Managerial Styles and Institutional Control

Abstract

Based on a 30-year examination of managerial styles at a maximum-security training school in Ohio, this study examines three managerial styles that emerged: charismatic, bureaucratic, and technocratic. Extensive interviewing with staff members, some of whom had been present during the 30-year period, identified that the three basic managerial styles could be further divided into five categories: (a) charismatic control, (b) charismatic reform, (c) bureaucratic control, (d) bureaucratic reform, and (e) technocratic control. The thesis proposed in this article is that the management styles will, to a large degree, effect the quality of life that takes place within juvenile correctional institutions, especially training schools. The various management styles are evaluated concerning what they contributed to the quality of institutional care, and a number of general managerial recommendations based on the findings of this study are offered to guide the improvement of juvenile care in long-term training schools.