Likerts Management System
Rensis Likert and his associates studied the patterns and styles of managers for three decades at the University of Michigan, USA, and identified a four-fold model of management systems.
The model was developed on the basis of a questionnaire administered to managers in over 200 organizations and research into the performance characteristics of different types of organizations.
The four systems of management system or the four leadership styles identified by Likert are:
The nature of these four management systems has been described by Likert through a profile of organizational characteristics. In this profile, the four management systems have been compared with one another on the basis of certain organizational variables which are:
On the basis of this profile, Likert administered a questionnaire to several employees belonging to different organizations and from different managerial positions (both line and staff).
His studies confirmed that the departments or units employing management practices within Systems 1 and 2 were the least productive, and the departments or units employing management practices within Systems 3 and 4 were the most productive.
Advantages of Likerts Management System
With the help of the profile developed by Likert, it became possible to quantify the results of the work done in the field of group dynamics.
Likert theory also facilitated the measurement of the soft areas of management, such as trust and communication.
Conclusion
According to Rensis Likert, the nearer the behavioral characteristics of an organization approach System 4 (Participative), the more likely this will lead to long-term improvement in staff turnover and high productivity, low scrap, low costs, and high earnings if an organization wants to achieve optimum effectiveness, then the ideal system
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