysis data that I have studied into the practical situation

1.5 Scope and Limitation

The study was done within agricultural business Survey’s target population

were managers working in manufacturing businesses in fields of rubber, coffee, sugar,

tea, pepper, food, etc and within a broad geography spreading from the Central

Highlands to the Southwest of Vietnam Therefore, trades and job features are quite

different

The research evaluated the work effectiveness only from personal experience of

managers, not the evaluation on work performance from the view of businesses to their

managers

Each person might have various ways to evaluate individual effectiveness, so this

topic only applied a common scale for evaluating Personal Work Effectiveness

There are many variables that influence core competences management, but the

study was confined to selected variables only

1.6 Structure of Research

The thesis will be design included five chapters as follow

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This section presents an overview of research basis, objectives, methods, subject

and scope, practical meaning and structure of the research In summary, this section of

the thesis will present reasons, objectives, how-to and benefits of this research

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The study is based on fundamental theories and researches on leadership,

management, management competences, who middle managers are and their role in

enterprises, individual work performance, and their actual expected performance during

working Thence modeling the research and determining the relationship between

management competences and individual work performance

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter includes methods used and procedures to conduct research on

management competence, how to develop a questionnaire and collect data Steps of data

processing on SPSS software are also described

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

This chapter refers to description of observations and result analysis based on data

which has been statistically processed

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS :

Within the thesis, research findings are discussed and assessed Some suggestions

to develop management competences of middle managers and new research directions to

improve and increase the meaning of this research are also suggested

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will give an overview of literature and models of management

competencies that are related to the research problem presented in the previous chapter

Also, this chapter will introduce the concepts of management, level of management,

competencies management, and personal work effectiveness And then the author would

like to show some empirical researches that are the foundation for giving a clear idea

about the research field

2 DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS

2.1 What is management?

According to Winslow Taylor (1911), “Management is an art of knowing what to

do, when to do and see that it is done in the best and cheapest way”

James L Lundy, "Management is principally the task of planning, coordinating, motivating and controlling the effort of others towards a specific objective Management

is what management does It is the task of planning, executing and controlling."

George R Terry, (1972) "Management is a distinct process consisting of planning, organizing, activating and controlling performed to determine and accomplish the objective by the use of human beings and other resources."

Howard M Carlisle, "Management is defined as the process by which the elements of a group are integrated, coordinated and/or utilized so as to effectively and efficiently achieve organizational objectives."

V Henry Fayol, "To manage is to forecast, and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control."

The main objectives of management are to get maximum results with minimum

efforts, increase efficiency of production factors and maximum prosperity for employers

& employees, human betterment & social justice

2.2 Managerial Levels

The term “Levels of Management’ refers to a boundary between various

managerial positions in an organization The number of management levels depends on

the size of business and work force in direct proportion The levels of management can be

classified in three broad categories as top level (or administrative level), middle level (or

executor) and low level (or supervisory/operative/first-line managers) The managers at

each level have various roles as discussed below

Figure 1: Management Levels

(Source: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/management_objectives.htm) 2.2.1 Top Level of Management

Top managers are those at the top levels of management hierarchy with highest

authority and ultimate responsibility to the whole organization They are also responsible

for making organization-wide decisions and establishing plans and goals with impacts on

the whole organization

The top management has such roles as setting objectives and broad policies,

giving necessary instructions for preparation of department budgets, procedures,

schedules, strategic plans & policies

2.2.2 Middle Level of Management

Middle managers who are beneath top-level of the hierarchy and directly

supervise their subordinate managers This includes all levels of management between

the first-line level and the top level of the organization These managers manage

assignments by first-line managers and are named with many titles such as department

head, project leader, plant managers, or division manager

Middle managers are mainly responsible for implementing overall organizational

plans to achieve organizational goals as expected They plan, allocate resources to meet

objectives and coordinate and link groups, departments, and divisions within a company

Besides, middle managers take charge of monitoring and managing performance of

subunits and individual managers who report to them Also, they are responsible for

implementing changes or strategies communicated by the top managers

These middle managers are also responsible for coordinating activities within

division or department, sending important reports and other important data to the top

level management, evaluating performance of junior managers Finally, they are

responsible for inspiring lower level managers to achieve better performance

2.2.3 Lower level of management

Lower manager are those with the least authority and at the lowest level in the

hierarchy of organization They manage works of non-managerial individuals who are

involved in production or creation of the organization’s products They’re often called

supervisors, or sometimes line managers, office managers, or even foremen

2.3 Managerial Skills

According to Robert L Katz (2000), managerial skills are the quality found in managers

Work needs of different organizations and businesses require different skills from

managers to handle business environment, helping businesses become successful in the

market Therefore, the managers are required to capture various specialized skills to work

with different people, and to deal with a lot of both general and specific problems

2.3.1 Conceptual skill

These skills relate to the ability to visualize the organization as a whole, discern

interrelationships among organizational parts, and understand how the organization fit

into the wider context of the industry, community, and the world With such skills, the

managers may see the organization as a whole, understand relationships among various

subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader environment

2.3.2 Human relation skills

These skills are essential because managers deal directly with people, and with

good human skills, they are able to get the best out of their people They know how to

communicate, motivate, lead, and inspire enthusiasm and trust These skills are equally

important at all levels

2.3.3 Technical skills

These are skills reflecting both understanding of and proficiency in a certain

specialized field, such as engineering, computers, accounting, or manufacturing At lower

levels of management, these skills become more important since these managers deal

directly with the organization’s personnel

Figure 2: Managerial Skills

(Source :

http://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2011/06/managerial-skills-conceptual-human.html)

The above picture shows managerial skills which are required to be captured by

managers working at different levels of management Those 3 managerial skills are

applied by different managers in which top-level managers need to have more conceptual

skills than technical skills This is because they have to think about the company future

and business life, including goals and objectives which are done by their employees with

their support For middle managers, they focus more in interpersonal skills because they

have to meet many people And finally, the lower managers need technical skills in their

job because they have to deal with small activities, leading to achieve the organization’s

goals and objectives

2.4 The Concepts of Competencies

Table 1: Concepts of Competencies

Competencies are measurable human capabilities that are

required for effective work performance demands

Competencies are those characteristics- knowledge, skills,

Mindsets, thought patterns, and the like-that, when used

either singularly or in various combinations, result in

successful Performance

A specific, identifiable, definable, and measurable

knowledge, skill, ability and/or other deployment-related

characteristic (e.g attitude, behavior, physical ability)

which a human resource may possess and which is

necessary for, or material to, the performance of an Activity

within a specific business context

Boyatzis described competencies as underlying

characteristics of an individual, which are, causally (change

in one variable cause change in another) related to effective

job performance

Competency as performance standards, the ability to

perform in work roles or jobs to the standard required in

employment

“Competencies” are the knowledge, skills, abilities and

behaviors that an employee applies in performing his/her

work and that are the key employee-related levers for

achieving results that are relevant to the organization’s

business strategies

LeBoterf says that competencies are not themselves

resources in the sense of knowing how to act, knowing how

to do, or attitudes, but they mobilize, integrate and

orchestrate such resources This mobilization is only

pertinent in one situation, and each situation is unique,

although it could be approached as an analogy to other

situations that are already known

Competencies are defined as “the skills, knowledge,

abilities and other characteristics that someone needs to

perform a job effectively”

A competency is a set of characteristics, including skills,

knowledge and attributes, that causes or forecasts

performance

Competency is considered as a measurable characteristic of

a person that is related to effective performance in a specific

job, organization, or culture

People Soft A set of measurable and observable knowledge, skills and

behaviors that contribute to success in a job/position

(Source: Fortis Draganidis ang Gregoris Mentzas(2006), Current definitions of the competency concept, Information Management & Computer Security, p 5)

Compliant with Schroder (1989) and Vincent (1988), there are three broad

domains of managerial competence appear to emerge: Firstly, the competency to manage

the task; secondly, the competency to manage people and thirdly, the competency to

manage the “self”

Authors such as Adler (1994), Analoui (1995), Kakabadse et al., (1987),

Labbaf et al., (1996), Livingstone, (1977), Margerison (1984b), and Stewart (1987)

indicated that managers require competencies for managing themselves, competencies

to manage other people and competencies to manage the task

Go along with perspective of Galanou Ekaterini in the research “ A qualitative

approach to middle managers’s competences” , in which show that manager’s

competences include five main clusters , these are: competences orienttated to

management effectiveness; compentences orientated to integrity; compenetences

orientated to personal effectiveness; competences orientated to people; and compenteces

orientated to speacialized knowledge All five sets of competences are therefore basic

tools in any middle manager’s repertoire and seem to be fundamental aspects of good

pratice for researcher’s aim

Table 2: Key competencies for management

Katz

( 1974)

Mintzberg (1980)

Williamson (1981) Peter (1984) Bennis &

Nanus (1985)

Schein (1987)

Stewart (1987) Hofmeyer

(1990)

Human skill Interpersonal

role

Interpersonal leadership

Interpersonal skills

Management of trust

Interpersonal skills

Managing other people

People skills Interpersonal skills Conceptual skills Information role Management

control

Intellectual skills

Management of meaning

Analytical skills

Managing business

Analytical skills Financial management skills Business values Management of

self

Managing yourself Decisional role Drive

Decision-making

skills Work values

Management of attention

Mc Dermott (1995)

Analoui (1995)

Education Review Office (1995)

Cockerill, Hunt &

Schroder (2000)

Profiles International Inc (2000)

people

Interpersonal relationships Adaptability

Inspirational Relationships &

Thinking Achieving

Task management &

production

Managing work

Business Awareness

Personal development

Table 2 showed that key competencies for management include many skills ,

corresponding to different studies by different authors According to Kartz (2000), key

competencies for management include such 3 basic skills as human skill, conceptual skill

and technical skill Subsequent authors also agreed that human skill is one of core skills

for managers Although the name varies such as interpersonal skills (Minzberg, 1980;

Peter, 1984; etc.), managing other people (Stewart, 1987; Analoui, 1995;), teambuilding

skills (Mann & Staudenmier, 1991), relationship & adaptability (Profiles International

Inc., 2000), it involves skills related to people and team This is similar to conceptual

skills, or intellectual skills ( Peter , 1984 ), result-oriented intellectual (Education Review

Office, 1995 ), analytical skills, thinking achieving (Schein , 1987 and Cockerill , Hunt &

chroder , 2000), and finally technical skill, or administrative skills , work value, etc of

Petre , 18984 or Williamson, etc

In summary, although the authors have used different names for skills, the core

issue of management competencies needed for managers always revolves around basic

skills including human skill, conceptual skill and technical skill These skills have

changed along with the development of management science and different studies have

different approaches

However, to choose the most common aspect for studying this topic, the author

have used a skill set of Self-management, work management, team management and

collaborative management generated by Hay Group, 2001 The reason that the author has

chosen this skill because it also contains 3 core skills according to Kartz and the authors

mentioned above; however, these 4 skills grow under thinking levels of each individual

Actually, to achieve good work management, everyone must be good at

self-management, being aware of personal goals, initiating strengths, limiting weaknesses,

integrating with the organization where the individual has chosen to attach to, called the

first level The second level is work management, i.e managing execution of work in

accordance with objectives and risk control, etc The 3rd level is team management, i.e

cohesion of team members, directing the team towards the common goal Finally, the 4th

level is collaborative management None better than one, the mid-level managers always

need this skill because they cannot work locally or just do a good job with their team

They must also strengthen good horizontal and vertical relationships in the unit to ensure

that the work runs towards destination in the most effective way

HAY GROUP PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGEMENT COMPETENCY MODEL

Hay Group model based on the theory of human resource management and highly

practical, concise but descriptive model full picture of modern governance The model is

widely used in the management, can help managers identify the skills needed in the

management and operation of your business, to identify strengths and weaknesses in

order to plans to develop and accumulate in the course of work

The Manager Competency Model includes components as noted below

First, it is self-management This refers to empathy, recognition and responses

to others’ feelings and concerns In particular, it shows your ability to recognize others’

emotions, understand their feelings and what people mean, and knowing underlying

reasons for behaviors

It is also self-control, this means recognition and control of one’s emotions and

strong feelings under stress or when provoked In particular, it includes such skills as

holding back, responding calmly, responding constructively and calming others

Then it is self-confidence This means one possesses confidence in his ability to

meet challenges and make the right decisions In particular, this refers to independent

action, confidence in his own ability, taking on challenges & standing firm

Second, it is work management This has many features First, it is oriented to

results In particular, focuses on performance improvement, goal-reaching, and bringing

about results Also, work management refers to performance tracking, work-process

improvement, setting measurable, challenging goals and making cost/benefit analysis

Second, it refers to initiatives, i.e ability to see opportunities and acts on them This

includes taking action, acting decisively, being proactive and taking a long-term view

Finally, it refers to problem solving, including objectively identifying problems,

recognizing patterns, analyzing and testing alternative solutions to achieve the best

outcomes and creating solutions

Third, it’s team management which consists of the 3 following parts First, it

refers to developing others, i.e helping others increase their capabilities, maximizing

their potentials, or recognizing options, expressing positive expectations, giving

directions or making helpful suggestions, developing people by providing specific

feedbacks and coaching, Second, it refers to holding people accountable, provides task

focus and directions and ensuring that others understand performance standards In

particular, this means providing task clarity, setting limits, boundaries and standards for

high performance, and taking corrective measures to ensure compliance Third, and

lastly, it is team leadership This means creating environment in which people can work

together to meet organizational objectives, i.e keeping them informed, promoting team

effectiveness, motivating and energizing the team, and aligning the team with the

organization

And finally, it is collaborative management This consists of influencing others

and fostering teamwork Influencing others refers to persuading, convincing, or

influencing others to change their viewpoint or accept desired course of action This is

done by using direct persuasion, considering impacts of actions or words and using

complex influence strategies Fostering teamwork refers to promoting cooperation and

collaboration between individuals and groups, having positive expectations, encouraging

others, valuing others’ inputs and expertise, and promoting the team within the

organization

2.4 Personal work effectiveness

What is personal effectiveness? This means people can achieve their goals

effectively, like investment, getting the best possible return Personal effectiveness is thus

more than just people get what they want Actually, they have two qualities: making good

use of resources and being skilled at achieving goals

In fact, people are personally effective in different ways because goals, values and

priorities vary for everyone

How about Personal Effectiveness at work? Some outcomes can offer basis for

need theories such as getting work done to high quality standards, taking care of family,

career advancement, influencing people, making and keeping new friends, earning a lot

of money, getting respect from leaders and colleagues; becoming an expert in their field,

and improving self-esteem, assertiveness, influencing skills, communication skills, etc

People always want to get the best return on their resources It is more than a

matter of taking whatever steps fit their style to help them can make the best use of their

talents, energy and time Also, personally work effectiveness might be successful in the

eyes of the subordinator - for some it means having a satisfying personal life, for others it

is some form of career success driving them The only right answer is the one that makes

them happy

People are personally effective is also achieving success, that means different

things to different people Some want wealth; others want to be the best in their field

Some people simply want to be happy Happiness is greater if we feel that we are

honestly be worthy of our success, meaning that we worked hard and overcame

significant obstacles to get where we are Getting something for nothing is not a great

recipe for self-respect

Values of personal work effectiveness include integrity, autonomy, achievement,

work-life balance, job security, and service to community, helping others, doing

meaningful work, relationships, happy family life, personal growth, learning, variety and

excitement, free time for personal interests, financial success, travel and time with

friends

2.5 Result of Empirical Research

There are some findings of the previous studies concern with the management

competences and effectiveness

Donna C

Chan (2005)

Core competencies and performance management in Canadian public libraries

Core competencies in performance needed by libraries included soft skill and hard skills

Approach: A survey of 59 public libraries serving populations greater than 50,000 was undertaken A total

of six libraries reported using core competency frameworks for

performance management purposes

Managers responsible for human resource functions were

interviewed about the process of developing the competencies and the ways in which the competencies are used in their library systems

The soft skills are such as communication, interpersonal skills and leadership; the hard skills are technology competence The use of core competencies help managers in recruitment and selection staff who are already demonstrate the competencies, to base work expectation on the competencies, and to prioritize training needs according o the competencies

management job effectiveness;

integrity; personal effectiveness;

people; knowledge

Qualitative research determined

managerial competences and effectiveness and satisfaction

Ans De Vos,

Koen

A study on the interaction between

Both organization and individual career management initiatives are

as well as their career progress

2.6 Focus of the study

Middle managers have always played a critical role in organizations Mid- and

first-level managers are keys in guiding and directing front-line workers to success The

world of work has changed radically in many organizations over years, so increasing

focus on the customer, rapid response problems and opportunities play an important role

in business The middle Managers used to focus on solving problems that occurred within

their organization; increasingly, they solve problems that involve a number of

organizational entities or that cut across the entire enterprise To do this, they must

manage laterally and up as well as down, and it is sure that the set of management

competence must be appreciated in any organization, and the success and effectiveness of

the enterprise depend on personal work effectiveness of every employee and manager

Base on the theory of management and need which are collected above, the author

would like to suggest the research model which shows the influence management

competence (self-management, Team management, work management; collaboratively

management) on personal work effectiveness

However, the notion that different levels of management require different set of

management competence, or different emphasis on, specific competencies emerges as

clearly

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter will present detailed idea about the research will be conducted This

includes the process of the research, sample selection methods, data collection methods

and data analysis methods At the end of this methodology part validity and reliability

issues will be discussed to follow the quality standards of the research

3.1 Research approach:

This study applies Quantitative approach as the major method to collect and

process data via SPSS software, and then qualitative method is also used to analyze

research findings out influence of management competencies (including set of skills:

Managing Self, Managing Work, Managing Team and Managing Collaboratively) on

Personal Work Effectiveness, which may support and make Quantitative approach more

reasonable

3.2 Research Process

Figure 3: Research Process

This study was conducted through the following steps The idea arose from the

problem in the reality that motivated researcher to do this research In the second step, the

research objectives were clearly identified as the critical orientation so that study was

conducted in the right way The next important step was to construct the questionnaire

that was the important measurement for collect the data Once the questionnaire was fully

constructed, researcher carried out data collecting process Researcher paid high priority

on this step because it’s the core component of the study that without data collected, no

result of the study was founded After the collected questionnaires satisfied the

requirement, researcher applied suitable statistic techniques to analyze the data to come

up with the study findings Base on the finding, researcher presented the conclusion

provided recommendation for training program and future studies

3.3 Research Model

Figure 4: Research Model

3.4 Hypotheses

Based on the above literature, hypotheses are shown as following:

H1.There is a significant influence of managing self on personal work

According to hypotheses, the research model is formulated It is the model to

analysis and find-out factors (management competence) effecting on personal work

effectiveness (Figure 4) This model is used as a basis for this study

3.5 Sample selection methods

3.5.1 Sample size

The sample size depends on method of analysis This research uses Exploratory

Factor Analysis (EFA) Factor analysis should have a sample size of at least 200 cases

(Gorsuch, 1983), while according to Hachter (1994), the sample size should be at least 5

times of observed variables (Hair & ctg, 1998) Under other rules and experience in

determining the sample size for EFA, the number of observations (sample size) must

usually be at least 4 or 5 times of number of variables in the factor analysis (Hoang

Trong and Chu Nguyen Mong Ngoc - research data analysis with SPSS, Statistical

Publishing House, 2005) Also, according to Tabachnick & Fidell (1991), for the best

results of regression analysis, the sample size must satisfy the formula n ≥ 8m + 50

Base on above formula, my questionnaire have total 27 questions

 N ≥ 8*27 + 50 ≥ 266 (Respondents)

 The author will be collected above 266 respondents

The sampling to conduct questionnaires to four management skills as follows:

Managing self; managing team; managing work and management collaboratively, and

then the author implements survey at agriculture enterprises operating under Ministry of

Agriculture

Then a sample size of 305 managers who are working in the organizations (state

own enterprises) that working under Ministry of Agriculture and sent to the managers

directly

3.5.2 Data collection method

Quantitative method is applied in this study To perform survey research, the

study used two main sources of data: secondary and primary

3.5.2.1 Primary Data

This source includes two types: interviews and questionnaires

3.5.2.2 Secondary data

Secondary data will be the basis for finding the theoretical model related to thesis

objective Therefore, it will enables to assist in how to approach the primary research and

the composition, content and conduction of the questionnaires as well as identify the

particular variables of interest for further investigation

Secondary data can collect from main sources, such as:

- Government Documents: Report, Decision or official statistic document of

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

- Scholarly Journals involved managerial competency and performance

- Review Articles that is relative research objective

- Reference Books: Managing people, Leadership, Human Resource

Management, etc

-The World Wide Web: Haygroup.com, Baonongnghiep.com , etc

3.6 Respondents selection methods

Research data has been taken at College of Management for Agriculture and

Rural Development No 2 (CMARD2) Based on the list and curriculum vitae of students,

the author have selected mid-level managers appropriate for the study, and then sent

questionnaire to them in person, by mail and email to collect data for the study In

general, survey results taken from the students who have been learning courses of

management competencies improvement satisfied the author’s desire and intent The

students responded enthusiastically, responsibly and dedicatedly to my study However,

this is also a major limitation if the students do not respond properly to their true

competencies Screening questionnaires in doubt, the author expect to minimize

somewhat unexpected results

During the implementation of this study, to determine whether the respondents are

mid-level manager or not, the author reviewed the role of businesses and managers, and

identify who they are and what their roles are in the business

In fact, for Vietnam National Coffee Corporation, Vietnam Rubber Group,

Vietnam Food Company and Vietnam Tea Ltd Company, their subsidiaries are operating