Pavel Král

Pavel Král

I am an assistant professor at the Faculty of Management, Prague University of Economics and Business. My research is grounded in organizational theory while staying closely connected to real-world practice. I focus on topics in human resource management, corporate governance, and sport management, with particular interest in organizational transparency and reward management. Beyond academia, I engage in applied research that helps organizations navigate complex, real-world challenges.

When I’m not immersed in teaching or research, you’ll likely find me enjoying some form of sport. Sport has been a constant in my life, shaping my perseverance, adaptability, social capital, and often serving as a source of insight and inspiration.

Research

Organizational Transparency

Organizational transparency is a dynamic and increasingly relevant topic that affects all levels of organizational life. My research explores the interplay between individual, organizational, and societal determinants and consequences of transparency. I focus on the conditions under which transparency benefits organizations and society, when it produces unintended effects, and how it is used—or misused—as a strategic tool.

Rewards and Incentives

Rewards and incentives are fundamental tools for shaping employee motivation and performance. Yet, they can also lead to unintended and sometimes detrimental consequences. My research investigates the delicate balance between the positive and negative effects of rewards, examining when, how, and why reward systems lead to desirable or unintended outcomes for individuals and organizations.

Human Resource Management

Beyond these core areas, I also explore a broader range of HR-related topics, including determinants of employer attractiveness, paradoxes in talent management, and the adoption of advanced technologies in HR. These topics reflect my interest in the evolving nature of work and how organizations respond to emerging workforce challenges.

Sport Management and Sport in Management

I study sport management topics, including sport governance and sport event management. I also explore how the sport context can inform and enrich mainstream management research. Through this lens, I aim to demonstrate how sport can serve not only as a research subject but also as a valuable setting for advancing management theory.

Publications

Journal articles

Král, P., & Schnackenberg, A. (2024). Organizational responses to transparency determinants. Management Decision, 62 (13), 309–331.

Řepová, H., Král, P., & Zouhar, J. (2024). Atypical responses of job candidates in chatbot job interviews and their possible triggers. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 2 (1), 100038.

Řepová, H., Zouhar, J., & Král, P. (2024). Attractiveness of firms with chatbot as job interviewers. Does the interviewer-type matter to be the first contact with candidates? International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems, 30 (6), 711–732.

Král, P., Králová, V., & Šimáček, P. (2023). The impact of interactions before, during and after meetings on meeting effectiveness: a coordination theory perspective. Measuring Business Excellence, 27 (3), 403–420.

Králová, V., & Král, P. (2019). Performance myopia: The effect of pay-for-performance incentives on exploration and coordination. Acta Oeconomica Pragensia, 2019 (1), 50–69.

Král, P., & Cuskelly, G. (2018). A model of transparency: determinants and implications of transparency for national sport organizations. European Sport Management Quarterly, 18 (2), 237–262.

Král, P., & Králová, V. (2016). Approaches to changing organizational structure: The effect of drivers and communication. Journal of Business Research, 69 (11), 5169–5174.

Král, P. (2014). Complexity of governance structures: Taxonomy of governance structure models used by Czech national sport organizations. Central European Journal of Management, 1 (2), 5–17.

Král, P., Tripes, S., Pirožek, P., & Pudil, P. (2012). Corporate Governance Against Recommendations: The Cases of the Strong Executive and the Strong Ownership. Journal of Competitiveness, 4 (3).

Conference proceedings

Schnackenberg, A., & Král, P. (2025). The blinding of truth by falsehood: Synthetic transparency and the growth of strategic opacity . Academy of Management Proceedings.

Šimáček, P., & Král, P. (2025). Hidden costs of silence: How workplace gossip fuels emotional exhaustion and intention to quit . Academy of Management Proceedings.

Král, P., & Trčka, A. (2023). How and for whom do incentives foster workplace presence? Adding the role of personal indebtedness. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2023 (1).

Golotovskiy, R., Králová, V., & Král, P. (2023). Employee pass: A consequence of disregarding organisational growth. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2023 (1).

Šimáček, P., Králová, V., Mňuk, T., & Král, P. (2023). Maturity or gender? An abductive approach to study workplace meeting effectiveness. In M. Rich (Ed.), Proceedings of the 19th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance (pp. 359–369). Academic Conferences International.

Král, P., Králová, V., & Richterová, M. (2022). Why does talent leave organizations? Talent retention of trainee program graduates. In F. Matos & Á. Rosa (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance (pp. 229–237). Academic Conferences International.

Král, P., & Kubišová, A. (2021). Factors influencing employee attitudes to pay transparency. In F. Bezzina (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance ECMLG 2021 (pp. 268–274). Academic Conferences Limited.

Král, P. (2020). The interplay between institutional and individual determinants of organizational transparency. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020 (1), 16853.

Teaching

With two decades of teaching experience across both private and public institutions, I have worked with a wide range of student populations— from undergraduates to MBA and PhD candidates. I consistently receive strong evaluations from students, who value my interactive style, practical orientation, and supportive guidance. My mission as an educator is to inspire students and challenge them to reach their full potential. I strive to make learning theoretically grounded, practically relevant, and intellectually engaging. While I aim to support and motivate, I also set high expectations, based on the assumption that the quality of graduates is shaped by the demands they are encouraged to meet and overcome.

Human Resource Management (Bachelor)

This course introduces students to key HR principles and practices, including recruitment and selection, performance management, reward systems, and employee development, focusing on connecting theory to real-world organizational challenges.

Sport Management (Bachelor)

This course highlights the unique characteristics of the sport environment from a management perspective. Students particularly value the hands-on opportunity to organize a real sport event of their choice. In this course, passion meets profession.

Organization Design (Master)

This course provides students with theories, frameworks, and tools to design effective organizations. Emphasis is placed on aligning organizational components, such as structure, strategy, culture, technology, people, and processes, with the external environment.

Management Theory (Doctoral)

This doctoral seminar explores foundational and emerging theories in management. It is designed to help doctoral students develop the ability to critically engage with theory and shape their research toward meaningful theoretical contributions.

Supervision and Mentorship

Each year, I supervise five to ten bachelor’s and master’s theses. Students under my supervision have received numerous awards for outstanding thesis work. However, I value most the opportunity to support their personal growth, helping many students evolve from disengaged learners into passionate researchers and independent thinkers.

Sport

Sport is an important source of inspiration, resilience, and balance in my life. It helps me stay focused, curious, and connected with myself and others. I enjoy giving that inspiration back by organizing sports trips and events, and contributing professionally to the field.

Extreme snowboarding in Italy

Skiing and Snowboarding Trip

Every winter, I organize a skiing and snowboarding trip to the Italian Dolomites. The trip is open to anyone who enjoys the mountains and brings a kind, easy-going, and laid-back spirit. Details about the January 2026 trip will be available in early August 2025. You are warmly welcome to join us.

Sport Education and Courses

I hold a master‘s degree from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University, where I majored in Outdoor Sports Leadership. Drawing on my dual background in sport and management, I have developed and facilitated outdoor and experiential leadership courses for business clients and MBA programs.

Leap of faith
with Packianathan Chelladurai at the EASM Conference

Engagement in Sport Management

Sport is not only a personal passion—it is also a domain where I contribute professionally. I am a member of the Czech Association of Sport Economists and Managers and serve as the organizer of One hour run ‘Jindřichohradecká hodinovka’, a community running event held annually in my hometown.

Sport Achievements

I am a generalist athlete with a strong foundation in outdoor and endurance sports, along with long-standing involvement in team sports such as football and volleyball. My outdoor background includes kayaking, climbing, orienteering, and all kinds of skiing. On the endurance side, I have competed in triathlon and adventure racing, often in demanding multi-day formats.

Podium at JH Lev

Some sports achievements

While I don’t keep detailed records, a few highlights I’m proud of include:

JH Lev Obstacle crossing

7 th place (age group) at the Czech Republic Championship in Obstacle Course Racing (OCR), 2025; bronze medalist at OCR Lev, 2021

Winner of Ironman 2015

Ironman-distance triathlon winner at Železňák 2015; my personal best: 9 hours 50 minutes

Kayak leg at the World Championship

9 th place at the Quadrathlon World Championship, 2012

Crossing the river at the Adventure Race

Double Czech academic champion in Adventure Racing (2005, 2006)

Contact

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© 2025 Daniel Král