Management tenure and network time: How experience affects bureaucratic dynamics

Abstract

Meier and O'Toole have developed an empirical model that allows scholars to test for the impact of managers on a system and its outputs. In this article I attempt to add to management theory and analysis by examining the impact of time in the system and management tenure. I use ordinary least squares to replicate and expand upon Meier and O'Toole's results, using school superintendent survey responses along with outcome measures from school districts in Texas. The most interesting results suggest that (1) networking has a much larger impact when one controls for experience with the system; (2) experience with the system has independent effects on outcomes; (3) management tenure interacts with networking, resulting in greater outcomes; and (4) new managers may find alternative (possibly deceitful) ways of affecting outcomes other than working their networks.