The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid is a widely accepted framework for evaluating the leadership styles of managers. This framework was developed by Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton in 1964 and has been used for decades to assess and measure the effectiveness of leadership styles. The framework is based on the premise that managers can be classified according to their relative emphasis on two dimensions: concern for production and concern for people. The grid consists of nine points, each representing a different mix of these two dimensions.
The nine points on the grid are organized in a three-by-three matrix, with each point representing a combination of the two dimensions of concern for production and concern for people. The points are labeled as follows: Country Club Management, Impoverished Management, Authority-Compliance, Middle-of-the-Road Management, Team Management, Produce-or-Perish Management, Autocratic-I, Autocratic-II, and Employee-Centered Management. Each of these points represents a different leadership style, with its own unique set of characteristics and implications for management.
The Country Club Management style is characterized by a high degree of concern for people and a low degree of concern for production. This style of management focuses on building relationships and providing a pleasant work environment, but can lead to a lack of focus on productivity or results. The Impoverished Management style is characterized by a low degree of concern for people and a low degree of concern for production. This style of management is characterized by a lack of commitment to either people or production and can lead to a lack of motivation and engagement among employees.
The Authority-Compliance style is characterized by a high degree of concern for production and a low degree of concern for people. This style of management emphasizes control and efficiency, but can lead to a lack of creativity or innovation. The Middle-of-the-Road Management style is characterized by an equal emphasis on concern for production and concern for people. This style of management seeks to balance the needs of both people and production, but can lead to a lack of focus or direction.
The Team Management style is characterized by a high degree of concern for people and a high degree of concern for production. This style of management focuses on building relationships and collaboration between team members, but can lead to a lack of focus on individual performance. The Produce-or-Perish Management style is characterized by a low degree of concern for people and a high degree of concern for production. This style of management emphasizes performance and results, but can lead to a lack of commitment or motivation among employees.
The Autocratic-I style is characterized by a high degree of concern for production and a low degree of concern for people. This style of management emphasizes control and efficiency, but can lead to a lack of creativity or innovation. The Autocratic-II style is characterized by a low degree of concern for production and a high degree of concern for people. This style of management focuses on building relationships and providing a pleasant work environment, but can lead to a lack of focus on productivity or results.
The Employee-Centered Management style is characterized by a high degree of concern for both people and production. This style of management focuses on building relationships and collaboration between team members, while emphasizing performance and results.
The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid has been widely used for decades to assess and measure the effectiveness of leadership styles. This framework provides a useful tool for evaluating the relative emphasis of a manager’s concern for people and production, and for determining which style of management is likely to be most effective in a given situation.
References
Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1964). The managerial grid. Houston, TX: Gulf.
Cherry, K. (2020). The Blake and Mouton managerial grid: An overview. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-blake-and-mouton-managerial-grid-2795862
McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior: Emerging knowledge and practice for the real world. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., Osborn, R. N., & Uhl-Bien, M. (2019). Organizational behavior (13th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.