The Associative Method in the Diagnosis of Perceptions of Subordinates about the Management Styles of the British and Russian Chiefs

The article explains the use of the associative method in the diagnosis of management style. The study examines the Association of subordinates in which the leader appears in the image of some animal. It notes that in people's minds animals act as symbols, which tend to be a basis for an imaginative picture of certain aspects of a human being. While being associated with an animal by the subordinates, supervisor is endowed with some peculiarities of this animal. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between associations related to the personality of leaders and their management style. As the methods of research were used: “Methodology for studies of machiavellism”, proposed by V. V. Znakov, the technique of “Management Style”, developed by L. I. Ryumshina and the associative method in which the research participants – subordinates were asked to answer the question: “Which animal do You associate Your supervisor?”. The empirical study was done with 393 people (chiefs and their employees living in Russia and Britain). As a result of that study it was confirmed that the leaders with a manipulative management style and a high level of a pronounced tendency to manipulation are associated with a certain kind of animal by their subordinates; that figurative associations of the subordinates linked to their manager (coordinator) vary depending on his/her management style. The suggested managers' classification considers their management style and associative image associated with it. From a practical point of view, using the methodology of L. I. Ryumshina “Management Style” and its associative part, allows one to carry out an express-diagnostics of the management style of the chiefs and their tendency to manipulation.