McArthur enrolled in the Business School in the fall of 1957. The native of Burnby, British Columbia never left. He joined the faculty shortly after his graduation and rose through the ranks receiving tenure in 1973.

Since the day he moved into an elegant new dean's office on January 1, 1980, McArthur--a former hand in a Vancouver sawmill--has worked successfully to become one of the most influential members of the business elite.

He has done that not by public words (the dean can seem uncomfortable making speeches) but through behind the scenes dealing. That style was critical to the completion of the MGH-Brigham merger.

"McArthur took the lead of the negotiations and parented the negotiations with MGH, which he felt was the logical merger," says Lee Professor of Health Policy Robert J. Blendon.

Subtlety

McArthur also practices subtlety in over-seeing the school across the river. Business School professors says the dean is a strong, somewhat impatient leader who throws his weight around--but almost always in private.

McArthur is not a consensus builder, but he is masterly at persuading others. Fenster Visiting Professor of Business Administration Steven R. Fenster says McArthur makes firm decisions and then gets others to go along.

"He defines what's important behind the scenes and moves the Business School in a direction he thinks makes sense," Fenster says. "He has defined a sense of community."

That does not preclude compromise, however. Fenster says McArthur is also able to strike a balance between his convictions and the faculty's beliefs.

"It's tricky blend in nudging the group a bit versus something the group moves on it own," Fenster says. "He's very good at the balance."

Other professors says that when McArthur has an objective in mind, he is persistent in fulfilling it his way, says Little Professor of Business Administration Charles J. Christenson.

"One characteristic of him is he is something of a bulldog," Christenson says. "If there is something he wants to accomplish, he keeps after it."

"When he thinks he's right, he's tenacious in pursuing the solution he's developed," adds Bruns.

Once McArthur has studied a problem comprehensively and defined a solution, it's not easy to persuade him from his stand, says Kirstein Professor of Human Relations Jay W. Lorsch, chair of the Executive Education Programs.

"He's not bashful about what he likes to do," Lorsch says. "He listens to people, but you have to be able to convince him."