Company “doctors”: do higher academic qualifications make for “better” managers?

To determine any differences between the level of academic qualification of German senior managers and their British equivalents and to offer explanations for any such differences identified.Design/methodology/approach – Two questions were posed: First were German senior managers generally “better” qualified academically than their British counterparts? Examines data published by governmental and non‐governmental sources in both Germany and the UK. Second why? Following a comprehensive review of the literature published in both German and English a variety of potential causal factors were identified and for analysis placed in three main categories. These were then discussed in the course of a series of semi structured interviews and informal interviews with both British and German senior executives.Findings – The overwhelming majority of German senior managers are qualified to a Doctoral level. Nearly 70 percent of the directors of Germany's top 100 companies have doctorates as compared to certainly less than 3 percent and probably less than 1 percent of their British counterparts. The main causal factors are of a cultural nature which are long standing and deep seated.Research limitations/implications – In practice it proved difficult to persuade companies to provide data relating directly to their employees or information regarding their management development, recruitment, or promotion policies.Practical implications – The validity of the Anglo/American mindset as opposed to the German “Knowing what you manage”. It is suggested that a compromise might prove a sensible alternative approach for both societies.Originality/value – Draws upon new data not previously published (in English) to reach plausible conclusions.