Gender, age and marital status as predictors of managerial competency needs : Empirical evidence from a Sri Lankan telecommunication service provider

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that predict competency needs of managers using quantitative methodology. Design/methodology/approach – For the study, 31 individual competencies were analysed. The study is confined to a fully integrated telecommunication service provider; 198 managerial employees participated in the survey. Findings – Marital status, age and gender have significant main effects in predicting competency needs. The results also revealed significant interaction effects among the variables of marital status and the number of subordinates, and marital status and gender in predicting competency needs. Originality/value – Though there is an enormous diversity in the scope of competency literature, a few empirical research studies have been conducted on the predictors of management competency requirements. Further, a limited number of competency studies have been conducted in Asia. Hence, empirical research studies are needed to fill this lacuna in literature.