Wright and Taylor

Leadership theory
 Author Peter Wright is a lecturer in
occupational psychology at the University of
Bradford Management Centre.

Frederick Winslow Taylor is a controversial

figure in management history. His
innovations in industrial engineering,
particularly in time and motion studies, paid
off in dramatic improvements in productivity.
Taylor himself worked as laborer, then
foreman, at the Midvale Steel Company.
 Before research turned
towards trying to identify
the traits of successful
leaders, leadership was
seen as a skill that a gifted
few were born with
 Influence is a common
theme in leadership
definitions, but that an
influential leader is not
necessarily a good one.
Wright and Taylor focused on
the importance of sound
interpersonal communication
skills in influencing and
empowering the psychological
adjustment and maturity of
followers.
 Wright and Taylor
believed that
leadership is based
around behaviour and
not position power.
For Example…
Managers: work long hours, mix trivial and
important work, have short periods of time
alone (between 30 and 90 minutes a day),
and suffer many interruptions. So managers
are not conductors but puppets: they are
continually pulled by many strings. The
author notes that only superb administrators
can see through their daily haste to what is
really important.
 The realities of work mean
developing a particular
personality, so, overloaded
with work, managers do things
abruptly and superficially.
 Leaders have to give the example. They have to
do things to influence the future.
They have to decide what activities their job
should entail and what emphasis should be given
to them. Leaders should then eliminate
unnecessary activities, delegate wherever
possible, and schedule important but not
immediately pressing activities because “what gets
scheduled gets done”. To minimize disruptions
managers should set time aside for calls and
queries. Managers who improve their skills free up
more time. Skills that can be improved include:
formal communications, administration, planning,
stress management and interpersonal
relationships.
 Conclusion
A good leader is the one
that adapts to the needs
of the employees and not
the one that pretends
everyone to adapt to him.