Management Style as Strategic Interaction: The Case of Governor Ronald Reagan

Abstract

Theories and typologies of management style typically focus on the form and amount of involvement a superior allows her or his subordinates in decision making. The author suggests that existing theories are limited because they fail to recognize that management style is not merely a property of the manager, but rather a group phenomenon and that management style is not unidirectional because subordinates actively respond to and may undermine a given style. The author uses a Weberian framework to examine a case of management style, that of Governor Ronald Reagan during his 1967-74 administration, to demonstrate how his style gave him strategic advantages vis-l-vis his subordinates, but how they were able to protect their own interests as well.