Job Competencies for Malaysian Managers in Higher Education Institution

This paper discusses the development of core competencies required for managerial positions in higher learning institutions. Two sets of questionnaires (free-choice and forced-choice) based on competency profile that comprised 51 statements were used in this survey study. A total of 265 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents identified on the basis of purposive sampling. Analysis of findings from the survey suggested fourteen elements of core competencies identified as crucial and important for high job performance for managers. For the sake of strategic implementation, these list of competencies were clustered under the following headings: Management and Leadership Skills (4 elements); Personal Effectiveness (5 elements); Expertise and Professional Competence (5 elements). This paper also recommends that effective implementation should be followed with skills acquisition that can be in a variety of methods ranging from formal, such as training, workshops, computer-based learning, coaching and mentoring, to the informal. The informal ones can be acquired through daily job performance, experience, peer or superior mentoring. This study concludes that the practice of these competencies must be continuously reinforced in the day-to-day business process and performance management within the organization.