Statistics Portugal carried out an unprecedented survey over a sample of enterprises, established in the legal form of companies, achieving nearly four thousand valid replies, which made it possible to obtain information on management practices and characteristics in 2016. Some of the main findings were:
• In 61.0% of the companies, top managers had a bachelor's or higher degree. This percentage was 82.9% in large enterprises and 43.7% in microenterprises.
• In about 70% of the companies, the top manager exercised functions under exclusivity (60.6% in microenterprises and 78.4% in large enterprises).
• Almost all companies reported having performance targets, which in general they considered to be moderately ambitious; around 43% reported that they had and monitored performance indicators on a monthly or quarterly basis.
• Less than half (44.9%) of the companies reported awarding performance bonuses to their employees for achieving the company's defined goals.
• In about 51% of the companies no promotions were awarded to employees with management functions. This percentage decreased to 44.3% in the case of employees with no management functions.
Combining the information from this survey with information reported to Statistics Portugal in other statistical operations, the results obtained indicate a significant relationship between management quality and the economic performance of the enterprises.