The Blake Mouton Managerial Grid Video

What's your priority when you welcome a new person into your team? 

Do you focus on tasks, by explaining his or her objectives?
 
Or, do you focus on the person, by taking the time to understand his interests and strengths so you can give him tasks that he'll enjoy? 

And which approach will achieve the best results?

The Blake Mouton Managerial Grid is a framework for understanding your management style, and how to make it more effective.

The grid is based on two behavioral dimensions. 

The first dimension is Concern for People. In other words, how highly you prioritize a team member's needs, interests and personal development.

The second dimension is Concern for Results. This refers to how strongly you emphasize your people's efficiency and productivity.

The grid shows five management styles based on the balance of these two concerns. Let's take a closer look at each one.

The Impoverished or "Indifferent" Manager has a low focus on getting the job done, and has little interest in motivating team members. The results are disorganization and dissatisfaction.

The Produce-or-Perish Manager is totally focused on results, and doesn't pay much attention to the needs of his team members. His strict rules can produce good results at first, but low morale will eventually affect performance and retention.

A Middle-of-the-Road or "Status Quo" Manager tries to balance results and people, but she's always making compromises. She fails to inspire high performance or meet her team members' needs. This produces mediocre results.

The Country Club or "Accommodating" Manager is most concerned about his team's needs and feelings. Often, the result is a fun, relaxed workplace. But, productivity suffers, due to a lack of motivation, direction and control.

Team Management is the most effective management style. Team Managers prioritize both getting work done and their people's needs. They make sure that team members understand the organization's goals, and that they have a stake in achieving them. This creates an environment based on trust and respect, which leads to high satisfaction, increased motivation and excellent results.

To find out more about the Blake Mouton Managerial Grid, and how you can adapt your management style to improve productivity, read the article   that accompanies this video.