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(1973). The Great Jackass Fallacy.
"People will avoid, evade, escape, deny, and reject both the jackass assumption and the military style hierarchy, for few people can tolerate being a jackass in a psychological prison without doing something about it." (p. 13)
"...then the managerial task becomes one of alliance with the ego ideals of employees one supervises rather than fighting the individuals or manipulating them in the psychological prison that is the contemporary hierarchical environment." (p. 105)
(1974). Anger.
"Some people unfortunately sacrifice their health and happiness on the altar of justice. Justice is an elusive ideal. If a situation bothers you, the best thing to do is to make the changes necessary for your own comfort. Insisting that blame be placed where it belongs and that the person at fault must be the one to change may only lead to further unhappiness." (p. 124)
(1974). Modern Management and Machiavelli.
"The discharged employee is hopefully restrained from doing a great many things that he would like to do through fear of what it might cost him in terms of pay, good recommendations, and the law." (p. 168)
(1975). Executive Stress.
"The cost of self-doubt in dollars and frustration is beyond computation. Despite their capacity for zest and spirit, uncounted numbers of people endure what they experience as dead-end traps with quiet desperation. They want to do something bigger and more exciting than what they are doing, but they are either afraid or don't know where to begin. They are trapped by barriers they cannot see and hindered by psychological glasses that distort their perception of themselves. The tragedy of having given up on themselves is that so many could use what seem to be barriers as stepping stones to gratification. Too much self-doubt blinds us to the opportunities around us. Without knowing where to start pulling oneself out of the psychological trap, even the person with considerable self-confidence has difficulty doing so." (p. 74)
(1976). New Ways of Managing Conflict.
"The leadership and other processes of the organization must be such as to ensure a maximum probability that in all interactions and all relationships with the organization, each member will in the light of his background, values, and expectations, view the experience as supportive and one which builds and maintains his sense of personal worth and importance." (p. 108)
Likert provided this quote from his book of 15 years earlier, "New Patterns of Management", and refers to it as the most fundamental of all his leadership principles.
Likert provided this quote from his book of 15 years earlier, "New Patterns of Management", and refers to it as the most fundamental of all his leadership principles.
(1976). Play : Its Role in Development and Evolution.
"There is a well-known rule in the psychology of learning, the Yerkes-Dodson law, that states that the more complex a skill to be learned, the lower the optimum motivational level required for fastest learning." (p. 15)
(1976). Psychological Man.
"In displacement or substitution, we vent our feelings on a convenient but inappropriate target. This is the attack which follows projection. Scapegoating is just one variation of this mechanism. Managers frequently unload their disappointment in themselves onto their subordinates." (p. 36)
(1977). Improving Productivity and the Quality of Work Life.
Report on a workplace study authored in 1972:
"The man doing the job is the one to say what time is likely to be wasted. Also, the man who not is pressed, rushed into missing breakfast, or subjected to a guilty conscience by being late is far more likely to really contribute to a team's performance.
Finally, it says, 'Flexible working is something that will inevitably be adopted in the future, and management have the choice of leading towards a situation which they have helped create, or being compelled to accept something not to their liking.'"
"The man doing the job is the one to say what time is likely to be wasted. Also, the man who not is pressed, rushed into missing breakfast, or subjected to a guilty conscience by being late is far more likely to really contribute to a team's performance.
Finally, it says, 'Flexible working is something that will inevitably be adopted in the future, and management have the choice of leading towards a situation which they have helped create, or being compelled to accept something not to their liking.'"
(1977). Management of Organizational Behavior : Utilizing Human Resources.
"In our society today, there is almost a built-in expectation in people that physiological and safety needs will be fulfilled. In fact, most people do not generally have to worry about where their next meal will come from or whether they will be protected from the elements or physical danger. They are now more susceptible to motivation from other needs: People want to belong, be recognized as 'somebody', and have a chance to develop to their fullest potential. As William H. Haney has said:
'The managerial practice, therefore, should be geared to the subordinate's current level of maturity with the overall goal of helping him to develop, to require progressively less external control, and to gain more and more self-control. And why would a man want this? Because under these conditions he achieves satisfaction on the job at all levels, primarily the ego and self-fulfillment levels, at which he is the most motivatable.' " (p. 182)
'The managerial practice, therefore, should be geared to the subordinate's current level of maturity with the overall goal of helping him to develop, to require progressively less external control, and to gain more and more self-control. And why would a man want this? Because under these conditions he achieves satisfaction on the job at all levels, primarily the ego and self-fulfillment levels, at which he is the most motivatable.' " (p. 182)
(1977). The managerial woman.
"It is healthy and natural for all persons, men and women, to live directly in both the instrumental and the affective worlds. The best example we can give to explain what we are talking about is to quote the man who said, 'My boss is the best boss I've ever had. When you go in there and she criticizes your work she makes sure you leave feeling you are a good and valuable person who wrote a bad report.'"
(1977). The OK Boss.
"[Good bosses] know that everyone needs strokes. Some people need more strokes of a certain kind than others. Without these particular strokes, they tend to shrivel up in some way. Their work may go sour, their ideas may become less creative, they may be absent more often, and their errors and poor decisions may increase." (p. 78)
(1978). Conceptual blockbusting : a pleasurable guide to better problem solving.
"Most people are not happy with criticism and, to make matters worse, are somewhat unsure of the quality of their own ideas. They therefore require a supportive environment in which to work."
(1978). Getting organized : the easy way to put your life in order.
"In other words, order is not an end in itself. Order is whatever helps you to function effectively—nothing more and nothing less. You set the rules and the goals, however special, idiosyncratic, or individualistic they may be." (p. 23)
(1978). Negative criticism: Its swath of destruction and what to do about it.
"It is a little after midnight. You have just come out of the last show at the movie. To save a block you cut through a dark alley. Halfway through it—just as you are beginning to relax—two men step out of the shadows. You hear a nasty metallic snick and suddenly there is the glint of knife blades in the feeble light.
What would you do?
I know what I would do.
Quickly I'd turn and throw a fearful look back up the alley. It is clear and free. A surge of adrenalin sends the blood pumping to my legs. Getting out of that alley I set a new indoor Olympic sprint record. The jogger in me has never seen such speed. Nothing seems sweeter than the glare of street lights and the chatter of people making their way to their cars. I look for a police officer and tell my story.
That is what everybody would do in such a situation, right?
But let me play you another version. The scene is the same. The two hulking men are coming at you with knives. But you keep strolling casually on to meet them. You throw up your arms and say, 'I'm all yours. Let me feel the steel. I know it will help me in the long run.'
They oblige by savagely thrusting the knives deep into your defenseless belly. You fall to the pavement writhing with pain. The men stand over you. You roll onto your stomach and gasp, 'You'd better give me a couple in the back, too.'
Ridiculous?
Of course, but it is exactly what thousands upon thousands of us do each and every day by failing to recognize that the knives of negative criticism which people stick in us are just as sharp and deadly as those made of steel and borne by assassins." (p. 9)
What would you do?
I know what I would do.
Quickly I'd turn and throw a fearful look back up the alley. It is clear and free. A surge of adrenalin sends the blood pumping to my legs. Getting out of that alley I set a new indoor Olympic sprint record. The jogger in me has never seen such speed. Nothing seems sweeter than the glare of street lights and the chatter of people making their way to their cars. I look for a police officer and tell my story.
That is what everybody would do in such a situation, right?
But let me play you another version. The scene is the same. The two hulking men are coming at you with knives. But you keep strolling casually on to meet them. You throw up your arms and say, 'I'm all yours. Let me feel the steel. I know it will help me in the long run.'
They oblige by savagely thrusting the knives deep into your defenseless belly. You fall to the pavement writhing with pain. The men stand over you. You roll onto your stomach and gasp, 'You'd better give me a couple in the back, too.'
Ridiculous?
Of course, but it is exactly what thousands upon thousands of us do each and every day by failing to recognize that the knives of negative criticism which people stick in us are just as sharp and deadly as those made of steel and borne by assassins." (p. 9)
(1978). Pulling Your Own Strings : Dynamic Techniques for Dealing with Other People and Living Your Life as You Choose.
"But first you will have to see that it is impossible to be like everyone else and still be your own person. Ralph Waldo Emerson understood this better than anyone I've ever read. In Self-Reliance he said:
'Whoso would be a man, must be a non-conformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.' " (p. 72)
(1978). Control your depression.
"Psychological prevention is a much neglected area. There is so much need for giving services to people who are hurting that we do not take the time to prepare those who are not hurting to live life in effective ways. If we did, we might be able to prevent many from becoming casualties. The savings in therapy time and money—not to mention human suffering—could be enormous. Perhaps some day 'psychological impact statements' will be as familiar to our ears as 'environmental impact statements.'"
(1978). The three boxes of life: and how to get out of them : an introduction to life/work planning.
"In a study prepared by professor M. Harvey Brenner of Johns Hopkins University for the Joint Congressional Economic Committee, every rise in the unemployment rate in this country has been followed by increases in 'seven indicators of social stress': homicide, suicide, deaths from cardiovascular and kidney disease, deaths from cirrhosis of the liver, total number of deaths, admissions to mental hospitals, and the number of people sent to jail for crimes." (p. 249)
(1979). Lying : Moral Choice in Public and Private Life.
"Self-defensive lies can permeate all one does, so that life turns into 'living a lie.' Professionals involved in collective practices of deceit give up all ordinary assumptions about their own honesty and that of others." (p. 79)
(1979). On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors.
"These were not immoral men who were bringing out this car. These were warm, breathing men with families and children who as private individuals would never have approved this project for a minute if they were told 'You are going to kill and injure people with this car.' But these same men, in a business atmosphere, where everything is reduced to terms of costs, profit goals and production deadlines, were able as a group to approve a product most of them wouldn't have considered approving as individuals." (p. 6)
(1979). Organizational Psychology.
"The main conclusion will be that there is no one answer, no 'perfect' way to organize or to design work. Instead, one must become diagnostic and flexible, sensitive to events and their subjective interpretation by the participants in a given situation, so that one can choose a course of action appropriate to that situation."
(1979). Power plays: How to deal like a lawyer in person-to-person confrontations and get your rights.
"Remember, an employer who won't give you your rights when you ask for them must be convinced that it is in his interest to give you your rights." (p. 105)
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