No description available.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Numerous studies in the behaviour sciences are concerned with the role of human values as a determinant of human behaviour. In recent years an increasing attention is being paid to the subject of human values in the managerial context. Students of managerial behaviour agree that the value system of an individual manager is one of the factors which affect his behaviour at work. The main objective of this research is to investigate the feasibility of classifying the managerial workforce in Egypt into different types according to their systems of values, and to demonstrate how data about types of managers could be used in improving managerial performance in Egypt. Another objective of this study is to investigate the role of culture in the formation of the value system of a specific cultural group. To carry out these investigations, a theoretical framework was developed. Two instruments were included in this framework: (1) The Personal Value Questionnaire (P.V.Q.) [developed by G.W. Ailport]. (2) The Managerial value Questionnaire (M.V.Q.) [developed in this study). Both instruments were based on the work of the German philosopher Edward Spranger "Types of Men", in which he classified human personalities into six types according to six classes (dimensions) of values (i.e. Theoretical, Economic, Aesthetic, Social, Political and Religious values). The data of this study was derived from: (1) A national sample of 256 Egyptian managers. (2) Two cultural groups ((246 Egyptian business students] and (595 American business students from D. Palmer's study of "Personal Values and managerial Decision]). The Egyptian Managers: Personal and managerial value profiles of the Egyptian managers were identified. Although the two profiles appeared to be dissimilar, a link between them was found. This indicates that the value system of the Egyptian manager is not simply a unitary system which expresses a single profile (a rank order of importance) of the six value dimensions in both personal and managerial lives. Rather, it is an interlocking network of dominant ( personal) and variant (managerial) patterns of values. When used as a discriminatory variable, the managerial value profile proved to be useful in identifying four types of managers that exist in Egyptian society (i.e. Economic, Social, Political, and Religious managers). The four types differ in their primary value orientations and are expected to differ in their organizational performance, especially in their perception of daily problems, their interpretation of the organization policies and goals, and their dealing with individuals and groups. The analysis of the managerial value profiles of the four types of managers suggests that only the Economic and Religious managers could be motivated to serve the objectives of business organizations in Egypt. They are expected to give a predominant position to such organization's goals as high productivity, organizational growth and profit maximization. The Two Cultural Groups: A cultural contrast of the personal value profiles of Egyptian and American business students marked five significant differences between the two groups. The analysis of these differences emphasized the role of Islamic culture in shaping the personal value profile of the Egyptian group. Finally, a proposed model (including six dimensional equations) for the classification of a specific manager into one of the four types (i.e. Economic, Social, Political, and Religious managers) was designed.

This study consisted of two field experiments and examined how managerial evaluations may be influenced by the gender and gender-role behavior of the person being evaluated. Literature streams in the domains of leadership, performance evaluation, grievance arbitration, and criminology were reviewed and integrated to derive a conceptual framework. The research hypotheses focused on how male and female managers would differ in their evaluations of male and female target persons in two different contexts. Two cases, each approximately three pages long, were written for the purpose of this study. In both cases, the gender and gender-role behavior of the target person were manipulated. A pilot study, in which 255 students responded to the case of the grievant and 290 students responded to the case of the manager, waS carried out to test the psychometric properties of the scales as well as the integrity of the gender-role manipulation. The results indicated the success of the manipulations. The evaluation measures of interest were found to have high reliabilities. In the actual study, research subjects consisted of 129 unit directors or higher level administrators working for the Virginia Cooperative Extension. The subjects were asked to respond to both cases and evaluate the target persons. The sequence in which the cases were presented was built into the design of the study. There were no significant findings pertaining to the proposed hypotheses. Other results indicated that in the grievance resolution context, female unit directors rated aggressive male workers lower than aggressive female workers on performance and abilities. Relative to male unit directors, female unit directors gave aggressive lower-level male workers unfavorable evaluations. In the context of evaluating managers, female unit directors relative to male unit directors more favorably evaluated the democratic manager. The difference between male and female unit directors was larger when they evaluated the same-sex democratic manager. Female unit directors gave the democratic female manager higher evaluations than those given to the democratic male manager by male unit directors. The discussion focuses on the implications of results for conceptual and theoretical development in the gender bias literature, as well as what the results may mean for organizations and practicing managers. The potential limitations of the study are identified, and the study is concluded with suggestions for future research. / Ph. D.

Attribution theory has been used to explain the responses of individuals to others behavior. Previous research has shown that attributions for performance can influence rater's judgments and the sex of the ratee has been shown to influence the attributions made for performance. Discrepant information was used to cue the formation of attributions and these attributions were predicted to mediate the relationship between the subjects' existing view of a manager's performance and subsequent performance ratings. It was hypothesized that different attributions would be made depending on the sex of the manager and the direction of the discrepant information (positive or negative) and that these attributions would be related to performance ratings. First, no relationship between attributions and performance ratings was found. Second, the expected pattern of attributions was only found for the female manager/positive discrepancy condition. Finally, performance ratings within the positive and negative discrepancy conditions did not differ as a function of sex. Limitations of this study, possible explanations of the current results, and suggestions for future research are discussed. / Master of Science

This research addresses the problem of determining which managerial competencies first-line managers operating in a world class organisation should have. To achieve this objective a three-step method was followed. Firstly, an approach had to be found for the assessment of managerial competencies at the selected organisation involved in the research project. A comprehensive literature survey was conducted in an attempt to establish an approach and identify management competencies for first-line managers. Secondly, the recognition of prior learning (RPL) approaches appropriate to first-line managers were investigated and synthesized with the managerial competence approach of step one. Finally, the managerial competencies were assessed utilising the matrix of managerial competence instrument developed in accordance with the findings of the research. The information obtained from the literature study and from the candidates who were assessed resulted in various findings and recommendations. Using the matrix of managerial competence instrument, it was found that the majority of first-line managers at the organisation were competent. Notwithstanding this finding, a major recommendation is that the organisation should become more future and development orientated in its training strategy. Finally, the research project has created the foundation for the development of a managerial competency model at the selected organisation. Findings of the literature survey and development of the RPL instrument provide guidelines for future RPL initiatives, both at the selected organisation and at the Port Elizabeth Technikon.

Effective leadership can and does influence organizational performance. The Executive Success Profile, a multi-rater feedback instrument, was used to gather perception data on 51 executives and 310 senior managers of a large Fortune 500 electronics manufacturing company in regards to three critical leadership dimensions: visionary thinking, empowering others, and global perspective. Paired t-tests were run to compare the means of the two samples. Significant differences were found between executives and senior managers on the perceived importance of and ability to perform on the empowering others dimension. Additionally, correlational measures indicate a statistically significant relationship between importance and competence ratings on the empowering others and global perspective dimensions for executives, and on the empowering others dimension for senior managers.

Sales management researchers apply various leadership measures and theories taken from conventional work-group settings. These applications may be questionable given the unique boundary-spanning context in which the field sales force must operate. This study raises the questions and offers an approach which may be more appropriate. Specifically, this study questions the assumption that the manager acts and the salesperson reacts, and the focus of sales management studies which study managerial behavior in isolation from those of the salesperson he or she is supervising. The Leader-member Exchange theory (and the basis for this theory, social exchange) is offered as an approach which may be more consistent with the work-setting and obstacles faced by the field sales manager. This study offers a conceptual model of salesperson-manager relationships as a guide to explaining effective leadership in the field sales setting. A study was conducted on a subset of this conceptual model. Using the survey responses of industrial field salespeople and their managers, this study tested (1) the exchange relationships between the perceived behaviors of both the manager and salesperson, (2) the degree to which these exchanges influence the salesperson’s overall assessment of the salesperson-manager relationship, (3) the degree to which this assessment affects job-related outcomes and (4) the impact of environmental uncertainty on this boundary spanning link between salesperson and manager. The results of this study provides some support for the notion of an exchange relationship between the salesperson and manager. An exchange relationship may exist between the salesperson’s competency and the manager’s latitude. The salesperson’s assessment of the working relationship is based on the latitude received and the loyalty felt toward the manager {rather than his or her contributions of competency). This approach to studying the effects of leader behavior was effective in explaining salesperson satisfaction levels. It was less effective in predicting the goal achievement levels of the field sales force. Finally, the results of this study indicate the amount of uncertainty in the environment may have a direct effect on goal achievement levels of the salespeople, but lacks a moderating influence over the link between salesperson-manager relationships and outcomes. / Ph. D.

This research is an analysis of one month of daily occupations of three company Presidents continously observed with a participant-observer methodology. Following Levinson’s (1972) and Kets de Vries1 (1980) studies we are using a clinical approach. Also following Freud (1926a), Geertz (1973) and Kets de Vries (1984a), interpretation is central to the analysis: transference and countertransference reactions are used both to collect and to interpret the data. Using empirically Andrews1 approach (revised 1980) to Business Policy, we classify in in three classes, environmental, organizational and personal the daily occupations of the Presidents. The list of preoccupations cannot easily be classified under the same model: analysis reveals that they rather should be used as a Royal Path to interpret the occupations. The three Presidents manage with a different style: one behaves as a controller, megalomaniac and eclectic, the second as a coordinator, autocratic and performer and the third as a producer, radar and innovator. All are driven by a Magnificient Obsession, autonomy, money or quality that produces a strategic core “in their daily occupations. If strategies remain emergent, strategic management is opportunistic while strategic thinking is deliberate. The three realized observations suggest that the preoccupations generate the occupations: a well articulated strategic thought directly influences the quality of daily strategic actions. / Cette recherche analyse la gestion quotidienne de trois presidents observes continuellement durant un mois chacun, selon la methodologie de lfobservation-participante. Suite aux recherches de Levinson (1972) et de Kets *?.e Vries (1980), l’approche privilegiee est clinique. La demarche est interpretative et se situe dans le courant des travaux de Freud (1926a), Geertz (1973) et Kets de Vries (1984a): les reactions de transfert et de contre-transfert sont utilisees comme outils de cueillette et dfinterpretation. Les actions quotidiennes des presidents sont analysees a l!aide du modele de Politiques Generales propose par Andrews (revise 1980). L’utilisation empirique de ses reflexions nous mene a classer leurs occupations en trois grandes categories: 1fenvironnement, 1’organisation et la personne du president. La liste des preoccupations recueillies se prete difficilement au meme classement: de nature latente, les preoccupations s’averent une Voie Royale dfinterpretation des occupations. [...]

Performance improvement intervention begins with assessment. How that assessment is interpreted can mean the difference between success and failure. Previous research of 360-degree feedback instruments has tried to reconcile the differences between multiple rater groups. Rather than searching for agreement, this research proposes to understand the meaning of the differences using multirater feedback. Individuals determine ratings based upon their own perspective and building upon the understanding of rater perspective may result in improved assessments. Data from an existing data set was processed using a second-order CFA in structural equation modeling. Covariance between the second-order factors and rater groups determined the difference in how each rater group perceived the leader.