What Is Managerial Grid Leadership Model By Robert Blake & Jane Mouton? | Leadership Styles in the Grid Model
Managerial Grid is a leadership model that captures all the possible leadership styles that managers practice in organizations. The model also prescribes the favorable situations for practice of these styles in organizational settings.
Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed Managerial Grid and presented it in their book tiled The Managerial Grid published in 1964. Blake’s and Mouton’s Managerial Grid style was developed on the basis of a study of about 5,000 managers in several types of organization.
They set out managerial styles of dimensions of concern for people and concern for production in a framework, i.e., the grid, composed of horizontal and vertical axes and a nine-point scale. Within this nine-point scale, there are 81 different positions in which a leader’s style may fall. The grid does not show results produced, but rather the dominating factors in managerial thinking in regard to getting results. The grid shows how the two dimensions are related, and establishes a uniform language and frame for communication about behavioral issues. Managerial Grid is a comprehensive framework that illustrates all the styles and range of leadership. On this grid:
There are five leadership styles in the grid model based on two leadership dimensions. These are:
- Concern for people and
- Concern for task
Five Leadership Styles Under Managerial Grid
1, 1 Style (Laissez-Faire)
This is also called as deserter style/impoverished management style. The leader will have concern neither for people nor for the task. It is the exertion of minimum effort to get required work done that is appropriate to sustain organization membership.
9, 1 Style (Autocratic)
This is also called as autocrat style. Here, the leader is concerned with production only and minimum concern for human elements. In Blake and Mouton’s terms, it is the efficiency in operations results from arranging conditions of work in such a way that human elements interfere to a minimum degree.
1, 9 Style (Democratic)
This is also called as country club management/missionary style. This type of leader’s chief concern is human beings. They do not mind to place the comfort of employees before the organizational goals. It is termed as; thoughtful attention to needs of people for satisfying relationships, leads to a comfortable, friendly organization atmosphere and work tempo.
5, 5 Style (Practical)
This is also called as compromiser/man organizational management style. Leaders of this style try to balance both the organizational and employees objectives. They believe that adequate organizational performance is possible through balancing the necessity to get work done while maintaining morale of people at a satisfactory level.
9, 9 Style (Matured, Desirable & Meaningful)
This is also called as executive style/team management. Here, leaders seek task achievement through a highly committed workforce. They use teams for inter dependent tasks and nurture a culture of trust and mutual respect. This is represented by such terms as, work accomplishments is from committed people, interdependence through a common stake and purpose leads to relationships of trust and respect.
The leadership style labelled as 9, 9 is considered to be the most effective out of above five styles.
Managerial Implication
The authors of the model have also converted the above described leadership styles into a training module consisting six phases to impart leadership training called Grid training.
There is empirical evidence which shows, that the manager who received Grid training adopted 9.9 leadership style whereas others believed that either 5, 5 or 9, 1 leadership style is effective, Therefore, HR managers must take initiative at least to generate awareness about different leadership styles and relative effectiveness of each style. Managerial Grid training significantly helps in this effort.
