their position. This does not mean waiting for things to get better, fairer or more
permissive on their own, or waiting for others to do something for you (see above);
leeway is not there so that we can sit and wonder how things are done elsewhere,
in situations that don’t apply to us; it is there for us to conquer” (Sprenger 1999,
p. 251).
The reverse applies to the expectations of the employees from the management.
“The secret of efficiency is having an understanding of the people one works with
and on whom one depends, so that one can profit from his or her strengths, ways of
working and codes of values. Work relationships depend in equal measure on the
person and on the work itself” (Drucker 1999, p. 16).
Though once only the management benefitted from power struggles with its
employees, this is no longer the case. Today the employees are in power even if
they may not seem it at first glance. The employees possess power as they in a way
“select” a manager by deciding for or against them and being cooperative or
emotionally or literally refusing to work for them. Employees make this selection
with their level of commitment to a manager. There are employees without
managers, but no managers without employees (Sprenger 2002a, p. 160).
2.3.2 Motivation
The different ideas of human nature put forward in the X and Y theories and the
work of Bartlett and Ghoshal illustrate the importance of motivation in the leader-
ship process. Good leadership depends to a high degree on the readiness of staff
members to commit to giving maximum performance and to reaching the business
goals in cooperation with the management. Yet how can this readiness be
established? What drives people? What are the goals and needs of the employees?
Are people more easily prompted to action by extrinsic or intrinsic motivation? The
social sciences, business sciences and psychology have been attempting to answer
these questions for decades. Abraham H. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs forms the
starting point in our exploration of the findings of motivation research.
2.3.2.1 The Hierarchy of Needs
In 1943, Maslow developed a theory of motivation that included a model outlining
individual goals and five categories of individual needs arranged in a hierarchical
pyramid. The underlying concept is that the basic needs must be met first before the
next level of the hierarchy can be met. These needs are categorized as physiological
needs (hunger, thirst, sex drive, etc.); safety; love/belonging; esteem; and self-
actualization. Note that nourishment is a primary need, while social contact and
even esteem are considered secondary needs (Maslow 1943). In short: a hungry
man has no conscience.
2.3 The Relationship Between Leader and Led 79