ANTICIPATED MANAGEMENT STYLES: VIEWPOINTS OF POTENTIAL WOMEN EMPLOYEES FROM SELECTED EVOLVING ECONOMIES

Abstract

The current study was designed to identify the attitudes of potential female employees toward the roles and responsibilities of managers. The subjects chosen for the study were female business majors with the potential to enter the workforce within the immediate future and a total of 273 respondents were interviewed. The selection was considered logical since they will be part of th elargest group of women, with a Western-based busienss education, to enter the work lace in their respective countries. The authors selected Lebanon, Oman, and Romania as economic environments currently experiencing an evolution in their environments that a greater variety of approaches to management can be found. There were extensive differences between the national groups with respect to the individual statement regarding managerial expectations. In general, the Lebanese showed no specific preference for a since management style, adding support to the belief that their status as "the Western-most Arab state" does influence their attitudes. On the other hand, in accordance with their "paternalistic" traditions, the Omani group tended to reveal an expectation that managers would follow a traditional approach. Finally, the Romanian women apparently expect their workplace relationships to follow the rational-legal model and their high level of support for this approach differentiated them from the women from Oman. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]