Managers from heaven: how do hospitality employees describe good managers?

Purpose>The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the characteristics of good hospitality managers and the core causes that lead to developing such characteristics.Design/methodology/approach>Using a qualitative inquiry approach, 93 line-level hospitality employees were surveyed online regarding their experiences about the characteristics of good managers.Findings>The research findings revealed five key themes of good managerial characteristics, including interpersonal skills, communication skills, supervisory skills, leadership skills, and positive personality and professionalism. Additionally, the root causes of these managerial characteristics were also analyzed. The good managerial characteristics were perceived to have developed from having worked under either a great manager or a terrible manager.Research limitations/implications>This study advanced the literature on managerial characteristics by confirming several existing categories from the viewpoint of hospitality industry employees.Practical implications>Human resource managers should be considerate of these findings in terms of recruitment, hiring, and training, development, and promotion of employees in their companies.Originality/value>This is one of the first studies to analyze the perceived reasons behind the development of these characteristics.