The three most lazily titled management theories in history are Theory X , Theory Y (both Douglas MacGregor) and Theory Z (Maslow). These guys need a bit more pizzazz in their theory (see my own 'My Manager is a ****er' Theory, for example).
The three Theories are simplistic, but quite useful in classifying management behaviours. Theory X says that all employees are cheating scum-buckets and must be prevented from defrauding your company out of existence; Theory Y says that all employees are altruistic and should be trusted beyond reproach, and Theory Z says that the reality is somewhere in between.
All well and good. My personal view is that most managers veer towards X when the going gets tough. Other than that, a useful mnemonic (although let's be honest, I haven't got into them in much more detail).
However, following on from yesterday's Bernard Suits quote, it has got me thinking about the way that employees in an organisation can also have X, Y or Z views about the organisation and its leadership. A company's management structures can be seen as malign, benign, or just kind of there. Reality on both sides though is that if the view isn't positive, the stress of working life becomes negative.
For many years, as a 'glass half empty' kind of guy, I rallied against the positive attitude brigade. “What's the point of being glass half full? Pessimism leads to more positive outcomes because your expectations are more likely to be exceeded!” I can still hear myself (and to some extent my inner self) saying. But what I was failing to accept was that a negative outlook became a self fulfilling prophecy.
Whether in your own performance (if you don't believe you can do something, then you probably won't), or in the impact you have on others (your attitudes drive your behaviours, which in turn drive the attitudes and behaviours of those around you), a negative view of what you are trying to do is at best going to be an uphill struggle.
Now I still rail against the happy-clappy “everything's just G R E A T!” (often NLP-toting) wierdos. I met a couple a few weeks ago, and I know whilst they thought I lacked energy, I thought they looked dead behind the eyes in the way that cultists do. However, I think a (sadly now late-) Canadian philosopher has given me a motto to live my working life by, that's positive yet not skin crawling (go with me here: remember I'm approaching a significant milestone!):
“Work is a series of unnecessary obstacles which we choose to overcome together.”
Right. Motto created. Is it time to get the leather jacket and sports car yet?
mmitII 