According to Little Professor of Business Administration David E. Bell, this is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on how the time was spent.

"If you told me Bush sat doodling through the five hours I might be worried," Bell says. "He should be asking pointed questions, not only to form his own opinion of the decisions involved, but also to assess the quality and compatibility of the people to whom he is delegating."

Steve Grossman, former chair of the Democratic National Committee and possible Masschussetts gubernatorial candidate in 2002, also holds an M.B.A from Harvard. He says he is skeptical of Bush's minimalist style of leadership.

"Efficiency's fine, but not if you sacrifice the end product," Grossman says. "The bottom line of the last two months has been the dismantling of some significant programs from the last eight years."

A Matter Of Time

One area where professors say Bush deviates most from the CEO norm is in his attitude toward time and sleep.

The Baltimore Sun reported that in Texas, Bush worked from about 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., took two hours off for a run and lunch, worked from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and then went home--a schedule he has tried to maintain in the White House.

"If he [works eight-hour days] he's the only manager I know who does," says Assistant Professor of Business Administration Steven Spear '85.