Management Styles and Entrepreneurial Competencies of Managers as a Foundation for Managerial Practices

This study examined the management styles and entrepreneurial competencies of middle-level managers at Hardam Furigay Colleges Foundation, Inc. during the Academic Year 2023–2024 as a basis for enhancing managerial practices. Employing a descriptive-quantitative and correlational research design, data were gathered from a total enumeration of 38 administrators, college deans, program heads, department heads, and coordinators across six campuses using validated, high-reliability survey questionnaires. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, Pearson-r, Independent Sample T-test, and ANOVA. The profile revealed a predominantly female workforce (73.7%), mostly aged 21–30 years (39.5%), holding Bachelor's degrees (63.2%), serving as Coordinators (44.7%), with 1–3 years of service (39.5%), and having attended five or fewer management trainings (71.1%). Overall, respondents demonstrated a "Very High" assessment of both management practices (grand mean = 3.61) and entrepreneurial competencies (grand mean = 3.70). Specifically, democratic leadership earned the highest management style rating (mean = 3.72), while opportunity seeking emerged as the highest entrepreneurial competency (mean = 3.82). Correlation analysis indicated no statistically significant relationship between management practices and entrepreneurial competencies (r=.095, p=.569), leading to the acceptance of the null hypothesis. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the level of entrepreneurial competencies when respondents were grouped according to sex, age, educational attainment, designation, length of service, or management trainings attended. The study concludes that traditional management practices alone do not drive entrepreneurial competence. Institutional strategies must integrate targeted capacity-building, autonomy, and innovation-driven frameworks to effectively empower middle-level managers across all organizational levels.