Executive transformation: Psychological processes experienced by executives in changing supervisory styles from controlling to empowerin

Historically, the dominant style of supervision in bureaucratic organizations in the United States has been controlling and directing. Currently, the tenets of Total Quality Management and the need to secure increased employee contributions have placed great emphasis on liberating and empowering styles of supervision. There is little research that describes the process by which a controlling and directing supervisor becomes a liberating and empowering one. This study focuses on that change process.;The present work reviewed the literature regarding styles of supervision, executive learning, and executive change. Ten depth interviews were conducted with business executives, defined as supervisors having three or more subordinates and earning more than $100,000 per year. These executives had changed their supervisory styles from controlling and directing to liberating and empowering in the last five to seven years, and had maintained that change for at least a year.;Interview data were transcribed and analyzed, and codes were assigned to the significant portions of the narrative describing the change process. Analyses demonstrated that there are three elements that are necessary for change in supervisory style; data, support, and pressure. These findings confirmed the findings of Kaplan (1990) relative to executive change. Executives revealed that data from subordinates and others indicating a need for them to change caused them to introspect. Pressure, to maintain this introspection and change because of it, originated from others or from the executive. Support for this change derived either from the internal resources of the executive or was provided by others. Results indicated that all three elements are essential for this type of change process.;Methods are described by which this process may be consciously used by organizations to bring about this type of change, but appropriate cautions are cited because this process may be used to bring about changes that may not be viewed as positive. Difficulties in making this type of change, it is speculated, are enhanced because there are very few successful role models for this type of change.