Aligning Efficacy Beliefs and Competence: A Framework for Developing Technical Knowledge

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Introduction Managers operating within today's organizations are under the constant pressure of change that results in continuous career challenges. Some of these challenges may be familiar and managers can call upon their past experiences to question, analyze, and address the situation. These challenges will be accepted as opportunities if the situation can be overcome by the managers' robust belief in their ability to acquire and to apply knowledge (Davenport, 2005), to use that knowledge to transform the challenge into innovation and value for themselves and their organizations (Miller, Fern, & Cardinal, 2007), and to add the educational experiences into their concepts of competence (Hogan & Warrenfeltz, 2003). Other challenges, however, may be first encounters of the unfamiliar and unwanted kind, often involving specific areas of expertise or tasks that a given manager has affirmatively avoided throughout his or her career. Such challenges may be more comprehensive in nature than previously encountered and emanate from global competition or from limited natural, capital, or human resources (Ireland & Hitt, 2005). These challenges are often founded on continuous changes within the world's economies and technologies, and individual managers can feel caught up in forces over which they have no control or influence. While it is true that these individuals may have little practical impact on the underlying economic issues, it is very possible for them to be called upon to address the technical elements of such issues, especially if the individual possesses subject matter expertise or specific knowledge about the challenge at hand. Therefore, the question is, where does a manager begin to develop and establish the kind of technical competencies that would aid in addressing the underlying issues of unfamiliar or potentially overwhelming challenges? The answer does not always lie in possessing, developing, or acquiring specific technical expertise in response to changes or challenges, but rather in possessing or developing basic technical competencies to begin breaking down the situation into events, units, or chunks of which can be referenced, analogized, or investigated towards a resolution. In this paper, the authors present a simple technology competency model, called OTIS, that sets forth questions to ask and areas to assess when faced with new or recurring technical challenges. The name is an acronym because the model presents an iterative process for assessing the Objectives, Technology, Implementation, and Support of the challenge to be addressed, as illustrated in Figure 1. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Developing a basic familiarity and eventual understanding of these key technical concepts can expand core competencies, as well as enhance career opportunities and establish credibility among peers (Hogan & Warrenfeltz, 2003). The OTIS technical competency model can solidify managers' confidence in their ability to analyze and discuss technical issues within the framework of their professional expertise. For example, a human resources manager should be able to assess the functionality of a human resources information system (HRIS), while a purchasing manager should be able to define workflows and reporting needs for a requisitioning and procurement application. Approach The OTIS model is a starting point to help non-technical managers assess situations involving technology by understanding and relating four basic business concepts to the problems under review. The OTIS model is not intended to replace more sophisticated processes of technical analysis or management controls, such as project management or quality assurance methodologies. Instead, once managers become proficient with the OTIS model, they can extend their education and enhance their competencies by seeking out more sophisticated and comprehensive management methodologies. …