The value of managerial power as a basis for organization analysis is considered and measurement difficulties proposed as a reason for its relative neglect by practitioners. Alternative approaches to the operationalization of managerial power are outlined and the need for demonstrated cross-cultural validity emphasized. Two measures of managerial power are applied to a matched sample of 168 Black and 168 White supervisory level employees in 17 South African organizations. A questionnaire measure but not an interview index is found to be reliable and to replicate the factor structure obtained in its application to a United States sample. Implications for further research in South Africa using the instruments are drawn from the findings.
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