Skills, Influence, and Effectiveness of Management Accountants

Abstract

ABSTRACT The role of the management accountant (MA) has broadened to include acting as a strategic business partner. Our study examines whether MAs believe they need interpersonal skills (i.e., the ability to constructively challenge and question assumptions, numbers, and their meanings), conceptual skills (i.e., making and leading decisions consistent with the organization's business environment and strategy), and/or technical skills (i.e., computer, accounting, and data modeling) to be influential and effective in this expanded role. To examine our hypotheses, we use survey data from 215 controllers in Dutch healthcare organizations and develop a partial least squares path model. We conclude that interpersonal and conceptual skills are associated with MAs' perceptions that they influence management's decision making, while all three skills are associated with their effectiveness. We also find that technical and conceptual skills are jointly associated with the influence of MAs while conceptual and interpersonal skills are jointly associated with their effectiveness. Data Availability: The data are from a proprietary source and cannot be shared without the owner's consent. JEL Classifications: I19; C31.