holds two master's degrees from Norway as well as a doctorate from Lund University, Sweden. He has written 13 university-level textbooks and has a number of international research journal publications. He is now engaged in lecturing and tutoring at the master's and doctoral levels, as well as in research on leadership and organizational issues at

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Purpose This paper aims to assess the concept of managerial discretion with respect to its theoretical and empirical usefulness for corporate governance research. Design/methodology/approach This paper scrutinises applied theoretical claims, definitions and methods, as well as a number of empirical studies on managerial discretion. Findings To date, no empirical definition of the concept has been presented and no measurement has been developed and tested for reliability and validity that contains all three factors of the managerial discretion concept, as proposed by Hambrick and Finkelstein (1987). Practical implications Research on managerial discretion does not provide owners and directors of boards with any advice on granting top managers a high or low degree of discretion. Originality/value This paper concludes that corporate governance scholarship will improve if it abandons the concept of managerial discretion.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to question the usefulness of comparisons between theories on servant leadership and transformational leadership. Design/methodology/approach A review of scholarly works on these two theories is presented from the original works of Greenleaf, Burns and Bass to the current research. Findings Based on the four categories of construct clarity, two competing alternatives are identifiable in the scholarship of both servant and transformational leadership. There are thus 16 versions of each theory. Research limitations/implications The literature review contains no new empirical data. The many versions available today of each theory do not make comparisons meaningful. The prevalence of several versions of theories on servant leadership and transformational leadership implies that they are no longer specific and useful theories. Originality/value Critical comments are presented on the usefulness of comparisons between servant leadership and transformational leadership. Thus, the value of these theories is also questioned.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise the concept of servant leadership from a business administration (management) point-of-view. Design/methodology/approach -A review of scholarly works on servant-leadership is presented. Findings -A generally accepted definition of servant-leadership is not available. There are no generally accepted instruments for measuring servant-leadership. It is unclear whether some leaders are servant-leaders while others are not, and whether leaders can be servant-leaders to different degrees. The positive effects of servant-leadership on organisational outcomes, a consideration highly relevant to management, have not been empirically established. Some studies have shown negative effects of servant-leadership on organisational effectiveness. Research limitations/implications -This literature review contains no empirical data. Practical implications -The argument that servant-leaders should be in charge of private companies and public organisations appears to be contrary to theoretical and empirical considerations. Servant-leaders, whose concerns are primarily focused on subordinates rather than customers (or citizens), are hardly able to attain organisational goals. Originality/value -The paper offers critical comments on the conceptual and empirically usefulness of servant-leadership when applied to business enterprises and public agencies.

PurposeThis study aims to explore behavioural differences between women and men in managerial positions and suggest explanations for differences and similarities.Design/methodology/approachIn order to eliminate any effects of organizational differences on leadership behaviour, this study had public managers responding to questionnaires that measured their leadership style, decision‐making style, and motivation profile.FindingsStatistical analyses of data from three groups of Swedish public managers (n=385) revealed virtually no significant differences in behaviour between female and male managers. Regardless of whether there is a female or male majority of employees or a female or male majority of managers, no effect on leadership behaviour occurs.Originality/valueA number of studies indicate that managers' behaviour is different in different types of organizations. This study suggests, therefore, that, independent of gender, organizational and demographic characteristics modify leadership behaviours, thus explaining similarities in leadership behaviour.