Saintly Level (D-Q) – AUTHORITARIAN:

               At work the fourth-level person responds to the authoritarian management style. The Saintly employee knows and accepts the subordinate position. The manager’s role, in this persons’ mind, is to provide the routine, structure the task, define and clarify the regulations, and represent the organization. From this orderliness, and the Saintly’s submission to it, comes the individual security the person seeks and psychologically requires. 

            This level of human behavior is of particular significance to businessmen and governmental executives because a significant portion of the work force operates at this level. Especially attractive to the Saintly person are the routine clerical and administrative jobs found in the bureaucratic structure of large organizations.

            The considerable portion of the American work force at this level may, to some degree, explain the consistent percentage of personnel loss (through resignation and transfer) by organizations implementing a job enrichment program. The subordinate at the Saintly level perceives the job enrichment program as personally threatening and laden with insecurity. Since this program comes from the highest organizational authority, the entire system must be full of “evil” (lack of order) and the Saintly flees to a haven of structure and order; a “good,” organization that has some moral fiber to it.

            Mismanagement at this level is failure to provide firm direction and structure. Many managers have misinterpreted Theory Y to mean that the only appropriate Style is open, participatory, non-authoritarian, democratic management (an Interpretation McGregor never would have accepted). This misconstrued “Theory Y” style of management is the surest way of mismanaging the Saintly level person. A form of mismanagement so severe that it is guaranteed to produce physically ill and withdrawn D-Q employee, disrupt organizational life and morale, and cause a decline in productivity.  

            The mismanaged Saintly subordinate will respond with a display of neurotic or psychotic behavior, unconscious sabotage of the productive effort, and a firm conviction that the manager is not fulfilling the managerial role of providing order and regulation. It becomes the D-Q’s duty to unseat this manager. Attempts will be made to recruit others in the work group to the crusade – to root out ‘evil”. In the extreme, either the manager goes, thus vindicating the righteousness of the aroused D-Q, or the organization by retaining “evil” is also seen as evil. In this situation management should expect the conscious, willful commission of acts of sabotage and disruption of the most horrendous proportion. The resultant organizational chaos vindicates the D-Q through the punishment of evil.                   

            Materialistic Level (E-R) – BARGAINING:

            Here is a level of existence very familiar to management, since a significant portion of individuals who are themselves in management function at  this level. The E-R employee expects compensation as a result of accomplishment. The job situation should allow for considerable flexibility and opportunity for Individual initiative. The rules and regulations have no inherent sanctity and are to be maneuvered about as the situation requires.

            The management style for the Materialistic level individual is BARGAINING management. The bargaining can be done between manager and employee in an overt and to the point fashion.  The manager requires three essential items to manage the E-R person. They are:

 -          Rewards

 -          Sanctions

 -          Defined boundaries having latitude within.

            The overt bargaining between manager and E-R begins by the organizational goals and objectives being shown to the subordinate. The Materialistic employee expects compensation as a result of accomplishment. The issue is not what the manager wants done, but rather what is the payment offered. If the rewards are not attractive, management must, if continued employment of E-R individuals is desired, seek out better rewards. If the rewards are acceptable the boundaries (policy, resource levels, time, legal constraints, etc.) are then clearly communicated. The E-R is free to operate unrestrained within the boundaries. However, the manager must not tolerate their violation or hesitate to use the sanctions.

            Once a bargain has been made the Materialistic employee will work diligently to attain the goals. There is no need to schedule activities, order and organize the efforts, and evaluate the changing status of the program since this person is “managing” all of that. The only supervision required is to check for boundary violation.

            Mismanagement at the Materialistic level takes two basic forms. The first, and most common, is where the rewards are not worth the effort. This can be brought about by management:

 1.      – violating the terms of the bargain.

 2.      – engaging in punishment, not correction.

 3.      – establishing narrow, unrealistic boundaries

 4.      – having no worthwhile rewards or limited rewards.

            The result will be the departure of the E-R from the organization. However, in departing the person at this level is likely to “take” some compensation for the trouble caused. The organization has lost a dynamic, innovative, and hard working person who is properly managed could greatly contribute.

            The second form of mismanagement is in not setting boundaries and in not having or using the sanctions. The Materialistic will soon become the “de-facto” manager and eventually the “in-facto” manager.

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