Leadership and managerial effectiveness: the case of MNCs' Chinese subsidiaries

To identify the impact on and to identify ways to improve senior managers' (SM) effectiveness by considering the identified parameters for managerial effectiveness, namely; the constraints, motivators, opportunities, needed managerial skills and competencies, organisational criteria, inter/intra-organisational relationships at work, adopted leadership style and dominant managerial philosophy in Chinese companies. A case study approach was selected through questionnaires and interviews, which confirmed that firstly some identified constraints can be resolved through the provision of specified opportunities and appropriate motivation. Secondly, numerous parameters suggest the transformational leadership style is regarded as an 'ideal' scenario. Thirdly, the organisational parameters appear to possess limited impact upon SM's effectiveness. The conceptual framework used presents a valuable tool for analysis and application in China-related HRM research. However, it is proposed that future research ought to involve both expatriates and non-managerial human resources, on a larger scale, to identify their perception of their own effectiveness in order to shed light on this relatively neglected organisational phenomenon.