What Would the Classics Say?

By: Dynafrom Wang

Background

I, Douglas McGregor have been asked by Ignatius, a supervisor from a laboratory to help investigate why

Hiram has been losing interest in working. From what I have been told, he had been a competent worker

in the beginning. I have been told that Hiram has begun to slack and only do enough to keep his job.

Problem

As described, the problem is why Hiram is underperforming after such an enthusiastic start, and

whether or not we can improve his job performance. In order to do so, we must look at why he is not

motivated to perform well.

Management and Organization

Good management and organization comes from participative management. From the information

gathered, Hiram seems to be ignored as he doesn’t seem to have been informed of his performance or

been spoken to. From that I can deduce that Hiram has not been given enough responsibility or any

justification for him to work. He was hired for his abilities, but rather then showing appreciation for his

abilities; managers have pushed him aside. It is only now that you noticed his performance is not close

to his original-self, and rather he is being threatened of being fired for underperforming. I believe that

your management style is more of my Theory X style; this is reasoned by the management’s negative

view of Hiram as lazy. The culprit of the problem is the authoritarian management style. With the culprit

found, we can now understand why he may not be performing to his potential. Hiram is feeling

unappreciated for his previous work, therefore, he is not convinced that he is required for the business

to function: Hiram is threatened to do a certain amount to keep his job.

Alternatives & Solution

For Theory X managers I would suggest them to alter their style to a more participative management

style. You must show Hiram that he is someone who is an essential part of the company; show him that

as the company grows, he will too. You must give Hiram more responsibility. Rather than create

baselines for performance, create goals and objectives for him to reach, and award him accordingly. You

must also appreciate and provide incentives for working hard. With the combination of the points

above, I believe you can re-motivate Hiram to perform to his highest potential. There are only positives

for having a highly motivated worker as you have witnessed since the beginning of his job. I believe

immediately you should give him goals, objectives, and responsibilities to show that he is appreciated. In

short-term, you should give Hiram even more responsibilities, and bonuses for high level of

performance. In the long-run, make it obvious to Hiram that growth within the company is a possible

outcome through high-performance.

Justification

Employees to need to feel they are a part of the objective, trusted, and appreciated in order to perform

at their highest potential. Rather than establishing baselines for performance, set goals and objectives;

provide incentives for achievement. Make it evident that growth within the company is a prospect that

Hiram can achieve with hard work and diligence. Thus, with a more participative management style,

productivity in Hiram will be at his highest potential.