The issue of “power” in management has been studied for decades. The most effective managers have a far different view of their power base than managers labeled as micro managers or Theory X managers. Understanding this distinction is crucial to your leadership abilities.
What are the responsibilities of a manager? As you’ve already learned, if you’re a Theory X manager your role is to make decisions, monitor the performance of your staff, tell staff what they should do and to otherwise do the thinking – they do the doing. The Theory Y manager places a lot more faith and confidence in the ability of his or her staff. Since they assume most employees come to work motivated, take pride in their work and are fully capable of decision making – a Theory Y manager views his or her role much differently. They view employees as equals. There is no delineation in rank. They are one team with one common objective. The Theory Y manager recognizes that they need to coach and support staff.
Here’s a profile of a Theory X manager as shared by a participant in one of our workshops;
Theory X Manager
I worked as a case manager at a new unit for a large insurance company. When the unit opened a senior VP from the corporate office was suppose to take over the operations. We received some quiet warnings from colleagues in the corporate office that she (the Senior VP) was a tyrant to work for. We had no idea how right they were.
Her first order of business was to relocate her office. She wanted the corner because it had the most windows. To do that two conference rooms had to be moved and the space redesigned as her suite. Once settled she held an all staff meeting so we could meet her and find out, in her words, “How things will work around here.” She told us about herself, all her achievements then recited a few rules;
1. She was a stickler for dress code and tardiness.
2. Policies and procedures are in place for a reason.
3. Follow the chain of command when you have an issue.
4. She wanted things done right the first time.
She made no attempt to relate to the employees on a personal level or to encourage their ideas or suggestions. No talk of the importance of a team oriented environment or of growth for employees. No talk of an open door policy. Nothing to suggest confidence in the staff or the importance of their jobs. What was most obvious in her tone and demeanor was that there was management and there was staff. Someone joked afterwards, “We might as well start a union.” She asked for questions but the room was silent.
The tone she set as executive manager trickled through our whole division. Managers hid behind closed doors and rarely shared issues or sought employee input. Decisions were communicated via memo. No one made a move without consulting management. When I became manager of the case management department I started attending her staff meetings. Anytime an issue or problem came up she was the first to state her opinion. On the few occasions someone disagreed, even slightly, she belittled them in front of the team. Eventually, whenever she stated her opinion and asked if we agreed, it was no wonder we all just shook our head “yes”.
One day an employee, looking for a meeting walked into her conference room, obviously by error. He stood there for a second before realizing his mistake.
“This is a management meeting”, was all she said.
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True Managerial Power
The fact that a manager can make decisions about an employee’s pay, promotion and disciplinary action automatically suggests the manager has some “power” over the employee. It’s inescapable. To some managers that power is their motivation. It’s esteemed. It’s prestigious. It puts them in a different class. They’re not employees. They’re managers. To them that power is like a sword they can draw at any time.
Other managers (Theory Y) understand their role is to coach and support their employees. They give them honest, constructive feedback. They recognize employee efforts by saying thanks. They recognize their own shortcomings by asking their employees for help. They step aside and let employees enjoy the limelight when the team is successful. They demonstrate their confidence in employees by saying, “What do you think we should do?”
A manager should not gauge “power” by the fact that he or she can fire employees, tell them what to do, make decisions about their salary or fire them if they want. Power can not be equated to an office, a title or a bigger cubicle. Power is not illustrated by the fact you associate yourself with other managers.
A truly powerful manager is able to move employees to action not through coercion or intimidation but by influence. Influence is gained because employees know the manager is fair and equitable. They know the manager believes in their ideas and ability. They feel they have a stake in the success of the company because they’re allowed to risk and contribute.
It’s the difference between employees working for a manager (Theory X) and employees working with a manager (Theory Y).
What we’re describing is Leadership. It’s the ability to recognize the spark of creativity, ingenuity and dedication in each employee and to fan that spark into a flame.
That’s power.
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