Management of Organizational Behavior
How to define a management style that encourages team members to do their best? A reference book on people management?
Author(s): Paul H. Hersey, Kenneth H. Blanchard, Dewey E. Johnson
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Date of publication: 2007
Manageris opinion
This foundational book on situational management, originally written in the eighties, remains very topical today. In this book, the authors lay out a people management theory that is now recognized as the cornerstone of organizational management.
The authors’ message is twofold. First of all, there is no right or wrong management style. The best style can only be defined after analyzing the situation and the underlying needs of the parties involved. No style is good or bad in and of itself. Everything depends on the situation. Staunch defenders of delegation and the manager-coach in particular should take note! The next piece of advice is that focusing on strengths is more effective than trying to fix individual weaknesses – hence the importance of identifying each individual’s style in order to take fullest advantage of their qualities. Does this seem obvious? Probably less than one would imagine, given our tendency to predefine an ideal employee model, often based on our own personal style, into which we seem to want all our team members to fit.
A fundamental reminder which managers should read again and again to avoid giving into the siren’s song of the latest fad or short-term pressures.
