Refrain the Competency Debate

Abstract

This paper offers a basis for examining the boundaries which presently constrain discussions about managerial competences. It is suggested that a fruitful way of refraining the current debate about the usefulness of competences for managerial effectiveness is to separate the notions of competence and meta-competence. A distinction is made between managerial processes which are competence-based-skills based on knowledge, and those which are based on meta-competences-the higher order abilities which have to do with being able to learn, adapt, anticipate and create. The paper connects knowledge with the concept of meta-competences, and suggests that metacompetences are a prerequisite for the development of managerial capacities such as judgement, intuition and acumen, as well as the capacity to undertake managerial tasks successfully.