Management development programs: The effects of management level and corporate strategy

Abstract

In this study of 155 organizations, the relationship between management development programs, managerial level, and organizational strategy was examined. Limited support was established for Katz5 theory about skill requirementsfor managers (1 974). Greater emphasis was placed on technical shills at lower management levels and on entrepreneurial skills at senior management levels. A relationship between corporate strategy and the focus of management development programs also was found. Although organizations with growth strategies focused on many management development areas to a greater extent than did organizations with stability or retrenchment strategies, there were no differences in the focus on ethical decision making or technical-skills training between the three strategies. Implications for management andfor future research are also discussed.Management as a process is becoming increasingly complex. Consequently, managerial tasks and skills also are becoming more numerous and complex. Undoubtedly many factors affect the skills a manager needs; however, two of the most important are level in the hierarchy (Katz, 1974) and organizational strategy (Schuler, 1987). Although there may be many ways for managers to acquire the necessary skills, organizations invest substantially in management development programs to assist their managers in obtaining those skills (Wexley & Latham, 1991). It seemed likely that the focus of the management development activity or program would vary with the organizational level of the manager as well as the strategy of the organization. Accordingly, the purpose Note: We would like to thank Ajay Mehra and three anonymous reviewers for their assistance. Michael 5. Lane, a coauthor, is deceased.

Training and its influence on competitive strategy implementation

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A theoretical interpersonal style repertoire for middle-level managers

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