Leadership Styles in Software Organisations Operating in Bulgaria

Abstract

The present paper seeks to identify the leadership style in software organizations, operating in Bulgaria. The key objectives of the paper are to find the leadership behaviours which managers exhibit in their companies as well as to identify if there are any discrepancies between what managers think of themselves and what their subordinates think of them. Two questionnaires with Likert-style questions on leadership behaviour were utilized – one to measure self-rates of the managers and another to measure the rates which subordinates gave to their managers. The analysis found serious under-estimation on behalf of the managers of several leadership behaviours: Diplomatic, Patient, Calm and Autocratic. Also, statistically significant positive correlation was identified between several behaviours: Team Player on one side and Inspirational, Consultative and Planning on the other. Questions are raised whether Bulgarian managers are self-aware and manage to objectively rate their own behaviour. The research suggests that managers should exhibit more inspirational and visionary behaviour in order to close the gap with their subordinates.