IntroductionResearch suggests that poor management, management incompetence, or inexperience causes the majority of organizational problems and are associated with the failures of business owners and senior executives (Dotlich & Cairo, 2003, Hatten, 2011). The failure of a firm is increasingly blamed on management (Leverty, 2012), which is supported by Collis' (1998) findings that 81% of business leaders agreed that company failures were due to ineffective, poor management. Consequently, the phrase (Gilley & Boughton, 1996) has been gaining in popularity due to the disappointing performance of organizations in our contemporary economy.For better or worse, a manager's behaviors directly influence employees' actions and reactions in the workplace (Howkins, 2001; Smith & Ellingson, 2002). Although researchers have attempted to identify the behaviors and competencies indicative of effective or ineffective management, none have been found to be consistently associated with management success (Kelloway, Barling, & Helleur, 2000). Extant research continues its quest to better understand (Steers, Mowday, & Shapiro, 2004) and predict (Ferraro, Pfeffer, & Sutton, 2005) leader behavior, however. Considerable anecdotal evidence combined with research studies have revealed facets of managerial skill and competence that include communications and problem- solving, emotional intelligence, and technical know-how, to name a few (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002; Liker & Hoseus, 2008). Nevertheless, little empirical evidence exists that positively relates competencies to individual performance (Levenson, Van der Stede, & Cohen, 2006).The primary objective of our study was to test the hypothesis that managerial malpractice exists within organizations. To our knowledge, this research represents the first to empirically examine the concept of managerial malpractice as originally defined by Gilley and Boughton (1996).This study contributes to theory and practice in substantial ways. Theoretically, this research provides empirical evidence of the nature and existence of managerial malpractice, and reveals the depth and breadth of managerial malpractice within firms. We offer suggestions for reducing managerial malpractice and enhancing competencies, while proposing future research to expand similar and related study.Theoretical BackgroundIncompetence is a lack of skill or ability. Managerial malpractice, a relatively new concept, was defined by Gilley and Boughton in 1996 as they attempted to identify predictors of organizational failure. They described managerial malpractice as encouraging and supporting practices that produce unprofessional, unproductive, and incompetent (p. 1), which occurs when managers are unqualified, poorly trained, or inadequately prepared to engage employees and improve organizational performance. Gilley and Boughton (1996) identified several symptoms of managerial malpractice, which include selecting managers regardless of their level of skill/qualifications, promoting employees who lack sufficient talent to managerial ranks, retaining managers who are unable to secure results through others, allowing managers to behave inconsistently (say one thing and do another), and wasting valuable resources on attempts to fix incompetent managers instead of hiring qualified candidates.A more legal definition of managerial malpractice was offered by Collis (1998), who explained that malpractice occurs when professionals (e.g., physicians, accountants, engineers, educators, etc.) do something unprofessional, such as deliberate and intentional misdeeds, or accidental or grossly negligent acts that cause damage to a firm. His study of organizational practices identified common, fatal mistakes made by management that include lack of character, blind ambition, short-term focus, indecisiveness, fuzzy vision, lack of accountability, and failure to view employees as an asset or investment. …