Revised competencies for private club managers

Purpose - This study was conducted with the aim of examining important and frequently used managerial competencies for private club managers. Sandwith's five-competency domain model was applied to private club managers who were members of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA). Design/methodology/approach - A total of 800 private club managers from throughout the USA were invited to participate in this study. Managers were randomly selected from the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) membership list. Findings - This study investigated managerial competencies for private club managers. A total of 28 competencies were classified as essential competencies, 120 were classified as considerably important competencies, and three were classified as moderately important competencies for private club managers. These were classified into five domains: the conceptual/creative domain, the leadership domain, the administrative domain, the interpersonal domain, and the technical domain. Leadership and interpersonal competencies were rated as the most important and the most frequently used managerial competencies. These results are consistent with previous research in other segments of the hospitality industry. Practical implications - This study provides club managers with information on which competencies are important and frequently used to manage private clubs. By measuring the importance of individual competencies, managers can show how critical they are within a particular profession. It is also important to see how often competencies are used in a particular job. The results of this study should help managers and educators identify a list of skills that should be developed in future private club managers through training programs and curriculum offerings. Originality/value - Previous studies on management competencies in the private club profession have only addressed managers' administrative and technical competencies. This is the only known study of its kind to examine Sandwith's conceptual-creative, interpersonal and leadership competency domains for private club managers.