Competency gap assessment for operations managers: A case study of a large Australian logistics firm

Purpose - The objective of this study is to assess the competency gap of operations managers of a large logistics firm in Australia and to identify areas for improvement. Design/methodology/approach - A survey instrument with four functional and eight fixed competencies was used to collect data. A factor analysis of the collected data produced four functional and six fixed competencies. Paired t-test was performed to assess the significance of difference between importance and current competency. The items/tasks of the derived competencies were then subjected to importance-competence matrix (ICM) analysis. Findings - The top three competencies assessed by the operations managers are integrity, delighting customers, and managing results. The difference between importance and current competency level for all competency items were found to be significant at p < 0.01 and p < 0.05. ICM analysis shows that within the functional competency cluster four task-related competencies required to be further developed, whereas, within the fixed competency cluster seven task-related competencies needs to be developed.