Presidents, Chiefs of Staff, and White House Organizational Behavior: Survey Evidence from the Reagan and Bush Administrations

Abstract

The authors set forth a behavioral model of the White Home's organizational structure by taking into account the management styles employed by both the president and chiefs of staff, as well as how well they work together. Using survey data drawn from both Reagan and Bush administration elites, the statistical results show that these factors are important in explaining the White House's organizational structure. The authors also obtain evidence that presidential management style's effect on White House organizational structure does vary across the Reagan and Bush presidencies, but not within each administration across different chiefs of staff. Although chiefs of staff have their own unique way in shaping the organizational structure of the White House, it fails to translate into altering the effect of presidential management style on the White House's organizational structure.