The supervisory management styles model

Abstract

There is a substantive increase in the number of candidates seeking Ph.Ds. Whereas the literature is relatively substantial and informative regarding advice to candidates and supervisors in many areas it does little to assist in providing understanding of supervisory styles and changes of style over the supervisory period. This paper attempts to close that research gap through examining 60 items of literature related to Ph.D completion. Eighty key variables were extracted from the literature and used to develop a four-quadrant supervisory style management grid. The grid was subject to a verification study through the results obtained from 12 in-depth interviews with supervisors. Further, a hypothetical model is developed to examine changes in supervisory style over time.