PurposeThis study mainly aims to explore the impact of management practices and managerial behavioral attributes on credit rating quality in Tehran Stock Exchange.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, 214 firms were assessed from 2014 to 2020. The credit rating quality was measured through Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution and the entropy weighting method. In accordance with the theoretical literature, managerial entrenchment, managerial myopia, managerial overconfidence and managerial narcissism were considered as the managerial attributes. Furthermore, to examine management practices, cash flow management and accrual management were explored.FindingsThe results of this study showed that the cash flow from operations management and the accrual management has a significant positive effect on the credit rating quality. The managerial entrenchment, managerial narcissism and managerial myopia have significant negative effects on credit rating quality, while the effect of managerial overconfidence on credit rating quality is not significant.Originality/valueUnderstanding the factors that affect the credit rating quality is of a great importance. Considering the significance of cash management in the present era and the impact of managerial psychological and behavioral characteristics in the development of the organization, empirical results of this study can help investors, capital market regulators and other stakeholders to strengthen the firm and better decisions.