Abstract:

This research aims to study the role that managers' personality traits have in the decision-making process and their relationship on the performance outcomes of Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs), through a literature review that supports the presentation of a research model proposed by the authors.

Nowadays, companies and their managers are increasingly pressured to achieve certain goals and levels of performance to ensure the financial sustainability of their institutions and to remain competitive in the markets. Sometimes these goals are somewhat ambitious and difficult to achieve, which means that decision-makers must have certain personality traits to show resistance and resilience in dealing with obstacles and strengthen their capacity to solve problems in the adversities that arise in the day to day business. This research proposal assumes that the personality traits of managers, namely extroversion, pleasantness, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience, will have a relevant impact on decision making, which will be reflected in organizational performance. On the other hand, also the emotional adjustment, that is, the emotional states that the managers might develop, in relation to stress, anxiety, and depression, defined by personality traits, can also influence the way they deal with situations for decision making, also affecting institutional performance. In organizations, people experience a wide range of affective states, and this applies also to managers (Huy, 2002). In several academic researches, personality traits have become a topic of great interest, especially when analyzing the relationships between the characteristics of managers and their behavior and attitudes in a professional environment.

This research is justified concerning the perspective of personality traits and emotional states of managers and how these dynamics might have an influence on making decisions and their attitudes and, consequently, what kind of relationship can we find between this psychology perspective and organizational performance of HEIs.

Regarding the methodology, the data will be obtained through the application of a questionnaire prepared by the authors, to evaluate the different dimensions of the proposed research model. The research will consist of the answers given by members of the management boards of Portuguese universities and polytechnics. In the treatment of quantitative data, the use of the structural equations model (SEM) is considered, to investigate the possible relationships between the different dimensions incorporated in the model.

Concerning the discussion of results, it is intended to characterize the effects of personality traits of educational managers and their emotional adjustment in higher education institutions in Portugal, seeking to understand their role and possible relations with the financial sustainability and other performance outcomes of these institutions.

Keywords:

Personality traits, Emotional adjustment, Styles of leadership, Financial sustainability, Higher education.