Twenty Years of Research on Role‐motivation Theory of Managerial Effectiveness

Research related to the various hypotheses of managerial role‐motivation theory is reviewed. In general this research supports the theory, although there are numerous areas that require further investigation. A total of 21 studies have been conducted to test the theory's validity and all have yielded significant results; 5 of these studies are predictive. Similar studies conducted outside the theoretical domain have uniformly failed to produce significant findings. Research carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of managerial role motivation training has indicated positive effects in 16 of 17 instances, and the construct validity of the primary measure used to operationalize the theory's variables, the Miner Sentence Completion Scale, has been established in relation to a number of other instruments. Relationships to other theories of motivation and leadership are considered, suggestions for future research are presented, and certain proposals for theoretical extensions are set forth.