LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Assignment Title: Blake & Mouton’s Grid Theory
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
Date: January 29, 2022
Professor: Dr. Joel Breidenbaugh
Blake & Mouton’s Grid Theory
After Ralph Stogdill’s pivotal article in 1948, leadership studies shifted from a focus on what a
leader “has”—often thought to be inborn traits, to what a leader “does”—or the style and
behavioral functions of leaders. Based on the findings of the University of Michigan and Ohio
State studies which emphasized task- and relations-oriented behaviors, Blake and Mouton (1964)
built a managerial grid—also published as a leadership grid—that integrated a high concern for
production with a high concern for people as the one best way to achieve effective leadership.
A leader’s answers to statements about management assumptions are plotted on a Managerial
Grid, with concern for people varying from 1 to 9 on the vertical axis, and concern for
production varying from 1 to 9 on the horizontal axis. The Grid is still used in leadership
training sessions today.
The following five basic cluster styles result from the interaction of task- and relations-oriented
responses:
Authority-Obedience Management (high production; low people). The leader’s main concern
is in accomplishing the task in the most efficient way possible. A high concern for production is
combined with minimum concern for the people. This leader dictates what should be done.
Country Club Management (high people; low production). The leader shows minimum
concern for production and high concern for people. This leader focuses on making the people
feel good, even if it ends in slower production or not achieving results.
Impoverished Management (low people; low production). The leader has minimum concern
for both people and production. This leader does just enough to keep his or her job.
Organization Man (medium people; medium production). The leader goes along with the
general flow of the organization. This leader is happy with the status quo.
Team Management (high people; high production). The leader integrates a high concern for
people as well as for production. This leader attempts to meet organizational goals through the
participation, involvement, and commitment of all the members in the organization. Synergistic
integration of high concern for both people and production is the key to greatest effectiveness.
However, without openness, trust, respect, even confrontation to resolve conflict as well as
mutual development and change, this apparent 9, 9 orientation can take the form of paternalism.
Likewise, this theory allows for leaders to masquerade their behaviors with a back-up style, as
some opportunistic leaders do.
Managerial Grid Theory recommends optimum leadership behavior—team management. A
study of 731 managers replicated the original findings that 9, 9 –oriented managers from a
variety of companies were more likely to advance in their careers (J. Hall, 1976). However, later
studies have not consistently linked the team management orientation to effective leadership in
every situation. Therefore, situational theories have attempted to explain the contingencies that
seem to moderate the effectiveness of the leader’s behavior.
Implications for church leadership
Blake and Moulton's grid theory is known intuitively in the church. Churches often seek a
pastor-leader who is a “people person” and cares most about people. Thinking theologically, we
might ask, “What does the church produce?” The answer might be people. That is, the church’s
product is people—individuals being conformed to Christ’s example. Thus, a production
oriented person must be most concerned with people either way. That is not to say, however, the
church is not constantly tempted to supplant its people with other task-oriented behaviors. We
do see church leaders who seem to care more about buildings or programs than the people in the
body of Christ. In this way, church leaders can use the people as a means to some other
product—perhaps to produce an enhanced reputation or an accelerated ministerial career.
Some implications of Blake and Moulton's grid theory for church leadership may be: Leaders should
discover their own style on the Blake and Moulton's grid—they should know if they are a 1, 9 or a 5, 5,
or a 9, 9. Various staff leaders may match certain scores. For instance, youth pastors and staff ministers
assigned to pastoral care probably will have a high people score while an executive pastor might
be expected to have a high production score. A church planter may have such a high people
score that they may appear to be a “country club pastor.” Churches may also fit on the Blake and
Moulton's grid. That is, some churches may expect the product of their leader to be a worship service,
carried out with meticulous perfection. Any concern for people by the pastor is of lesser value. Perhaps
there are impoverished churches (low people; low production), country club churches (high people; low
production), organizational churches (medium people and production), along with team and authority
churches.
If local churches do fit on the Blake and Moulton grid, regional leaders should consider matching
candidates for pastoring churches with the similar type churches. For instance, an organizational
church (a 5, 5 church) might better be matched with a 5, 5 leader than a 9, 1 leader.
Of course, the ideal of most congregations is a concern for both production and people, church
growth and church health, excellence in performance and excellence in relationships. Thus,
church leaders should develop their own strategy to become a 9, 9 leader and lead their church in
a comprehensive attempt to become a 9, 9 church collectively.
References
Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1964). The leadership grid. Houston, TX: Gulf.
Hall, J. (1976). To achieve or not: The manager’s choice. California Management Review, 18,
5-18
