Alfred P . Sloan School of Management the Evolution of Top Management : a Forecast

Examines the relationship between too corporate management and the behavioral science and systems analysis staffs. The low contribution of these staff functions to corporate performance is explained by three factors: (1) the failure of top management to recognize the value of these functional areas: (2) the training of the professionals who staff these functions; and (3) the location of these functions in the corporate structure. Corrective actions that will provide for a better utilization of the new tools available to top management are suggested, and a model of a firm is developed that indicates the nature of the contribution that might be expected from the behavior sciencesystems analysis staffs.