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The Return of Management by Fear?

Posted: Oct 2nd, 2009 by

Wally Pingel

Category: Management

Joe Kiedinger of Prophit Marketing had an interesting point in his Wisdom on Wednesday this past week. In Joe's weekly posting he made the statement "Leadership by authority is the ticket in today's workplace." When I first read this I actually scoffed at the idea as I thought the whole "Management by Fear" technique a lot of us grew up with went the way of the Dodo awhile ago. Now that I have thought about it more, with the current economic climate Management by Fear may very well have made a return.



In the late 90's and up until just a few years ago the dictatorial management style pretty much went away. There were amble job opportunities out there so if an employee didn't feel like getting beat up every day they could just go somewhere else. This was also the time of all the Gen Xers getting into the market place, individuals that didn't respond to management by intimidation. During this time I was earning my management spurs and being a Gen Xer myself I never really managed by intimidation or fear as I knew first hand it didn't work. Many of my peers we're finding out the same thing so that also helped to contribute to the removal of the this management by fear style and many existing managers having to learn new leadership tactics.



If the management by fear style is returning it is unfortunate. Of course, those that had adhered to the management by intimidation in the "good ole days" are probably reveling in its return. Managers that have either newly adopted or reverted to this management style will eventually reap what they sow though. Bullying employees and threatening them is not the way to endear loyalty or improve production. Eventually the global economy will rebound and so will job opportunities. For those managers that selfishly took advantage of the current climate to indulge themselves by kicking the crap out of their employees will soon enough find themselves with no one left to kick around. Those managers that continued to motivate and treat their employees with respect will conversely be rewarded when those people stick around instead of looking for greener pastures.

Edited: Oct 2nd, 2009

 

Comments

  • Bill Evans
    - Oct 2nd, 2009
    I have found that within the past few years the people we work with at the corporate and executive level are stressed and many are ill equipped emotionally and professionally to deal with it. For so many years technical competence and "who you knew" often got one to the executive suite. These folks have had little training in managing in tough times and have never had to select teams or associates for working in these economic times. I am not excusing bad behavior or management by intimidation but "we" create or enable poor behavior in good business times. I am not complaining as I enjoy my role but we are people too and poor people skills in our clients effect us as well. Clients gain much more from consultants if their is mutual respect and a desire to work together. Often our role is to work in environments that are highly pressurized and that often brings the best out in us and the situation. But it is often impossible if we must then deal with a manager that is dictating results and using poor manners in dealing withus and to the others we must work with in his organization. Again resulting in less than stellar "results". Bill
  • Bill Evans
    - Oct 5th, 2009
    For a short read look up Business Week Oct 5 edition. "outside Shot" by Patrick Lencioni. "The no - cost way to motivate". Bill

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