Management by fear
Encyclopedia
Management by fear is a management
strategy for controlling people by using threats in a direct and indirect way that relies on the person’s built-in fear
.
Direct management by fear is the classic way of invoking fear and relies on the fact that the person using this management strategy, the perpetrator, is also the person that is invoking fear in the recipient.
Indirect management by fear on the other hand, is a more complex way of invoking fear. The perpetrator may be invoking fear without coming in contact with the recipient. There is however always a recipient affected indirectly.
. Percy Nilegård
scares his employee, and then turns around calling his methods of controlling his employees Management by fear. The concept though, is much older. It's described already in the famous Il Principe
by Niccolò Machiavelli
in 1513.
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
strategy for controlling people by using threats in a direct and indirect way that relies on the person’s built-in fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
.
Direct management by fear is the classic way of invoking fear and relies on the fact that the person using this management strategy, the perpetrator, is also the person that is invoking fear in the recipient.
Indirect management by fear on the other hand, is a more complex way of invoking fear. The perpetrator may be invoking fear without coming in contact with the recipient. There is however always a recipient affected indirectly.
History
The concept started as an expression in the Swedish comedy show Percy tårarPercy tårar
Percy Tårar was a Swedish 6-part television show broadcast by SVT in 1996. It was Killinggänget's follow-up to the popular Nilecity 105,6. It was directed by Walter Söderlund and produced by Magdalena Jangard....
. Percy Nilegård
Percy Nilegård
Percy Nilegård is a fictional character played by Johan Rheborg, and one of the primary staples of the Swedish comedy-group Killinggänget.A vain, snobbish, and possibly insane capitalist with a noticeable underbite, he does almost everything to earn money while also promoting his own ideas of good...
scares his employee, and then turns around calling his methods of controlling his employees Management by fear. The concept though, is much older. It's described already in the famous Il Principe
The Prince
The Prince is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus . But the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after...
by Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...
in 1513.
Recognition factors of management by fear
There are many different ways of management and to be able to acknowledge a specific management strategy as management by fear, some factors needs to be taken into account:- There is always a perpetrator and at least one recipient
- There is always some kind of fear scenario
- The aim for the perpetrator is often power
- The perpetrator has some kind of economical or political agendaPolitical agendaA political agenda is a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate....