Liderança intermédia no setor do café

: estudo de caso

Abstract

This case study aims to explore middle management leadership in one of the largest coffee sector companies in Portugal. The research was conducted by analyzing three middle managers in the Viseu region to understand their management practices, leadership styles, and the impact they have on their teams. Two data collection techniques were used: interviews with the leaders and questionnaires completed by their respective teams. The qualitative data from the interviews with the three leaders were analyzed using NVivo software, enabling an in-depth content analysis to identify patterns, key words, and categories. The quantitative data from the questionnaires applied to the three teams, totaling ten respondents, were processed using statistical software. The study revealed and provided valuable insights into the effectiveness and challenges faced by middle management, contributing to a broader understanding of their role in management, particularly in research contexts. The findings identified leadership styles as perceived by the leaders themselves and by their team members, which included transformational and transactional leadership. Specifically, in behavioral styles, democratic and autocratic styles were observed. It was also found that the perception of leadership style, combined with the respondents' personal and professional factors such as experience, age, and leadership tenure, remains relevant despite their similarities. This case study concluded that the leaders' self-perception aligns in most analyzed aspects with their team members' views, as well as with the competencies and responsibilities inherent to the role of middle management leaders.

Date of Award	20 Jan 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	António Mendes Ferreira (Supervisor) & Célia Ribeiro (Co-Supervisor)