Mind the gap: manager self-perception and employee expectations of selected leadership dimensions

Jana Pechová (), Hana Volfová () and Anežka Jírová ()
Additional contact information
Jana Pechová: ŠKODA AUTO University, Czech Republic
Hana Volfová: ŠKODA AUTO University, Czech Republic
Anežka Jírová: ŠKODA AUTO University, Czech Republic

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 2025, vol. 13, issue 1, 14-33

Abstract: This study examines the discrepancies between managers' self-perception and their employees' expectations regarding key managerial competencies. The primary aim of the research is to identify whether a perception gap exists and, if so, to quantify and interpret the extent of this gap both statistically and practically. Based on a two-stage analysis involving descriptive statistics, t-tests, and effect size estimation (Cohen's d), the study highlights specific competencies and clusters where the divergence is most pronounced. Findings reveal managers' consistent underestimation of critical competencies, particularly in psychological resilience, decision-making under pressure, and crisis management. Conversely, interpersonal communication and career experience showed a relatively high alignment between managers and employees. The results provide valuable insights for targeted leadership development, emphasising the need to strengthen competencies that are critical for effective management in a dynamic organisational environment. The study also lays the groundwork for a subsequent analysis aimed at constructing a profile of the ideal manager based on employee preferences for demographic, cultural, and behavioural attributes.

Keywords: managerial competencies; self-perception; employee expectations; leadership development; perception gap; human resource management; organizational behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M12 M54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://jssidoi.org/jesi/uploads/articles/49/Pecho ... rship_dimensions.pdf (application/pdf)
https://jssidoi.org/jesi/article/1326 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ssi:jouesi:v:13:y:2025:i:1:p:14-33

DOI: 10.9770/x9679574883

Access Statistics for this article

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is currently edited by Manuela Tvaronaviciene

More articles in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues from VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Manuela Tvaronaviciene ().