THE FIVE MODELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL

BEHAVIOR

• AUTOCRATIC
• CUSTODIAL
• SUPPORTIVE
• COLLEGIAL
• SYSTEM
 AUTOCRATIC MODEL
• The autocratic model depends on power.
• In an autocratic environment, the managerial orientation is formal official authority.
• The autocratic model is intensely disliked by many employees.
• Under autocratic conditions, the employee orientation is obedience to a boss, not respect for a
manager.
• The autocratic model’s principal weaknesses are its high human cost and its tendency to encourage
high-level managers to engage in micromanagement, which is the immersion of a manager into
controlling the details of daily operations
o Micromanagers tend to:
 Control and manipulate time
 Place their self-interest above that of employees
 Specify detailed procedures for everything
 Closely monitor results
o Employees typically detest a micromanager, with the result being:
 Low morale
 Paralyzed decision making due to fear of being second-guessed
 High turnover
• The autocratic model was an acceptable approach to guide managerial behavior when there were no
well-known alternatives, and it can still be useful under some extreme conditions, such as organizational
crisis.
 CUSTODIAL MODEL
• A successful custodial approach depends on economic resources.
o The resulting managerial orientation is toward money to pay wages and benefits.
o The employer looks to security needs as motivating force.
o If an organization does not have the wealth to provide pensions and to pay for other benefits, it
cannot follow a custodial approach.
• The custodial approach leads to employee dependence on the organization.
o Rather than being dependent on their employer for just their weekly paycheck, employees now
depend on organizations for their security and welfare.
• Employees working in a custodial environment become psychologically preoccupied with their
economic rewards and benefits.
o However, contentment does not necessarily produce strong motivation; it may only produce
passive cooperation.
• The custodial model’s greatest benefit is that it brings security and satisfaction to workers, but it does
have substantial flaws.
o The most evident flaw is that most employees are not producing anywhere near their capacities,
nor are they motivated to grow to the greater capacities of which they are capable.
o Though employees are comfortable and care for, most of them really do not feel fulfilled or
motivated.
• Although the custodial model does provide employee security, it is best viewed as simply the
foundation for growth to the next step.
 SUPPORTIVE MODEL
• The supportive model depends on leadership, instead of power or money.
o Management’s orientation is to support the employee’s job performance rather than simply
support employee benefit payments as in the custodial approach.
• Since management supports employees in their work, the psychological result is a feeling of
participation and task involvement in the organization.
o Employees are more strongly motivated than by earlier models because their status and
recognition needs are better met.
o Employees have awakened drives for work.
• Supportive behavior is not the kind of approach that requires money.
• The supportive model works well with both employees and managers, and it has been widely
accepted.
o However, the step from theory to practice is a difficult one.
• The supportive model of organizational behavior tends to be especially effective in affluent nations
because it responds to employee drives toward a wide array of emerging needs.
 COLLEGIAL MODEL
• A useful extension of the supportive model is the collegial model.
o The term “collegial” relates to a body of people working together cooperatively.
o The collegial model, which embodies a team concept, first achieved widespread applications in
research laboratories and similar work environments.
• The collegial model traditionally was used less on assembly lines, because the rigid work environment
made it difficult to apply there.
o A contingency relationship exists in which the collegial model tends to be more useful with
creative work, an intellectual environment, and considerable job freedom.
• The collegial model depends on management’s building a feeling of partnership with employees.
o The managerial orientation is toward teamwork.
o The employee response to this situation is responsibility.
• The psychological result of the collegial approach for the employee is self-discipline.
o In this kind of environment, employees normally feel some degree of fulfillment, worthwhile
contribution, and self-actualization, even though the amount may be modest in some situations.
o The self-actualization will lead to moderate enthusiasm in performance.
• The collegial model tends to produce improved results in situations where it is appropriate.
 SYSTEM MODEL
• The system model reflects underlying positive organizational behavior, which focuses on identifying,
developing, and managing psychological strengths within employees.
• Individuals at all levels need to acquire and display the five dimensions of social intelligence, which
has the following five dimensions:
o Empathy—appreciation for, and connectedness with others
o Presence—projecting self-worth in one’s bearing
o Situational radar—ability to read social situations and respond appropriately
o Clarity—using language effectively to explain and persuade
o Authenticity—being “real” and transparent, while projecting honesty
• Employees experience a sense of psychological ownership for the organization and its products or
services—a feeling of possessiveness, responsibility, identity, and sense of belongingness.
• Employees with a sense of ownership go beyond the self-discipline of the collegial approach until
they reach a state of self-motivation, in which they take responsibility for their own goals, actions, and
results.
• As a consequence, the employee needs that are met are wide-ranging but often include the highest-
order needs (e.g., social, status, esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization).
• Because it provides employees an opportunity to meet these needs through their work as well as
understand the organization’s perspectives, this new model can stimulate employees’ passion and
commitment to organizational goals.