Upper managers perceived foundational systems to be of less importance than first-level managers, and they perceived diagnostic efficiency to be of less importance than did the first-level managers and business faculty. One explanation for these differences is that upper management is somewhat removed from the day-to-day activities in MAMP operations and thus perceive the fundamental elements of these constructs to be of lesser importance than the first-level managers who are involved in the daily operations, and business faculty who teach the fundamental skills exemplified in the diagnostic efficiency construct. Another explanation is that from upper management's perspective, leadership and management-related competencies are more important management issues for the overall success of a firm than the functionally-specific competencies of foundational systems and diagnostic efficiency, which are presumably handled by production personnel themselves.