The relationship between managerial style and business unit performance has received considerable attention at a conceptual level during the past decade. However, very little empirical testing of the relationship between characteristics of the three components of managerial style (personality traits, background characteristics, and managerial behaviors) and performance has been conducted. This article reports the results of a study of the relationships among characteristics of the three components of managerial style, business unit strategy, and business unit performance. Support is found for contingency and universal relationships among the variables. Implications forfuture research are also discussed.
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