Candidates Are Corporations

Clinton says she will be a hands-on manager, that she will get down into the agencies and make sure that they’re implementing the processes that her brain trust put together in the White House,” says Jim O’Toole, a business school professor at the University of Denver.

Clinton provided insight to her management style at a January debate in Las Vegas. “I think you have to be able to manage and run the bureaucracy,” she said. “You’ve got to pick good people, certainly, but you have to hold them accountable every single day.”

Illinois Sen. Barrack Obama is a hands-off manager and easily delegates authority, says O’Toole. These differing management styles mirror a debate that has been taking place at business schools over which style is more effective. The hands-on model has been practiced by a lot of the biggest companies, including Wal-Mart, where Clinton served on the board of directors for six years.

Obama’s management style reflects what is happening at technology start-up companies, according to O’Toole. That could explain why his supporters tend to skew younger than Clinton’s.

Given a choice between Wal-Mart and a technology start-up, it’s easy to see why the kids are crazy for Obama.