The impact of organizational characteristics on leadership effectiveness models - An examination of leadership in a private and a public sector organization

Researchers have been criticized for applying generic organization and mana gement theories to public sector organizations on the basis that such theor ies ignore significant public-private differences. To examine the extent to which generic theories can help us better understand public-private differ ences, the authors applied a generic leadership theory to both a private an d a public sector organization and found interesting differences between th e two organizations. The authors concluded that generic theories serve the useful purpose of allowing researchers to compare and contrast public secto r management issues with those of other types of organizations. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.