Longshot Management Question

[powerdesal]

Is there anyone out there who knows anything about 'the management

style cube'. This was a cube which had various different styles at each

corner such as 'dictator', 'autocrat', benevolent autocrat', '

deserter' etc etc.

You found your own style by filling in a form a bit like a

phychological profile form, decoding it and placing your position on

the cube. It was in use in the 70s in the R.A.F management courses.

Any help, anyone????????

[Albert the infopikey]

Not that particular one, although having spent time as a trainer I've been exposed to a few. Is this question one of those 'I wish I could remember' things or do you actually need a management style profiler? If the latter, is it important if it is well validated or just a pile of management geek-speak?

Anyway, I do recommend this article to all technical managers:

http://lwn.net/Articles/105375/ [;-)] [:D]

[powerdesal]

Albert,

Its 'I wish I could remember' or at least a ' I wish I had kept that stuff for the future' kind of thing.

The link is magic, I will read it at leisure ( as a Technical Manager ).

Regards

[Gluestick]

Yes, I do remember using it, Steve, when I was at Management School (as we called it then: Business School which sounds posher came later!) in the 70s.

As well as the Joe Bailey Action Maze, Transactional Analysis, bridge and tower building with Lego and all the other then buzzy stuff! Plus all the "Power" books, such as Zen on the Art of Motorcycling.

Can't remember much about the techniques, now, however, which just shows how important we all thought it was ! (Not!).

 

 

[powerdesal]

I think I came out as having 'benevolent autocrat' tendencies, but

perhaps thats wishful thinking after all this time. I.m probably more

of a dictator with deserter tendencies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gluestick]

I seem to recall that I came out as either the Country Club style manager: or the Despot!

The other tool we used was a Management Matrix, which was similar; all I can recall was that it "Weighted" a series of attributes or handicaps along the top and side axes and by reading towards the centre (where, in theory, the axes intersected) one's management style could be analysed. Hmmmmm.......

One highly entertaining afternoon, was spent on an Industrial Relations exercise. One member of our group, who had spent quite some time in the old South Africa, only knew one management style!

He was heard to mutter things like, "Beat the bast***s!"

As we were all leaving the bar for dinner, he finally came in some 90 minutes after everyone else had finished!

Apparently his actions had created the ultimate problem: a global general strike!

Happy days.[:D]

 

[powerdesal]

I think these things could be the basis of a new party game, for those

of us who no longer need to really care about the outcome. Move over

trivial pursuits!!!!!!

[Bassman]

I remember doing this a few years ago and I seem to remember coming out as a benevolent autocrat as well [:)]

 

My experience of recent years seems to indicate there are 2 management training schools out there..

one is run by Frank Spencer [:-))]

 

the other by Attila The Hun  [:'(]

[powerdesal]

I know this is the wrong thread, but this is really really bugging

me.....How on earth do I get icons to show as proper icons instead of

the code, they show up properly on a 'preview' but not when posted. Any

one got any ideas? I am 'dragging and dropping' is that the right way?

[Gluestick]

The trouble with these games is, mainly, that one comes fresh from Managemenet School, fired up, full of a new enthusiasm determined to make an impact on effective corporate structures etc. and after a couple of weeks of hitting one's head against the usual brick wall, give up![:P]

And, of course, return to the normal system of management politics and hierarchies: I'll get you first, if you haven't got me!

Or, as I did, continue working for me! At least I know who to blame when things go awry![Www]