More Than Meets the Eye

Identifies four separate and distinct patterns through which managerial and micropolitical styles may be acquired by means of modelling. Each of these patterns is illustrated by examples drawn from research in two British‐based organizations, which invited managers to describe how they had learned and developed in the workplace. Discusses the plausibility of each pattern along with its potential advantages and disadvantages. Concludes by pointing out that the choice and use of particular patterns of modelling is imbued with an ethical stance, and that there is a need for greater clarity about what is entailed in learning through modelling.