Decline and stabilization of managerial motivation over a 20-year period
Abstract
Investigated the decline in managerial motivation that began in the early 1960's to determine when and if it stabilized. Data for 1972–1973 ( = 86) and 1980 ( = 124) were added to findings for 1960–1961 ( = 287) and 1967–1968 ( = 129) showing that managerial motivation as measured by the Miner Sentence Completion Scale (MSCS) continued to decline into the early 1970's and then apparently leveled off. These findings for University of Oregon undergraduate business students were substantiated using similar samples from Georgia State University obtained in 1975 and 1979, as well as comparable groups from other universities. Previously existing differences between male and female business students, which showed that females obtained considerably lower scores on the MSCS, have now disappeared. The overall results continue to indicate major managerial talent shortages for some years to come. Managerial motivation may have experienced a resurgence in the business schools in recent years. The data indicate that decreases have been most conspicuous on attitudes toward authority, competitiveness, assertiveness, and the desire to perform routine communications and decision-making functions. (24 ref)