The Control Theory Manager

Replace fear with trust and coercion with cooperation to build a workplace where workers choose quality every day.

Combining the control theory of William Glasser with the wisdom of W. Edwards Deming, this indispensable management resource explains both what quality is and what lead-managers need to do to achieve it.

Glasser contrasts traditional boss-management, with its reliance on punitive coercion and top-down inspection, with a collaborative model rooted in employee self-evaluation. By identifying how workplace conditions satisfy intrinsic human needs for power, belonging, and freedom, the text outlines practical methods to eliminate adversarial friction.

Lead-managers learn to facilitate rather than dictate, replacing destructive criticism with noncoercive problem solving to foster continuous improvement.

• Total Quality Management: Learn why Dr. Edwards Deming attributed ninety-eight percent of production failures to executive systems rather than line workers, and how eliminating third-party inspection lowers operational costs.
• Leadership Frameworks: Discover the four core practices that separate lead-management from traditional bossing, including modeling tasks directly and maintaining an open-door policy for worker suggestions.
• Organizational Development: Explore the mechanics of the internal "quality world," showing managers how to earn a permanent place in their employees’ mental picture of trust and meaningful labor.
• Decision Making: Master reality therapy counseling techniques to resolve chronic lateness, workflow bottlenecks, and personal crises without resorting to reprimands or punitive penalties.