TOWARD A STEWARDSHIP THEORY OF MANAGEMENT

AUTHOR(S)

Davis, James H.; Schoorman, F. David; Donaldson, Lex

PUB. DATE

January 1997

SOURCE

Academy of Management Review;Jan1997, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p20

SOURCE TYPE

Academic Journal

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

Recent thinking about top management has been influenced by alternative models of man. Economic approaches to governance such as agency theory tend to assume some form of homo-economicus, which depict subordinates as individualistic, opportunistic, and self- serving. Alternatively, sociological and psychological approaches to governance such as stewardship theory depict subordinates as collectivists, pro-organizational, and trustworthy. Through this research, we attempt to reconcile the differences between these assumptions by proposing a model based upon the subordinate's psychological attributes and the organization's situational characteristics.