The psychology of decision making in farm management : a review of the background to managerial ability, and suggestions for a research programme to investigate its improvement

Abstract

Managerial ability has always been regarded as an important parameter in agricultural production. However, while there have been studies on descriptive aspects of management processes and abilities (e.g., Johnson et al (1961)), few studies have focussed on developing methods and procedures for improving the level of individual manager's abilities. This review is designed to appraise the background to managerial ability, particularly with respect to the relevant psychological research, and to consider the structure of research programmes designed to develop ability enhancing systems.