or was authoritarian and task oriented in character. There was a rigid enforcement of standard operating procedures, and no thought was given to either telling a subordinate why a task was to be performed or why a particular method of performance was required, and employee opinions were never sought on ways to improve performance. The concept of participative management was not even given lip service in the unit. These practices and attitudes are evident in the relationship between the new members of the unit staff and the older, longer term staff nurses accustomed to doing things as they always have been done, with no consideration for new ideas.
The leadership style in the pediatric intensive care unit prior to the appointment of the new supervisor may best be described as Theory X in character. Both Theory X and Theory Y define management style in the context of an individual manager's perceptions of the people with whom he or she must interact within an organizational environment (Schilit and Paine, 1987, pp. 161). Perceptions, in this instance, do not refer to a manager's opinions of specific individuals. Rather, they refer to a manager's views on human beings generally, as they function within organizational environments.
Essentially, Theory X and Theory Y represent the polar extremes of managerial perceptions of an organizations' human resources. In actual practice, most management styles likely fall at some point between the two extremes; however, the management style that prevailed in the pediatric intensive care unit prior to the appointment of the new supervisor was strongly Theory X in character.
Theory X is a work centered approach (Schilit and Paine, 1987, pp. 163). Thus, as a style of management, it may be said to be task oriented. The existing managerial style in the unit, as reflected by the actions of the older members of the staff is Theory X in character because:
1. The treatment of the ...