Organizational Structure and Managerial Decision Behavior

The association between hierarchical position, organization size, and span of control and five dimensions of managerial decision behaviorperceived influence on superiors, autonomy from superiors, reliance on subordinates, personal initiation, and final choice-is examined for 190 managers in eight different companies. Hierarchical position was found to be the most important determinant of the decision behavior that a manager reports for the decisions studied. Span of control was found to be related only to the extent to which a manager reports relying on subordinates in his decision making. There is some indication that size had a differential effect on a manager's decision behavior depending on his position in the hierarchy. L. Vaughn Blankenship is associate professor of political science and organization at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Raymond E. Miles is assistant professor of business administration, University of California, Berkeley.