"Shoulds" and "oughts" in the workplace.: An article from: SAM Advanced Management Journal

This digital document is an article from SAM Advanced Management Journal, published by Society for the Advancement of Management on March 22, 1992. The length of the article is 6422 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Managers may improve employee satisfaction and productivity by knowing how to use 'shoulds and oughts' effectively. 'Shoulds and oughts' are communicated in two ways, instructional or moralistic. Instructional 'shoulds' are beneficial when they are used to offer advice or suggestions and are expressed with an adult-to-adult tone of voice. However, they can evoke negative emotional reactions when spoken in harsh tone and in a parent-child manner. Moralistic 'shoulds' reflect value judgments and are also likely to incite negative emotional reactions, such as anger and indignation. Whether directed to oneself or to other people, the use of moralistic 'shoulds' and instructional 'shoulds' spoken in a parent-child manner will only cause stress and lower self-esteem and will not at all contribute to increased employee productivity and satisfaction.

Citation Details
Title: "Shoulds" and "oughts" in the workplace.
Author: R. Bruce McAfee
Publication:SAM Advanced Management Journal (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1992
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Management
Volume: v57 Issue: n2 Page: p39(2)

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