An Investigation into PhD Supervisory Management Styles: Development of a dynamic conceptual model and its managerial implications

There has been a substantive increase in the number of candidates enrolled in Ph.D research programs in the past decade. Whereas the literature is relatively substantial and informative regarding advice to candidates and supervisors in many areas there is little evidence of research related to supervisory styles and changes of style over the supervisory period. This paper attempts to close that research gap by examining 60 items of literature related to Ph.D completion. Eighty key variables were extracted from the literature and were used to build a four-quadrant supervisory style management grid based on the Blake and Moulton Managerial Grid model. The grid was subject to a verification study through the results obtained from 12 in-depth interviews with supervisors. Further, a hypothetical model was developed to examine changes in supervisory style over time along with the managerial implications for supervisors. The study was taken within an Australian context using the European style of Ph.D structural practices which do not necessarily reflect the contemporary American model. The study has significant implications for alternative dissertation completion approaches where high levels of supervision are demanded.