Although we know that the use of accounting information and the leadership styles of
managers are related, only little is known about how the leadership styles of managers
affect the information receivers’ reaction to management accounting change. Therefore,
using a case study of a company that owns ten car dealerships, this paper explores how
the leadership styles of managers can affect the use of newly introduced management
accounting information. In the case, new senior management introduced new accounting
information to facilitate their leadership style. Interestingly, the individual car dealerships
differed in the extent to which they used the new information and also in the history of
their senior management’s leadership style. Different leadership styles appeal to different
work-related needs of employees and the paper explains (1) how the change affected the
satisfaction of these needs; (2) how this resulted in support for or resistance to the change
and (3) how this resistance was overcome.