Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
Abstract This brief document endeavors to deliver upon three objectives. First, an explanation of Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid will provide the reader with insight regarding the intent and mechanics behind the theory. Secondly, the feasibility of employing this theory in today’s workplace will be briefly explored. Finally, we will identify some of the challenges that may present themselves when referencing this theory within the context of a global marketplace.
Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid was originally developed in 1962 as an organizational development model (Thomas, 2006, p. 45). The premise of this theory involves two dimensions systemic in all organizations: people and productivity. Through their creation of the managerial grid, Blake and Mouton devised an instrument, which allows managers to plot the strength of their decision-making biases relative to these dimensions on a simple x-y axis grid. The x-axis represents concern for productivity and the y-axis for people. The grid employs a scale of one to nine. Dimensions are plotted at whole number intervals. A score of one represents the lowest amount of concern and nine represents the highest bias for the respective axis measured. Based upon this spectrum of ratings, Blake and Mouton characterized five distinct managerial leadership behaviors. These included:
• Impoverished Leadership (low production / low people): This style represents a low concern for production and people and is plotted at 1, 1 on the managerial grid. The impoverished leader is highly ineffective. These leaders are often burned out, fearful (or otherwise incapable) of making decisions or suffering from a severely deficient morale.
• Country Club Leadership (low production / high people): This leadership style is primarily concerned with the feelings and needs of people and is plotted at 1, 9 on the managerial grid. Organizational efficiency and effectiveness may suffer long-term and
Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid was originally developed in 1962 as an organizational development model (Thomas, 2006, p. 45). The premise of this theory involves two dimensions systemic in all organizations: people and productivity. Through their creation of the managerial grid, Blake and Mouton devised an instrument, which allows managers to plot the strength of their decision-making biases relative to these dimensions on a simple x-y axis grid. The x-axis represents concern for productivity and the y-axis for people. The grid employs a scale of one to nine. Dimensions are plotted at whole number intervals. A score of one represents the lowest amount of concern and nine represents the highest bias for the respective axis measured. Based upon this spectrum of ratings, Blake and Mouton characterized five distinct managerial leadership behaviors. These included:
• Impoverished Leadership (low production / low people): This style represents a low concern for production and people and is plotted at 1, 1 on the managerial grid. The impoverished leader is highly ineffective. These leaders are often burned out, fearful (or otherwise incapable) of making decisions or suffering from a severely deficient morale.
• Country Club Leadership (low production / high people): This leadership style is primarily concerned with the feelings and needs of people and is plotted at 1, 9 on the managerial grid. Organizational efficiency and effectiveness may suffer long-term and
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