From the Soapbox: Management Style and Morale Improvement

I read this article this morning, and because it is so closely describes the situation for someone close to me, I just had to put out this "gentle nudge". If you're a business owner/supervisor, I urge you to take a good look at how you manage people and how it affects productivity.

Can you do better in 2008?

Management Style and Morale Improvement

Thu, 12/20/2007 - 14:26 — Wayne Hurlbert

You have probably heard the old office threat, "The beatings will continue until morale improves". Many people smile a bit when they hear it.

At the same time, there is an urge to cringe, as all too often, that destructive management practice is a bit too familiar for comfort. Is this archaic threat part of your company's management style?

Fear is not a good motivator over the long term. While many managers will point to a time when a good scare moved a lackluster employee into action, the effect was usually short lived. If fear becomes the over riding emotion in the company's culture, morale will fall to very low levels. Instead of innovation and creativity, employees will turn their attention to holding onto their jobs.