Robert Hogan, chairman of the psychology department at the University of Tulsa, asserts that “60 percent to 75 percent of American managers are incompetent.” He says bad managerial styles include these:
• The arrogant manager. Know-it-all; beats up on workers; makes a sudden impact, then moves on
• The charmer. Highly likable, lazy; has no agenda; does no work; can’t be fired; has no enemies
• The passive aggressive. Very smart, with lots of social skills; seems non-hostile but strikes back sneakily when criticized
A good manager, says Dr. Hogan, is considerate, provides structure for the workers, tells them what needs to be done, when it is due, how a good job should look, and gives them frequent feedback. He wants subordinates to evaluate their managers – anonymously – so bad managers can learn quickly that they are not liked, not leading, and not obeyed.
“Bad management is a principal cause of stress in the workplace,” Dr. Hogan says. “It also is costly: employees get ill, complain, and don’t perform.”
Professor Karasek notes that since 1911, American business has been ruled by the theories of the “efficiency expert” Frederick Taylor. Mr. Taylor broke down industrial production into elemental skills. Result: specialization and isolation of workers from each other. This, Dr. Karasek says, has led to jobs that “destroy both mental and physical health and harm the worker’s productivity skills.”
Fortunately, more employers today are inviting workers’ input – and using it. For example, at the Newcastle Machining and Forge Division of Chrysler in Newcastle, Indiana, workers now manage work flow and act in teams. Mike Atkins, a plant worker, says, “Before, we drove to work and left our brains in the parking lot. Now, like people – not machines – we use our brains.”
What to do if you hate your job?
Dr. Hogan: “You just have to take it. Sooner or later, bad managers derail, but before they do, they take everybody down with them. Whistle-blowers always lose. It’s a terribly grim picture.”
Dr. Karasek: “Try to develop a strong support system among coworkers. Talk to one another and identify bad spots. Set up a plan for steps to take to help one another when needed. And – hardest of all – keep trying to find a way to get management and labor at all levels to discuss how to improve communication and work methods.”
Manage some of these, and you’ll have made your bad job better – and, perhaps, you’ll have saved your life.
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GENERAL HEALTH
