Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-30

Sometimes resident managers are
| influenced by the attitude of other
managers of the same rank in the
| same district, and there may even
| be an attempt by such group to
force conservative policy upon more
! literally minded managers. This at.
titude cannot be ascribed to capital
| istic consciousness. but is inspired by
the type of administrative position oc-
| cupied by the individuals.
Challenge of Authority Resented.
The same reaction may be observed
among officials in pon-capitalistic
activity. 1t may be due to differ
ence in interests between the execu-
tive and the working groups, because
each happens to have a different
status in the organization. The execu-
tive resents the challenge TO their au-
thority. 1t applies just as much to
such non-capitalists as school super
| intendents or government officials as
| 1t does to the capitalists.
The attitude of the executives may
be explained in large measure by the
| natural autocracy of leadership This
trait is not to be attributed to capital
| ism.
There is the germ of autocracy in
every leader, from the college presi-
| dent TO a labor union leader The
| theory that consultation of ones sub
ordinates is best for all concerned Is
a modern conception. and Is by
| product Of our modern democratic
| belief that it Is best for getting re-
suits and for the self-development of
| those to be fed. At present the wise
! leader who understands the advan-
| tages of consulting subordinates is
exceptional.
OF course, the ordinary inipatience
of executives with interference is ccm-
| plicated in the industrial field by cer-
| tain manifestations that might be
considered as product OF capitalism.
| But much of their reluctance to share
authority is easy to explain on other
grounds One Of the advantages of
capitalism to an executive is that un-
der it's unified, but decentr~lized, con-
| troll he can count on the man at the
| top to back him up in time of stress
or to reward him for good results.
The alternative which the executive
fears is to have to deal with a group
/ of people with divergent interests,
with whom he will have to play poll
lies in order to maintain his position
Unionism Seen as interference.
In the psychology of the industrial
executive. therefore, one must take
account of this aversion to anything
! that has a semblance of politics. 1t
! explains also the resistance to union
! ism which is so, strong among execu-
| tives. There is usually more preju-
| dice against un,onism among resident
managers and local superintendent
and foremen than there is in the home
office among the upper executives, and
directors, who constitute the capital
! lists. The lower executives Bitterly re-
sent this interference with their right
to be boss of their domain. which they
| feel is one of the perquisites Of their
position.
/ We must change executive tempera
ment by developing different behavior
patterns. We have, to this point.
| stressed the contention that the atti.
tude of Industrial leaders can be ex,
! planned N part by certain innate
psychological characteristics, by q
| natural arrogance of leadership arts
ing under any system In addition
there is an acquired attitude that /:
due to a traditional environment and
to obsessions resulting from the in
dustrial relationships of the present
system. For IL is the conjunction OF
the two elements, a natural autocracy
and an acquired attitude, that ex
plains why the leaders OF today act
as they do.
| Though employers come from dis
similar environments, and in many
respects are affected by dissimilar in
fiuences, in one respect they seem to
have the same emotional backgrounds,
When an issue comes up concerning
the labor problem, they do not think;
they feel. They may approach other
problems i'm an objective, even q
scientific, spirit, but on labor cues
tions they quickly strike an attitude
$. How differently executives will reac;
to difficulties interposed by physical
auses and to difficulties interposed
!