prediction and control of behavior

[From Fred Nickols (2015.11.11.0545)]

I do head up a union, Rick; it’s the United Mind Workers (UMW). Ring a bell? Wanna join?

Fred

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From: Richard Marken [mailto:rsmarken@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2015 8:01 PM
To: csgnet@lists.illinois.edu
Subject: Re: prediction and control of behavior

[From Rick Marken (2015.11.09.1700)]

Fred Nickols (2015.11.09.1305)

RM: If carrot/stick control is illusory then what are you recommending as the alternative? A different approach to controlling employees? Not trying to control the employees at all? If it’s the latter then what are the manager’s supposed to do to “get the most” out of their employees

FN: I think they have to negotiate with their employees. I think they have to enlist their support. I think they have to view and treat them as agents, not instruments. I think they have to support instead of supervise. I think they have to run interference for their employees. I think they have to help them when obstacles arise. I think they have to wield their authority on the employee’s behalf. I think they have to focus on the work, not the worker. I think they have to establish fair, acceptable compensation, benefit and other policies. I don’t think they’ll get much of anywhere by dangling carrots in front of them or by cracking a whip behind them.

RM: This all sounds great but how does it relate to where they (the managers) want to get. What makes you think that managers are not getting anywhere by dangling carrots in front of them or cracking whips behind them. My impression, based on actual data, is that managers have been continuously getting more and more out of their workers (in terms of productivity) using carrot (wages) and stick (threat of being fired) control and since 1980 (remember what happened in 1980?) they have continued to get more and more productivity out of their employees with less and less carrot (see graph below).

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RM: So I don’t really understand why managers feel that they need management consultants to help them get more out of their workers; they are clearly getting all they could possibly want out of their workers already, and at very little cost in carrots. Unless they are using you guys to make it seem like they are having a tough time, as a way to cover up their insatiable greed.

RM: Of course, not all employers are greedy. But most clearly are (otherwise the data wouldn’t look like this). What these data show is that the people who need help in getting what they want are not the managers/employers but the workers/employees. You should be heading up a union, Fred; your heart is clearly in the right place.

Best

Rick

Richard S. Marken

www.mindreadings.com
Author of Doing Research on Purpose.

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