Knowledge Management and Employee General Competencies in Accounting Firms

This paper aims to shed light upon the impact of knowledge management on employee general competencies in accounting firm services (accounting offices). In this study, general competencies consist of abilities regarding (a) communication and teamwork, (b) problem solving and prioritizing, (c) time management and creativity, (d) interpersonal relations, (e) knowledge acquisition and application, and (f) risk taking and challenging. Knowledge management is primarily regarded the knowledge sharing culture, which consists of values about communication and information exchange, human relations, group decision-making and knowledge diffusion. The stimuli of this research can be traced on the empirical inconclusiveness in the existing literature investigating individual competencies and knowledge management mechanisms, as well as their association. The empirical findings from a survey of 141 employees in accounting offices in Central Greece confirm that all types of general competencies are significantly associated with knowledge sharing culture. As a consequence, management may invest on training in order to develop general competencies, which in turn, will boost knowledge sharing. Thus, accounting services firms may build a sustainable competitive advantage on knowledge management.