Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1981

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Administration and Supervision

Major Professor

John T. Lovell

Committee Members

Dewey Stollar, K. Owen McCullough, Robert Maddox

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a significant relationship existed between managerial style and effectiveness and certain subordinate characteristics.

The specific objectives were:

1. To determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between management style and effectiveness and job involvement of subordinates.

2. To determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between managerial style and effectiveness and age category of subordinates.

3. To determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between managerial style and effectiveness and length of service of subordinates.

4. To determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between managerial style and effectiveness and educational background of subordinates.

Two populations were selected for the study. The managerial populations consisted of Deans and/or Directors of Admissions and Records in colleges and universities in Tennessee and the subordinate population was made up of the nonprofessional staff members of these managers.

Two instruments were used to gather data for the study. Management Style Diagnosis Test developed by William J. Reddin (1970) The was completed by the managerial group, and the Job Involvement Scale developed by Lodahl and Kejner (1965) was completed by the subordinate Additional data relating to age, length of service and educational background were also collected from the subordinate groups.

The chi-square technique was applied to job involvement data to determine whether there were significant differences in job involvement groups. scores of subordinates of more effective managers and those of less effective managers, as well as among the eight management styles, t-test was used to determine whether there were significant differences The in the means of scores of subordinates of more effective managers and those of less effective managers, and the analysis of variance was performed to test for differences in means of job involvement scores among all eight management styles.

Chi-square was utilized to determine whether there were significant differences in age category, length of service, and educational background of subordinates of these managers, With the exception of educational background, for which there were no significant differences between subordinates, the findings were significant at the .05 level.

The major findings of the study were:

1. There were significant differences in the job involvement of subordinates of more effective managers and job involvement of subordinates of less effective managers. Among the eight styles, subordinates of the Executive, Bureaucrat, Developer and Missionary style managers exhibited greater job involvement.

2. There were significant differences in age category of subordinates of more effective managers and those of less effective managers with more effective managers tending to have subordinates who were younger.

3. There were significant differences between length of service in the current job of subordinates of more effective managers and those of less effective managers. Subordinates of more effective managers tended to have shorter lengths of service than those of less effective managers.

It can be inferred, then, from the data gathered in the study that characteristics of subordinates do mediate managerial behavior. Subordinates who bring attitudes of high job involvement, who are younger, and who have shorter periods of service in the job facilitate more effective management.

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