> But that is my point. People, like cars, have a nature which must be
> taken into account when managing them. Among others, their nature
> includes a dislike for taking orders and a tendency to become robotic
> with brains turned off when given "too many orders".
The notion that one can control people like one controls a car is curious,
and one that I have trouble grasping. I also don't understand the
generalizations. First, some people dislike taking orders, some prefer
that relationship. Second, people (as opposed to cars) will and often do
take independent action when attempts are made to control them (except
perhaps in cults, etc). They rebell, fight covertly or overtly, and do all
manner of other things. They have many options as opposed to becoming
robotic. This is a dark notion of people. > > > Here's some examples. If
bosses treat their people as valued team players, > they become valued
team players. If bosses show that they "care" about the > people, the
people begin to show "care" about their work.
Here we have the underlying assumption that bosses can control behaviour
of others.
> the same high standards. If people are given access such that they can
> put in their two cents to whatever level they desire when they desire to
> do it and are given responses worthy of the two cents, the people will
> become committed to their work because influence grants ownership and
> ownership grants commitment.
This is far from universal. If the above is correct, it implies a
mechanistic relationship between people, akin to a puppet/master
relationship. The puppet WILL do as I bid. The employee will do, and
respond in his/her own individual way to any leadership behaviour. If
Joan's contention was true, it would be simple to provide a foolproof,
cookbook approach to management that would work for EVERY person in every
situation.
Robert Bacal - CEO, Institute For Cooperative Communication
Internet Address - dbt359@freenet.mb.ca
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (204) 888-9290
Join us at our Resource Centre at: http://www.winnipeg.freenet.mb.ca/~dbt359
--Robert Bacal <dbt359@freenet.mb.ca>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>