Two Things Managers Must Do

Key Takeaways

1. The best managers engage in both people- and task-oriented behavior.
2. Managers should show consideration — showing concern and respect for followers — to boost follower satisfaction and motivation.
3. Managers should be sure to initiate structure — clearly defining and organizing work roles toward goal attainment — to enhance individual and group performance.

Effective management is crucial for organizational success, but many managers are ill-equipped for the job. According to Gallup, poor management costs the economy an astonishing $398 billion a year.[1] Ultimately, bad management not only hurts company performance, but it reduces both employee engagement and their quality of life.

While a bunch of publications highlight the key attributes of effective managers (e.g., build trust, develop others, drive engagement and performance), they often don’t describe the day-to-day behaviors necessary to possess such qualities. Luckily, a series of research studies conducted in the 1940s at The Ohio State University pinpointed two crucial leadership behaviors that help drive motivation and results: consideration and initiating structure.[2]

Behavior 1: Consideration

Showing consideration is the extent to which a manager demonstrates concern and respect for the members of his/her group. It is considered a people-oriented behavior and therefore has been found to enhance leadership effectiveness by driving motivation and increasing follower satisfaction.[3] According to the Leaders Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ) — the survey instrument used during the Ohio State leadership studies to assess consideration and initiating structure —[4]managers can behave with consideration by:

• Treating all group members as his/her equal
• Putting suggestions made by the group into operation
• Looking out for the personal welfare of group members
• Being friendly and approachable

Behavior 2: Initiating Structure

Initiating structure is the extent to which a manager defines and organizes his/her role and the role of all group members. It is a task-oriented behavior that helps people attain their goals. As a result, it has been found to improve group, organization and manager performance.³ According to the LBDQ, managers initiate structure by:

• Letting group members know what is expected of them
• Maintaining definite standards of performance
• Asking group members to follow standard rules and regulations
• Assigning group members to particular tasks

Managing is, no doubt, challenging and something that requires a breadth of skills and behaviors to effectively accomplish group and organizational goals while simultaneously dealing with problems and putting out fires.

While showing consideration and initiating structure may not help you deal with all your managerial responsibilities, it will help lay the groundwork for success by providing group members with the will and desire to achieve success.

References 

[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236552/managers-engaged-jobs.aspx

[2] Stogdill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Practice, New York: Free Press.

[3] Judge, T. A., Piccolo, R. F., & Ilies, R. (2004). The forgotten ones? The validity of consideration and initiating structure in leadership research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 36.

[4] Stogdill, R.M. (1963). Manual for the LBDQ-Form XII. Columbus (OH): Bureau of Business Research of Ohio State University.