Impacts of teachers’ competency on job performance in research universities with industry characteristics: taking academic atmosphere as moderator

Purpose: Research universities with industry characteristics play an irreplaceable role in
national economic development and social development. With the rapid development of
research universities with industry characteristics in China, these universities face new
challenges in managing teachers and promoting their quality. This paper aims to examine the
impact of teachers’ competency on job performance in research universities with industry
characteristics
Design/methodology/approach: Based on the behavioral event interview and questionnaire
methods, a four-dimension (i.e. basic quality, teaching ability, industry awareness and research
capacity) competency model was proposed, the influence mechanism of competency on job
performance was examined using empirical research.
Findings: We found that there exists a significant positive correlation between the teachers’
competency level, four dimensions and job performance in research universities with industry
characteristics, especially between research capacity, teaching ability, industry awareness and job
performance. And academic atmosphere plays a regulatory role in the interaction between the
competency and job performance. Practical implications: Our findings can help to improve the management level of teachers in
research universities with industry characteristics.
Originality/value: The paper introduces the competency theory to the teacher management in
research universities with industry characteristics, and gives some interesting findings.