**5. Competency-based learning**

#### **5.1 Methodological context**

In order to present the managerial competencies acquired with the use of simulators, a research—quantitative and correlational—was conducted and had the response of 290 Business Administration undergraduates to analyze their perception on the development of individual and group managerial competencies with the use of simulators and the importance of these tools as STEM methodologies in the teachinglearning process. This research is based on a study conducted in 2018 where they asked what these competencies were and from that space to determine if the simulator favors individual and/or group competencies for professional performance.

The participants were university students from the Business Administration program (*N* = 2700 approximately), of which 91% were employed in the disciplinary field at the time of the measurement (March–April 2023). The sample was calculated by finite sampling with a 95% confidence level and a 5.5% error and was composed of 290 professionals with a gender distribution of 66% women and 34% men; this was generated because in the socioeconomic sciences, the enrollment in women is higher than that of men. 52% are "between 18 and 25 years old," 41% are "between 26 and 35 years old," and 7% are older than 36.

Data collection was carried out with an instrument composed of four dimensions related to the students' perception of the acquisition of managerial competencies with the use of the management simulator. The variables were measured with Likert-type questions from 1 to 4 in order of importance (1 = none; 2 = somewhat; 3 = quite a lot; 4 = a lot). The dimensions addressed were generic competencies considering the capacities and skills developed and disciplinary competencies between the individual and group.

The capacities were measured through: (1) analysis and synthesis of results; (2) adaptation to change; (3) analysis of quantitative information; (4) critical

reading; (5) comprehensive handling of English; (6) identification, approach, and resolution of problems; (7) application of knowledge in practice; (8) group work; (9) creativity for problem solving; (10) organization and time planning. And the skills considered: (11) use of IT and office automation; (12) search and analysis of information; (13) independent work; (14) oral and written communication; (15) commitment and responsibility to society; (16) conservation and preservation of the environment; (17) leadership in processes; (18) problem solving; (19) ethics, commitment, honesty, and integrity; and (20) interpersonal skills.

Individual managerial competencies addressed: (21) decision-making under pressure; (22) strategy selection and implementation; (23) acquiring the managerial role; (24) positioning oneself at the top; (25) autonomous learning; (26) teamwork; (27) leadership; (28) knowledge application; (29) financial analysis; and (30) management scenario planning. Meanwhile, the group managerial competencies addressed: (31) participation in the process; (32) analysis of administrative scenarios; (33) creation of relationships with the team; (34) creation of competitive teams; (35) communication to analyze results; (36) search for efficiency; (37) collaborative learning; (38) knowledge of competitors; (39) leadership in processes; and (40) leadership in the distribution of roles.

The instrument was validated with Cronbach's alpha statistic with a result of 0.87, which indicates internal consistency of the dimensions and reliability in its use [34]. Additionally, with the factor analysis, the relationship between each component was measured, determining the composition of each dimension, as follows: abilities (KMO = 0.919; Chi-square 2229.928 with 28 degrees of freedom; VE = 73.8%), skills (KMO = 0.935; Chi-square 2530.293 with 28 degrees of freedom; VE = 77.2%), individual disciplinary competencies (KMO = 0.924; Chi-square 3674.035 with 36 degrees of freedom; VE = 81.1%), and group disciplinary competencies (KMO = 0.942; Chi-square 4016.266 with 45 degrees of freedom; VE = 80.1%). Subsequently, the instrument was sent to university students, who answered the form voluntarily to determine their perception of the development of their managerial competencies with the use of simulators in the month of March–April 2023. The data analysis used descriptive statistical techniques, and the ANOVA technique was used to determine the difference according to gender; the calculations were made in the R software.

### **5.2 Capacities and skills of business managers**

To maximize the advantages of the simulator, it is necessary for university students to improve their transversal competencies, classified between abilities to perform an administrative function and abilities to perform in a social environment. In this sense, **Table 1** shows the capabilities of business managers. In the level of great importance, 50% think that the most relevant ability is the analysis of quantitative information, 47.9% creativity for problem solving, 44.5% organization and time planning, 44.1% analysis and synthesis of results, 41.4% application of knowledge in practice, and 40.3% critical reading.

The skills allow a university student to develop in academic and social environments to solve situations in any area and favor integration with the use of technology. They are transversal because they are developed in the educational environment, and the integration with the skills to form a professional unites the "knowing" with the "doing" and later in the competencies with the "being." Precisely, the skills that university students stated as the most important to improve their performance in the

*Educational Innovation in Higher Education with the Use of Management Simulators… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112771*


#### **Table 1.**

*Business managers' capabilities.*

simulator and that are observed in **Table 2** are: oral and written communication by 49.7%, interpersonal skills by 46.9%, and problem solving by 44.5%.

#### **5.3 Individual and group management competencies of business managers**

Simulators are powerful tools for management competency training. In a study by Guzmán Duque and del Moral Pérez [7], management skills and competencies perceived by students were measured as shown in **Figure 4**. In addition to the above, there is research that has measured the competencies of university students, where the development of interpersonal skills [29, 33] negotiation skills [32], improvement of professional performance and financial analysis in the management of the company to achieve results [24], and improvement in their graduation profiles [7] were detected.

It is observed that the simulators allow the university student to apply his knowledge, and when he assumes the managerial role, he is involved in the decision-making process to manage his simulated company, seeking results to be competitive in the market. The above shows the importance of the managerial competencies that are promoted in these academic spaces for university students, preparing them for their working life and allowing them to develop skills and abilities that strengthen their personality in the role that corresponds to them. The importance of training by


#### **Table 2.**

*Skills of the business administrator.*

#### **Figure 4.**

*Skills and competencies of business managers using management simulators.*
