The World Economic Forum (WEF) found that Botswana's information and communication technology (ICT) networked readiness index (NRI) had declined from position 89 in 2012 to 104 in 2015. A decline in Botswana's ICT NRI resulted in a modest gross domestic product (GDP) growth increasing from 4.2% in 2012 to 5.0% in 2015. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies ICT service provider managers use to build employee competencies to address ICT infrastructure performance deficiencies. The target population for this study consisted of over 120 managers from 2 ICT service providers located in Gaborone and Francistown in Botswana. The conceptual framework for this study was information technology (IT) competency model. Face-to-face interviews with 15 managers and a review of 12 company documents were gathered and all interpretations from the data were subjected to member checking to ensure the trustworthiness of the study findings. The thematic analyses of participants' interviews and company documents resulted in the emergence of 3 common themes: developing professional employee competencies through training, promoting knowledge acquisition and skills transfer, and developing budgets for funding the development of employee competencies. Participants cited training and professional development as a reason for ICT infrastructure performance deficiencies. Social implications from this study include developing strategies business managers can use to build employee competencies to improve ICT infrastructure performance, which could result in improved services to citizens and enhanced national development, social transformation, and economic diversification.

The environment and rapid technological changes have led to a change in business management. In the current context, absorptive capacity, understood as the ability to acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit external knowledge is crucial to innovation capacity, and to the development and sustainability of competitive advantage. This research analyzes how management of technological assets; top management support on technology; technological skills; and technological distinctive competencies are positively related to absorptive capacity; and how they affect organizational performance. / El entorno y los rápidos cambios tecnológicos han provocado un cambio en la gestión empresarial. En el contexto actual, la capacidad de absorción, entendida como la habilidad para adquirir, asimilar, transformar y explotar el conocimientoexterno es crucial para la capacidad de innovación, y el desarrollo y sustento de ventajas competitivas. Esta investigación analiza cómo la gestión de las variables tecnológicas, el apoyo de la dirección a la tecnología, habilidades tecnológicas y competencias distintivas tecnológicas se relacionan positivamente con la capacidad de absorción, y cómo estas influyen en el desempeño organizativo. / O atual ambiente e as rápidas mudanças tecnológicas levaram a uma mudança na gestão empresarial. No presente contexto, a capacidade de absorção, entendida como a capacidade de adquirir, assimilar, transformar e explorar o conhecimento externo é crucial para a capacidade de inovação e o desenvolvimento e sustentação da vantagem competitiva. Esta pesquisa analisa a forma como a gestão das variáveis tecnológicas, o apoio da alta administração na tecnologia, os conhecimentos tecnológicos e as competências distintivas tecnológicas estão positivamente relacionadas com a capacidade de absorção, e como elas influenciam o desempenho organizacional.