The Development of General Managers: Some New Zealand Evidence Available to Purchase

The transition of functional specialists into general managers is recognised as a priority area for management education. This article is concerned with those factors and events which general managers themselves regard as having been the main influences on their careers. It addresses the following questions: what skills do general managers acquire as they develop, how are these acquired and how important is management education in this process? The findings should be of interest to aspiring general managers and those charged with identifying and grooming these managers.