Competences Found Important for Knowledge Sharing : Investigation of Middle Managers Working at Medium- and Large-Sized Enterprises

Knowledge appears as an irreplaceable capital of organizations since nowadays it has become an increasingly important factor of organizational competitiveness. The way knowledge is shared within the organization is essential and central not only to the success of the organization where it takes place but also among those employees who share it, since those who take part in the knowledge sharing process also benefit from it. Knowledge cannot be shared efficiently without having the adequate competences. Thus, it is also important to be aware of those competences that are necessary for knowledge sharing. Furthermore being aware of the important position of middle managers (managers working under top managers) within the organization and their role in the process of knowledge sharing, this paper focuses on the competences these middle managers in Hungary find important for knowledge sharing. Since no scientific research has been carried out, especially in Hungary, measuring the competences that middle managers find important for knowledge sharing, this paper presents a measure with which the competence groups found important for knowledge sharing by Hungarian middle managers working at mediumand large-sized enterprises can be determined. A survey involving 400 middle managers working at medium- and large-sized enterprises in Hungary was conducted with the help of a questionnaire. The answers have been analyzed using principal component analysis, and seven different components regarding competence groups found important for knowledge sharing have been identified. As the result of the survey it is possible to define which competence groups and competences are important for knowledge sharing by middle managers