TY - JOUR TI - Researching professional competencies: a critical review of approaches, processing and interpretation of data T2 - Organizational Psychology IS - Organizational Psychology KW - research work (R&D) commercial companies KW - managers KW - experts KW - competencies KW - elections KW - efficiency KW - career KW - potential AB - Purpose: analysis of the methodological and organizational aspects of research work (R&D) in a modern organization on the example of studying the choice of competencies by experts (managers — leaders of the lower and middle management level). Methods: scientific literature analysis, empirical research, methodological reflection of the work experience, the results obtained, the possibilities of increasing their heuristic potential. Research base: large commercial companies (Ekaretinburg Sity); N = 103. Findings. "Reference" lists of competencies presented in foreign sources are not complete, complete, universal. Optimized lists of competencies (empirically identified on representative groups of Russian managers) are more adequate. In the optimized list of 29 competencies, three groups of qualities are distinguished (allocated at least 66%, 50%, 40-20% of experts and allocated only in isolated cases). Three groups of competencies differ in the frequency of their allocation by experts, in the tightness of interconnections and form three levels (or structure and substructures) in the general organization of competencies. The central level (or structure) can be distinguished as the "core", the other two as "shells". There is a pronounced preference in the assessments of competencies by representatives of different groups of experts. Conclusions. The working hypotheses were confirmed. 1. Research methods, revealed scientific facts, the described properties of psychological objects are in a relationship of mutual conditioning. The interdependence of the components of research and development determines not only the possibilities of scientific research, but also inevitable limitations (in the adequacy of the description of phenomena, the allocation of their properties, relations, the prospects for evolution, etc.). 2. Attention to artifacts allows us to highlight possible options for further options for the analysis of empirical data. 3. By expanding the options for analyzing arrays of empiricaldata, you can increase their heuristic value. It also summarizes: Field research is prone to blunders and systemic errors. Some of them can be corrected through modeling (using different variants of analysisof empirical databases). Examples of methods of increasing the potential of the collected data are given: 1) fixing the names of the subjects, their "coordinates"; 2) establishing constructive professional contacts with all participants in the process of collecting empirical material; 3) communicating the research results to all participants in the process of collecting material (in an adequate form) and requesting "feedback". AU - Vladimir Tolochek AU - Anna Mashkova UR - https://orgpsyjournal.hse.ru/en/2020-10-4/431800305.html PY - 2020 SP - 252-270 VL - 10