Do the Behaviors Related to Managerial Effectiveness Really Change With Organizational Level? An Empirical Test

Past research on how the requirements of managerial jobs differ across organizational levels has mostly been descriptive. No previously published study has directly tested whether the behaviors that predict effectiveness are different at different levels. The authors tested whether organizational level moderated the relationships between subordinate ratings on seven dimensions of managerial behavior and superior evaluations of overall effectiveness using a set of identical measures in a sample of 2,175 supervisors, middle managers, and executives representing 15 different industries and dozens of organizations in the United States. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in the pattern of behaviors associated with effectiveness across levels. Many differences were discontinuous (e.g., positive predictors of effectiveness at one level were negative predictors at another) and generally consistent with the dominant themes in the descriptive literature characterizing the unique requirements of managerial jobs at different organizational levels.