The Competencies of Managers and Their Business Success

Abstract

The article aims to explain how general and specifi c managerial competencies relate to the business success of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). This study was conducted among 264 managers of SMEs. SME success was measured as a subjective assessment of economic growth indicators in comparison with competitors on the market. General and specifi c managerial competencies were signifi cant predictors of success in running a business. Specifi c managerial competencies proved to be a mediator between general competencies and SME success. This paper helps provide a better understanding of how individual differences – general and specifi c managerial competencies – infl uence entrepreneurial behavior and its outcomes.