Assessment of leadership competencies by Generation Z

Purpose: The aim of the text was to identify the leadership competencies that are rated highest and lowest by representatives of Generation Z. Additionally, the aim of the article was to examine whether there are statistically significant differences in the ratings of these competencies between the men and women participating in the study. Design/methodology/approach: The following research hypotheses were proposed: H1: There are specific leadership competencies that are particularly desired by the surveyed representatives of Generation Z, H2: There are specific leadership competencies that are particularly undesired by the respondents from Generation Z, and H3: There are statistically significant differences in the ratings of leadership competencies between Generation Z men and women. Findings: The results of the conducted analyses confirm hypothesis H1 - respondents highly value abilities such as admitting mistakes, learning from the past, and supporting new ideas and solutions, indicating a high level of desirability for these specific leadership competencies. Hypothesis H2 is also confirmed by the analysis results, where the ability to predict opinions and the future received the lowest average ratings. Hypothesis H3 is partially confirmed. Although most competencies did not show statistically significant differences in the ratings between women and men, there are significant differences for selected skills. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of the text include the lack of representativeness of the study, which results in the inability to generalize the findings. Directions for further research may include, among other things, determining differences in the perception of leadership competencies arising from various cultural traditions. Originality/value: The results may be significant for both the academic community and practitioners. The conducted analysis provides valuable insights into the understanding of generational theory, offering important information about the preferences and expectations of Generation Z in the labor market.