Competencies of Managers of Deep Organizational Changes

Purpose: The main purpose of the article was to present the results of research on the competencies of transition managers (TMs) in the process of creating shared service centers (SSC). Design/Methodology/Approach: The first stage of the research was literature review. Then, an analysis of the data collected in the previous study was performed, special focus was on data on deep lesions. The obtained results were confronted with the opinions of TMs. These opinions were collected using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) and in-depth interviews. Findings: Based on the theoretical analysis, a definition of transition was developed and classified into the thematic group of management sciences dealing with project management and change management. It was not found necessary to separate the "transition manager" as a new profession. However, differences between the scope of competences of the project manager and the TMs were noticed, especially in the field of substantive knowledge of the processes taken over. It is also important to list the components of the competence referred to as "leadership", important in the transition process, namely, solution-oriented attitude, ability to cope with stress, the ability to flexibly operate under various conditions, accurate prediction of problems that may occur during the implementation of changes, mental resilience, building positive cooperation within the team. Originality/Value: The subject of research is very interesting, namely the growing professional group of transition managers. If their distinctiveness in terms of competencies is noticed, and they will be properly lead through the development path, these people may be a key resource of global enterprises reporting a constant need for specialists in change management, multiculturalism and projects. Practical implications: The conclusions formulated in the article can therefore improve the management of competencies of TMs, facilitate the development of competency profiles for the recruitment and selection of project team members, or the creation of training strategies for project managers to prevent professional burnout.