The changing face of competencies for club managers

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to update previous studies conducted on important managerial competencies used by private club managers by examining the importance and frequency of use of management competencies applied to the private club industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 800 randomly selected private club managers was used for this study. The study included only active members of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA).

Findings

The results indicate a change in what club managers do between 2002 and today. Except the added competency domains, results are very similar to previous studies. Accounting and finance, human resources and food and beverage competencies remain highly important as well as the most frequently used. The overall importance rating of the leadership domain was categorized as an essential competency with a mean score over 4.50. The other competency domains/clusters overall ratings were categorized as considerably important managerial competencies with mean scores between 3.50 and 4.50.

Practical implications

This paper will help clubs provide appropriate training programs for management staff and also provide a basis for CMAA to develop new professional development programs that would meet manager needs for developing competencies needed for the future.

Originality/value

Managerial competencies are viewed as a snapshot in time in a sense that these studies must be updated over time to incorporate new roles and trends within the industry. The results of this study were compared to previous studies conducted on club manager competencies to see if important managerial competencies changed over time.

Citation

Paul Koenigsfeld, J., Perdue, J., Youn, H. and Woods, R.H. (2011), "The changing face of competencies for club managers", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 23 No. 7, pp. 902-922. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111167524