Leading Horses to Water? The Impact of Decentralization on Managerial Behaviour
Colin Hales
Journal of Management Studies, 1999, vol. 36, issue 6, 831-851
Abstract:
This paper offers a critical examination of the assumptions about managerial behaviour which underpin the concept of decentralization. Following an attempt to elucidate the key dimensions of the concept, together with some of their variations and ambiguities, it is shown how the claimed advantages of decentralization flow from assumed changes in managerial behaviour, away from compliance with centrally imposed instruction and regulation and towards seizure of business opportunities which, in turn, rest upon assumptions about the influence of organization structure on managerial behaviour, the constraints imposed by centralized organization, the freedoms afforded by decentralization and managers' ability and willingness to take up these freedoms. These behavioural assumptions are re‐examined critically and shown to be problematic. The paper concludes that little change in managerial behaviour may be expected from decentralization which entails no more than formal changes in managers' responsibilities without concomitant changes in managerial selection, development and remuneration
Date: 1999
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)
Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00160
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:36:y:1999:i:6:p:831-851
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... s.asp?ref=00022-2380
Access Statistics for this article
Journal of Management Studies is currently edited by Timothy Clark, Steven W. Floyd and Mike Wright
More articles in Journal of Management Studies from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().