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How much do middle managers matter, really? An empirical study on their impact on sustained superior performance

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  • Mair, Johanna

    (IESE Business School)

Abstract

Prior research on middle managers has emphasized their vital role in the strategic and entrepreneurial process of established organizations.Yet we still know relatively little about how their actual behavior translates into superior performance.In this paper I examine how entrepreneurial behavior of middle managers -defined as innovative use of resources to explore and exploit opportunities- affects sustainable superior results at the subunit level. My analysis of 120 middle managers of a large European financial services firm suggests that entrepreneurial behavior triggers profit growth at the subunit level.Furthermore I find that individual characteristics -gender and education- are significantly related to superior performance

Suggested Citation

  • Mair, Johanna, 2002. "How much do middle managers matter, really? An empirical study on their impact on sustained superior performance," IESE Research Papers D/473, IESE Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:iesewp:d-0473
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    File URL: http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/DI-0473-E.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sustained superior performance; middle managers; entrepreneurial behavior; profit growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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