This article examines the link between managers' careers and the strategic behavior of the companies they manage. We argue that despite the theoretical and practical importance of this topic for the strategic management of organizations, the results of research to date have been contradictory and confusing, partly because of two substantial gaps in the underpinning theory. Implicit theories about the impact of work history on managerial characteristics are not made explicit, and a conceptual bridge is needed between individual and organizational levels of analysis. Ideas from research on decision-making studies, top management team behavior, and the strategic management literature are reviewed to yield an integrative model that specifies a set of propositions defining a program of research designed to shed light on the nature of the link.

Managerial Careers and Business Strategies

Notes that previous researchers have investigated the relationship between gender role (i.e. sex‐role identity) and leadership style, and they also have investigated the relationship between decision style and leadership style. However, points out that they have not investigated the relationship between gender role and decision style. Using three validated questionnaires with 90 participants, attempts to test the relationship between gender role, decision style and leadership style. Reveals, from the results, strong support for the proposed relationships: masculinity/directive/analytical/task‐oriented styles and femininity/conceptual/behavioural/relations‐oriented styles. Provides implications/application questions for practitioners, for example that “linking the people with the strategic needs of the business” (i.e. strategic human resource management emphasizing competence acquisition, development and utilization) requires an in‐depth analysis for many organizations. Suggests that instead of relying on a single measure, a combination of different measures may result in higher reliability and predictability. Concludes that the development of effective human resources training and management programmes requires further exploration of the relationship between gender role, decision style and leadership style.

Gender role, decision style and leadership style

Small family firms represent the predominant organizational form in Canada. They are perceived to be crucial to the development and growth of the Canadian economy. Despite this, scant attention is given to the study of human resource management practices in the specialist family business literature. A key human resource issue in family firms, which has been documented as a potential source of problems, is succession, selection and training. The objective of this research is to explore the qualities that are considered critical to an effective family business successor and discuss the crucial role that education and training could have in enhancing the qualities and skills of a successor. Results suggest that three factors are critical to an effective human resource strategy concerning the selection process of a successor. These include the successor's capacity to lead, his/her managerial skills and competencies, and the willingness and commitment of the successor to take over the family business and to assume a leadership role.

Qualities of an effective successor: the role of education and training

By means of reviewing existing literature about the role of leaders in determining organizational strategy, an integrative analytical framework is developed. the framework considers the leader to be key to both the formulation and implementation of strategy. It further identifies factors that moderate the leader's impact on strategy. Hypotheses are presented along with implications for future research regarding the role and impact of leadership.

Leader style in strategy and organizational performance: an integrative framework*

Following an overview of the leadership arena, examines completely the lesser explored concept of discretionary leadership with the view that the phenomenon of downsized, delayered organizations will demand even greater discretionary choices and behaviour from the executives and thereby testing the togetherness concept of co‐operation, sharing and working together. A benchmarking survey of the Australian Public Service (benchmarked against a private sector and health management sector database) emphasizes the point of creeping fragmentation in organizations and highlights that the capabilities of cohesion, quality dialogue and cabinet responsibility will be demanded even more from the leadership of today’s organization. Gives attention to understanding, practising and developing today’s private and public sector leaders in the capabilities of discretionary leadership.

J. Kelly

Papers

Leadership Style at the Policy Level