Leading with Balance: Combining Performance and Humanity – Michel Jonquères

Beyond McGregor: Embracing the Diversity of Ambitions

Michel began by revisiting Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Y, highlighting a fundamental truth: we are all different in our ambitions. Some want to follow, others want to lead, and this must be accepted. Forcing someone to become a manager when they excel technically but lack this aspiration generates discomfort.

This approach is enriched by Karasek’s work on the balance between responsibilities and resources, and Herzberg’s on hygiene factors versus motivating factors. The key lies in understanding that well-being requires both the absence of negative factors AND the presence of positive factors.

The Well-being Tree: A Systemic Model

Michel presented his revolutionary model to us: the well-being tree and the ill-being tree. In this powerful metaphor:

• Constraints (profit, competition, regulations) are the seed

• Management forms the roots that nourish the tree

• The 20 concomitant actions form the sap that rises in the trunk

• The climate of trust represents the branches

• Well-being or ill-being are the flowers that blossom

The crucial lesson: all 20 actions must be taken SIMULTANEOUSLY. If you forget even one, the person falls into ill-being, while a single negative action is enough to create ill-being.

The 20 Concomitant Actions: The Recipe for Well-being

Among these essential actions, Michel detailed several key elements:

• Explain how the company operates: each employee must understand their position and why they are useful

• Continuous training: providing personal resources beyond technical means

• The right to make mistakes: accepting an error once, not thirty-six times for the same thing

• Skill assembly: resolving relational incompatibilities within teams

• Recognition and pay equity: maintaining a balance perceived as fair

International Experience: Field Lessons

Michel’s experiences in South Africa and Italy perfectly illustrate his principles. In South Africa, despite apartheid, he created an internal works council that helped defuse a strike. In Italy, facing combative unions, he developed an approach of transparent dialogue on company strategy.

These experiences demonstrate that good social dialogue is an integral part of individual well-being. Employees need to feel that management and employee representatives are working together, otherwise they find themselves caught between two fires.

Co-responsibility: A Delicate Balance

A major discovery by Michel: well-being is a co-responsibility. It is neither 100% the company’s responsibility nor 100% the employee’s. This balanced approach avoids the pitfalls of an “all-company” or “all-individual” mindset and empowers everyone in creating a fulfilling work environment.

In a nutshell…

Here are the three major lessons to take away from this Masterclass with Michel Jonquères:

• Apply the 20 concomitant actions: Well-being requires a systemic approach where all elements are addressed simultaneously, from training to social dialogue.

• Accept the diversity of profiles: Respect differences in ambition and do not force career advancements, while creating an environment where everyone finds their place.

• Cultivate co-responsibility: Create a balance where the company and employees are mutually committed to building well-being at work.

Don’t miss the next Masterclass!