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Purpose - The purpose of this article is to study how two different managerial environments of the state-controlled economy in Belarus - "private small business management" and "state or privatized large enterprise management" - influence middle managers' implementation of decisions. Two kinds of data are analyzed: "should" option or presented data, and "would" option or managers' preferred in reality option of activity. Design/methodology/approach - The research was completed in two stages: survey research based on open-ended questions and face-to-face structured interviews based on the principle of controllable projection. A total of 193 decisions are analyzed. Findings - Managers of large and state enterprises should present an appearance of active tactics, but in reality they would prefer tactics of delay or no-action. Managers of small private businesses should present all varieties of tactics except a tactic of inaction. In reality, they would prefer to act directly, or less often, to wait or not act at all. Research limitations/implications - The effect of other organizational factors than the size and form of ownership should be subjects of future research. The comparison of decision implementation tactics of mid-level managers in large and small organizations, in state-owned and private companies in countries with different economies should also be studied. Practical implications - The findings of this paper have managerial implications for companies willing to open subsidiaries or establish partnership with enterprises from countries with a state-controlled economy. Originality/value - The paper is original research that proves the influence of the business environment and characteristics of a company on a middle manager's behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]