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This is not to suggest that some
people seek unending tribulation in their work. However, many people want and
need challenges; they want to surmount barriers and contend with opposition. Only
by testing and proving themselves do these people find satisfaction and fulfillment.
By acting as pacifiers, acceptance-seeking managers cheat them of this opportunity.
Like well-meaning but self-defeating parents, they never understand that, after
a certain age, a security blanket may be an impediment to growth.
The Q4 Option
Because alienation is rarely, if ever, entirely the manager's fault (many other
factors usually contribute), it would be wrong to assert that Q4 management never
alienates direct reports. However, it can be said that, other things being equal,
it's far less likely to alienate direct reports than the Q1, Q2, or Q3 patterns.
Why?
The growth-seeking manager (behavior that the Dimensional® Model of Managerial
Behavior labels as Q4) generates commitment, as opposed to alienation, through
participation — getting people involved in goal setting, problem solving,
and decision making. There's nothing wrong with this answer — as far as
it goes — but it doesn't go far enough.
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It risks leaving the impression
that the manager abdicates his/her responsibility by following the group, no matter
where it leads. Participative management is sometimes seen as a "cop-out,"
a high-sounding way of getting off the "managerial hook" by renouncing
one's power and surrendering to "popular demand."
Actually none of this is true. The growth-seeking manager does practice participative
management, but he/she does so discriminatingly — only in certain situations,
with certain direct reports, and with certain purposes in mind. It is never used
to dodge responsibilities. It is one managerial tool among many — not a
panacea, not a cure for every case of alienation. However, when used intelligently,
discerningly, and selectively, participative management can diminish alienation.
How can a manager use participation intelligently, discerningly, and selectively?
By keeping three things in mind:
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