"How Should Who Lead Whom to do What?"

by Dr. Clare Graves

YMCA
Management Forum 1971-1972

From the Historical Collection of the work of Dr. Clare W. Graves
- presentations, papers, recorded transcripts, notes-
William R. Lee                                                                                                                      August 2003

But then he goes on to say:

 “With few exceptions, studies of the variable, participation, have ignored the personality of the participant. There has been an implicit assumption that participation affects all persons in more or less the same way.”

This should not be done because:

A recent study in a large industrial organization supported previous findings that participation in decision making generally has positive effects both on the participant’s attitudes and his job performance. It demonstrated further, however, that the magnitude and the direction of the relationship between the amount of participation and both attitudes and performance depended on certain personality characteristics of the participants. Authoritarians and people with weak independence needs were apparently unaffected, or even negatively affected by the opportunity to participate in decision making. (Vroom,    )

             As to using sensitivity training of managers as a means to the end of more effective management, John Drotning says:

 …the personality of individual risk takers and T-group decision makers differs. The former is relatively aggressive, can accept some isolation and is not unduly concerned about others’ criticism. He man enjoy competition and be a fairly assertive person. In contrast, the desirable T-group decision maker is less ego oriented, more concerned with satisfying social need, somewhat passive and oriented toward collective decisions. While the latter type may seem more appropriate in a democratic society, the former are more effective in – a hierarchical structure where a significant degree of authoritarianism are business necessities and where – organizational direction must emanate from a few rather than many sources. And if some members are able to impose their will on others by means of sanctions, it would follow that the former cannot interact with the latter as equals. Equalitarianism, by definition, is incongruent with a situation where there is an unequal distribution of power in an organization.

            A third proposition, which arises from the cybernetic foundation block, is:

3. When the methods for managing are incongruent with the work to be done then the performance of the work is negatively effected.

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