Michael Scott’s Management Style

melodymcguirk
Nov 5, 2021
3 min read

Melody McGuirk

January 31st, 2021

As we are in lockdown again, I have noticed that my Netflix consumption has increased significantly, probably like many other people! I have recently been watching “The Office”, an American sitcom where we observe a flawed office dynamic of a small paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) is the regional manager for the majority of the show.

However, I realised that something was wrong with me when I started analysing his leadership style! No joke, as I was watching an episode one night, I could not stop trying to figure out what type of leader he is. So, I decided I would write a blog about it.

At first glance Michael Scott does not seem like a good leader with his inappropriate workplace behaviour and his complete lack of productivity. However, I think there are a lot of commendable leadership traits he displays which should be appreciated. Catherine Holdsworth explained “7 reasons why Michael Scott is the ‘World’s Best Boss’”, although below I have detailed why I think he is a great manager.

Great Communication

Michael calls team meetings in pretty much every episode. He starts up discussions about various issues, subjects and ideas and makes sure to provide an environment in which his employees can give their input. He values honesty and always wants to hear feedback from his employees while discussing team strategy.

Relationships and Encouragement

In Season 6, Episode 20, Michael makes the point "Make friends first, make sales second”. He prioritises his relationship with his employees and focuses on their growth and development as people throughout his time as regional manager. He makes celebrates employee’s achievements at his own invention of the annual “Dundies” awards.

Michael is genuinely interested in his employee's personal lives and talents because he wants them to succeed. The focal point of Michael’s leadership style is encouragement. I think this shows us that when a manager encourages employees it builds stronger relationships and raises spirits in the office.

Exciting Workplace

There was never a boring day under Michaels management. At the beginning of the show, he said ‘it’s about keeping the troops happy’ when talking about the success of his branch. Michael wants his office to be a place of education and insight so that each day when his employees leave the office, they are leaving with new knowledge.

Affiliative Leadership Style

From this information, I believe that Michael has an affiliative style of leadership. Bruna Martinuzzi describes this leadership style as "People come first" in her article ‘The 7 Most Common Leadership Styles (and How to Find Your Own)’. Which I think perfectly sums up him as a manager. Michael is very involved with his staff and the emotional well-being of his employees is his top priority. He makes every effort to have open communication and creates synergetic relationships with his employees.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my final blog post for this academic year. This was a very fun blog to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please like, comment, and share with all your friends. I know these times are crazy but stay safe and find joy in the little things in life.

Signing off

Melody McGuirk xxx