What do Canadian managers do : a study of their roles, views, and perspectives

Abstract

This study presents a different perspective that strives to achieve a better understanding of “What do managers do.” The present work divides the role of a manager in two major ways: 1) through an analysis of the characteristics of successful and effective managers; and 2) through an assessment of the different attitudes and perspectives of Canadian managers. The data were collected from a sample of 186 Canadian managers in which the participants completed a paper and pencil questionnaire. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. A major finding from this study was that successful Canadian managers used multiple roles including human resource management, traditional management, and networking whereas effective managers used predominantly the human resource management role. As well, the issues of professionalism and unionization stood out for this sample of Canadian managers.