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2
Figure 1
Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s
Dominance Scale of Managerial Styles
Organizational Domination
Leader Domination
Individual Domination
? Group Domination
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Dominance Scale:
Scale 3-The Bureaucrat: The bureaucratic determines to be the majority opinion. The
manager presents ideas and invites basic mode is to present problems and
questions before decisions are made. With openly solicit suggestions. A majority vote
the bureaucrat, there is minimum use of then establishes the destiny of the
absolute power. Instead, he exists as a organization.
creature of the organization, which
surrounds him. He exists to serve the Scale 6-Participative: As shown in Figure
organization, strives to meet its objectives, 1, the participative manager may define
and uses it for his own protection whenever some organizational limits, but he relies
necessary. Performance is judged by this heavily on groups and individuals within the
manager to be consistent with the survival organization for definitive decisions. To a
and growth of the organization. degree, his managerial style appears similar
to Scale 5. The outstanding difference is
Scale 4-Laissez Faire: This managerial that individuals within a group are gradually
style is placed at the midpoint of our gaining power over the wishes of the group
dominance scale because it represents a as a whole.
null balance between leader domination and
worker domination styles. Within this Scale 7-The Humanist: This managerial
classification, a combination of the style results from an overreaction to the
organization, the group, individual workers, preaching of human relationists. It sets
and some unknown components, act individual happiness as the ultimate goal. In
together to fill in for the inactivity of the search of this goal, the objectives of the
leader. organization or groups within the
organization are relegated to a subordinate
Scale 5-The Democrat: This manager position.
draws his power from what he sees or
3
Other Managerial Theories surprising, when one realizes that Taylor
lived in an autocratic era, when kings,
Now that a basic model of managerial style
robber barons, and cartels were still very
has been prepared, let’s consider the
much in existence.
writings of other managerial theorists to
compare and review their relevance to
Douglas McGregor is assured of a place in
agribusiness practices.
the history of managerial thought as a result
of his so-called “Theory X-Y.” McGregor
Frederick Taylor, of course, was the first
defines Theory X as the conventional view
great theorist. His work formed the basic
of management; one which is held by the
disciplines in the field of industrial
majority of practicing managers. It provides
engineering. More important is the fact that
broad justification for managers to pursue
Taylor is referred to as the “father of
those patterns associated with either the
scientific management.” This reputation was
autocratic or authoritarian styles. Yet
established as a result of Taylor’s
McGregor then argues that Theory Y is the
integration of the following four major
“better way.” If brief, Theory Y is consistent
principles:
with the participative management style and
is the most successful means for satisfying
1. With some thought and effort, one could
the individual's needs. Its components are
scientifically dissect each element of a
as follows.
man’s physical labor. Such dissection
and analysis would, thereby, establish a
Theory X:
methodology for the replacement of the
1. The average human being has an
old rule-of-thumb practices.
inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if
2. Manager can scientifically select and possible.
train people. As a result, management 2. Because of this dislike, most people will
develops its own workmen. (Prior to this have to be controlled, coerced, directed,
time, it was assumed that people would and threatened with punishment to get
choose their own work and train them to put forth effort toward the
themselves.) achievement of organizational
objectives.
3. The manager must cooperate with his 3. The average human being prefers to
employees to ensure that all work is avoid responsibility, needs to be
done in accordance with the scientific directed, has little ambition, and wants
principles developed. security above all.
4
4. The average person learns under proper compromises his concerns for both people
conditions not only to accept but to seek and production for the sake of the
responsibility. organization, thereby, accomplishing very
5. The capacity to exercise a high degree little. The laissez faire managerial style
of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity might also be viewed as Blake and
in the solution of organizational Moulton’s “impoverished leader”; a person
problems is widely, not narrowly, little concerned about either people or
distributed among people. production. The autocrat and authoritarian
6. Under conditions of modern industrial styles would be typified with over concern
life, the intellectual potentialities of the for production and are labeled as “task
average human being are only partly masters.” It is the view of Black and Moulton
utilized. that the well-balanced “ideal” is referred to
as the “team manager” and would fit best
The “System 4” theory of managerial styles the participative style.
became popular as a result of the writings of
Rensis Likert. Figure 2 describes, in brief, Figure 3
the four systems of Likert. The Managerial Grid
9 (1,9) (9,9)
Figure 2
Rensis Likert’s System 4
Country Club Team
Authoritative Permissive Manager Manager
System 1 System 2 System 3 System 4
Concern for People
Middle of
System Description the Road
1 Explorative Authoritarian (5,5)
Degree of
2 Benevolent Authoritarian
3 Consultative Task
4 Participative Impoverished
Manager Manager
5
Figure 4
Dominance Method of
Scale Style Source of Power Communication
1 Autocrat Self Orders and directives
Hard
Nose
2 Authoritarian Position Orders and directives
3 Bureaucrat Regulations Explains
5 Democrat Majority Discusses
Nose
6 Participative Group Jointly determines
No
4 Abdicrat Informal organization Random
One final contributor to this composite of three major components, to which each is
alternative theories was Clark Caskey. attached a central theme:
Caskey’s theory is referred to as the
“Multicrat Approach,” and argues that 1. Situational Dominance: The first
managerial styles range from the hard- common component rests on the “real
nosed autocrat to the no-nose, apathetic world” premise that for any operational
abdicate, with various intermediary situation, a particular managerial style
stages. His idea was that a truly adept may be either effective or ineffective.
manager was one who practices various The manager who adheres to this
styles, rather than trying to perfect a general theme must, if he is to be
single “best” style. His multicrat matrix, successful, have the flexibility to adopt
shown in Figure 4, not only addresses the any of the basic styles, as the occasion
differences in alternative managerial requires.
styles, it also considers the related source
of power and the method of 2. Personality Dominance: A second
communication. common component calls for the close
observation of the manager as he
Combining the Philosophies handles the various situations he faces.
This theme maintains that early in one's
We have now reviewed the basic
youth, one makes critical appraisals of
components of different managerial styles
how to get people to do things. It
as theorized by numerous writers in the
suggests that managers adopt a
field. Our purpose now is to combine all
particular style (or range of styles) on
the different theories, place them within a
the basis of their past record of
comparative framework, and then attempt
success or failure.
to summarize the results into a single
practical theme. Figure 5 provides us with
3. Optional Dominance: The third major
a convenient vehicle for comparing the
component rests on the belief that the
components of at least seven alternative
participative style of management is,
theories. The overlap is both obvious and
indeed, optimal. There does exist some
helpful in identifying common elements.
supporting research, which shows that,
in specific situations, this managerial
From Figure 5, it could be determined that
style does yield greater employee
all theories of managerial style contain
productivity. Unfortunately, we have no
clear-cut measure of total managerial
6
1
rat 4
Style 1 2 3 5 6 7
Laissez
Description Autocrat Authoritarian Bureaucrat Democrat Participative Humanist
Faire
Dominance
Leader
Factor Individual
Organization
Void Group
Tannenbaum 1 2 4 5 7
and Schmidt 3 6
Figure 5
7
Theory
Theory X Theory Y
X Y
Likert System 1
System 3 System 4
Systems System 2