Management By Intimidation is the technique of managing people and resources by cultivating fear and insecurity. Sometimes it works but I doubt if this is a good approach to management.

I got the article below from techrepublic:
"The project team in question had spent more than a year under the thumb of an executive who wanted more than he could get for what he was willing to spend. The team failed to deliver - and the executive was shown the door. His replacement gave the team what it needed to the job, and it was a grand slam The new executive was showered with praise.

He did not pass that praise on to the team. When the team’s manager called him on it, and implored him to thank the folks who had done the work, his response was, “They were just doing their jobs. That’s not something you thank.”

We call this “management by intimidation,” or MBI, and it’s an honest-to-god strategy that some managers  and executives embrace. The rationale is this: setting the bar higher and higher, by refusing praise and taking exceptional performance for granted, ratchets up personal potential . And stress, after all, is what makes champions, right? Does a power hitter, or a running back, or a Kentucky Derby winner ever hit the mark without through-the-roof stress?

Let’s just say straight-up that this mindset demonstrates an unimaginable vacuum in understanding human nature, and launch into the reasons why IT, in particular, is a poor domain within which to unleash such a strategy. Management By Intimidation just isn’t right for IT."

What do you think of this concept?
Have you been a "victim" of this approach?
As a manager, do you make use of this approach?
Do you know people or organizations that use this and does it work for them?

@OP,
Heard of Macgregor's Theories X and Y?

from Wikipedia:

Theory X = management assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can and that they inherently dislike work. . . . if the organizational goals are to be met, theory X managers rely heavily on threat and coercion to gain their employees' compliance.

Theory Y = management assumes employees may be ambitious and self-motivated and exercise self-control. . . . employees will learn to seek out and accept responsibility and to exercise self-control and self-direction in accomplishing objectives to which they are committed.

9 times out of 10, everywhere in the world, managers are wired towards theory X. It's the generally accepted standard for management.

Over 8 years of being a line manager, I can tell you without reservation that Theory Y is the way to go. Firm supervision is good, but coercion is a no-no. Your team members must be continually motivated, and must be allowed to exercise their abilities. I do that with my current team, and they are the envy of my department.

Management by intimidation is part of the industrial age paradigm. Although we are in the information age, this style of management has been passed from one generation to another.
The age we are in now, which is the information age, is the knowledge worker age. The leader/manager must take in to consideration four things: The 'body', heart, mind and spirit of members of his team. The body- this entails the physical needs of the worker. They seem to overlook such things that what they are keen about is result. The heart- this deals with passion. He is passionate about this project? If not, what are his reasons? How can he be inspired? Etc. Mind- this deals with the mission/vision of the worker. Here is where discussions have to be made. Basically, no involvement, no commitment. The manager nust not only be a boss but a listener. The spirit- this deals with conscience. Charismatic workers perform better than egocentric ones. What principles does he live by? This is what made the difference between Hitler and Gandhi. Hitler- ego. Gandhi- Charisma. Both were passionate, had a vision but spiritually different.
Thats what makes Facebook the best company. They have institutionalize these principles and its giving them results. Management by intimidation wont last long because the the need for global business sustenance would drive it. The need for a outstanding results in the ever competing world would drive it. Infact its packing it load already because companies know that a happy, appreciated worker would be motivated to bring desired results. Willams James, american psychologist said, the greatest human desire is to be appreciated.
Merry Xmas.

yamakuza:

Seems MBI has no use except when dealing with brutes (military?).

[s]All these OPs that open threads and run away sef[/s].

^^

He who posts and runs away, lives to post another day.

From AJ's post it seems MBI is very much with us.

AJ and Ayox thanks for your detailed replies.