Management Styles of Lumber Mill Managers in the Northern United States (Statistical Data‪)‬

Abstract The management styles of chief executives largely determine how firms react to a myriad of challenges and opportunities that arise in the marketplace. The management style of a chief executive can influence a firm's ability to successfully compete in an increasingly globalized world. To better understand management styles and practices, a survey of chief executives at 32 sawmills operating in the northern United States was conducted. Five management styles were synthesized from the literature--autocratic, bureaucratic, authoritarian, democratic, and participative. The frequency with which these management styles were used by chief executives was based on their responses to a series of questions related to five key areas of management. Three-quarters of the managers surveyed used a combination of between two and four management styles and just 25 percent exhibited a single style. Management styles were found to be largely independent of demographic profiles and mill characteristics such as product type and mill capacity.