How “General” are your General Managers?

In 1984 the authors conducted a survey of general managers in Christchurch, New Zealand, to learn how they approached their work. The managers were asked to respond to a questionnaire listing ten different facets of managerial work. The methodology and findings are presented in this article in the hope that they may be useful to other groups of general managers. The questionnaire will enable managers to identify areas of their work which they may under‐or over‐emphasise. This in turn may reflect potential development needs, or suggest different ways in which the work can be handled.