Task v. People

In a leadership seminar you will likely be asked, “What is more important, task or people?” One website asks the question this way. The answer, of course, is, “Yes!”

While both task and people are important aspects of almost any leadership situation, there are various ways of combining a leader’s concern for task and people.
Blake and Moulton use this grid:

(1, 1) indicates Impoverished leadership where a leaders is unconcerned with both task and interpersonal relationships. (9, 1) indicates Authority-Compliance leadership where efficient operations and productions goal are emphasized. (1, 9) demonstrates Country Club leadership where concern for interpersonal relationships remains paramount and production minimal. (9, 9) indicates Team leadership where both tasks and interpersonal relationships are stressed. (5, 5) indicates Middle-of-the-road leadership where a compromise between people and production is achieved. This matrix is a useful tool for helping leaders to identify their leadership style.

An example from my work at the IRD is apropos. My responsibility was to give our weekly volunteer, Jennifer, work to do. Often she arrived early and I would be irritated by her chatty stories that always seemed to interrupt my morning routine. I’d rather be left alone until I was ready to start the day’s tasks. One day I realized that when it was Jennifer’s day to volunteer, she was my task. Other things became less important. Because she would do whatever we asked and help lighten our load, the least I could do was listen. As my thinking changed, I gained an appreciation not only of Jennifer’s work, but of Jennifer herself. The work was no less important, but Jennifer was just as important. Productivity and satisfaction increased for both of us. I remember Jennifer when I encounter new leadership opportunities. And to consider what’s more important, task or people. That’s the power of the leadership grid.