Management By Fear?
Question: I feel that Fear may be one of the best motivators of performance. I have seen several leaders who are strict and tough with their people...to the extent that people fear the recoil of not living up to their expectations and therefore start shaping up. Low performers become high performers because of fear. Any views would be appreciated.
Answer: First of all, you said, "I have seen several leaders who are strict and tough with their people.." Let me correct you. Those people were NOT leaders. Leaders don't bully. They may have been tyrants or crappy managers but don't ever call them leaders. A manager is not automatically a leader because of his title. Managers manage. Leaders lead. If someone is shouting at you and putting fear into you, they are not leading you - they are chasing you - which means they are behind not in front.
People may seem to dig down and get a job done when they feel threatened but the truth is that when you threaten someone, the relationship changes forever. Your people will now start working on an exit strategy on their terms. They will no longer be engaged in their work - they will tolerate and humor their bosses until such time that they can leave on their own terms. In the meantime, they will do just enough to not get fired.
As for the people who are suddenly able to increase production because of fear, well they were obviously coasting and taking advantage of the company prior to the threat - otherwise there would have been no need for a threat. They should be fired regardless of their current performance. If the only time an employee performs is when threatened, then fire him. He's worthless and dragging the company down - others are having to carry him and his load and it's unfair to the people who do their work diligently. The employee in question wasn't doing more because more wasn't expected. That's just bad management.
Although, it may seem like productivity rises after a threat - the truth is that employees end up doing just enough to placate their bosses and not get fired. It's the illusion of productivity and it will be short-lived because the damage has been done - disconnected feelings of mistrust, frustration and regret will settle in.
Threats and intimidation are so 1950's and any manager who still uses them needs to be fired and enrolled immediately into anger management before they are ever allowed to supervise again.
Labels: attitude, attitude adjustment, attitude expert, attitude of leadership, kevin burns, management by fear
posted by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist at
9:44 PM
2 Comments:
Unfortunately, too many corporations nowadays practice management by fear/intimidation. One well known electronics company has made a habit in the last couple of years of getting rid of anyone with >15 years experience. District managers routinely tell their store manager and store personnel that they are totally dispensable and that they can quickly be replaced. Company management is so anal about micromanagement that they've even come up with a planagram for a manager's desk. And if one thing is out of place, that manager is read the riot act and threaten. Sad thing is, this very same company used to be the epitome of a place to work because management cared about their employees because they KNEW who actually made the money for the company. Somewhere along the line, companies started to forget who actually DOES the work and who ACTUALLY makes the money that drives the company. Too often now, CEOs only care about stock prices and catering to hedge funds. They no longer care about the employees, ergo the employees no longer give a damn about the company.
Why should they? If they're going to be continually treated like crap, why should they really care any more?
4:48 PM
I think the advise to fire people who become more productive with fear is untenable. I have worked in an environment where this is the only way people manage. They seem to seek out those who are anxious, afraid, perfectionist, energetic and usually overly accomodating and then threaten them. Out of fear their productivity increases but they were productive all along, it's the slackers that no one confronts who need to be fired. If the goal of the day is 20 widgets and I produce 22, I become a target and am now threatened to produce 25 or else. The slacker who has been producing 10 or 15 is left alone and may even be praised. It appears that my work ethic becomes a negative. I am essentially demanded to make-up for the slackers or else ! At some point I can't actually produce these increasing numbers, I start to suffer stress related illnesses and take days or weeks off for medical reasons. Mgmt. then goes to the next top producer and threatens them in order to make up for the loss of my presence. The slackers are having breakfast during the morning meeting, come in late, take long lunches or disappear for hours during the day, effectively producing the same less than required goals. After a while they produce less and less, so that the producers need to produce more and more. Hence mgmt. must ramp up the threats, fear and intimidating behavior. Eventually you are going to be left with people who have been enabled and trained to do nothing on your staff. Mgmt. by fear and intimidation isn't going to be so successful. But wait, you fired me and all my productive co-workers and now you have people who blow you off, are feeling entitled to 2 hours work and 6 hours of breaks. You scared me on some level, but now I am gone. Your dept. has a less than marginal reputation so no one applies for jobs there. Guess what? You are f--ked. If you haven't lived it in action, then it is not something one should adise about. Fear is a motivator, but when one manages with it, you need to be sure of the limits. Everything has it's limits and fear is something that has a really quick identifier of limits. Doing this takes wisdom about the legal boundaries humans have also. This is the worst way possible to ensure work gets done and will seal your position as something you will experience for decades...no promotions, no bonuses, no career. You will be the ass that no-one wants to work with and you will be fired at some point. When mgmt. by fear and intimidation is present, it should be the mgmt. that is fired before the employee. E,ployees are on average motivated by economic concerns, family obligations while mgmt. is motivated by authority mistakenly believed to be power, pride, bonusues, economic enumeration and in the worst incident...ego!
6:46 PM
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