A comparative study of management competencies in Taiwan and the UK

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether behavioural event interviews (BEI) can be employed across cultures and identify any cultural or contextual issues that arise across samples of Taiwanese and UK middle managers.

Design/methodology/approach - In this exploratory study, 18 middle managers from the same organisation were interviewed using the BEI approach to determine variance in competencies and the effectiveness of the BEI approach in different cultures.

Findings - Some common contextual characteristics were found. There was also cultural variance with Taiwanese managers more likely to display some competencies and UK managers more likely to demonstrate others. However, there are also implications for the use of BEI across cultures, most notably it does not necessarily detect all the nuances of specific cultures.

Research limitations/implications - Universal competencies and cultural differences are identified but there are contextual issues that are hard to eliminate from research.

Practical implications - HR managers may use the paper’s insights to explore their own use of behaviourally based interview techniques across cultures.

Originality/value - The research identifies universal competencies and cultural differences and will be useful to practitioners who may want to employ universal competency frameworks as well as affording a useful insight into the effectiveness of BEI.