An Empirical Investigation of CEO Leadership in Two Types of Small Firms

摘要

The extensive literature on small business leadership often overemphasizes the charismatic and visionary variety and slights the transactional, autocratic, and empowering leadership types. In addition, this research typically lacks a macro framework. To help overcome these limitations, a study of leaders in 94 small software and banking firms was categorized by each firm's structure (simple bureaucracy or entrepreneurial adhocracy). Contrary to expectations, the leadership profiles in the two configurations were similar, suggesting that leaders, regardless of their style, should be able to move successfully among different types of organizations.