What do you think?
Rate this book
The Human Element: Productivity, Self-Esteem, and the Bottom Line
Shows how to enhance our performance and improve our organizations by developing healthier self-concepts of ourselves and in others. A personal development and leadership guide to creating a work environment where self-determination and openness are the rule, offers strategies for heightening our awareness of ourselves and others as a key factor in shaping our relationships to work. Offers a field-tested approach to improving organizational effectiveness, introducing innovative tools and exercises--including the concordance model of decision making, the Team Compatibility Index for team building, the Work Relations Index for improved individual performance, and the leader as completer concept of leadership--to promote creativity and openness at work.
277 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 1994
5 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 18, 2021
Masterful Theory/Practice for Building Further - Seeing mention of Schutz in Kripal’s “Esalen”, Vonnegut and McConnel’s “Pity the Reader,” and Jones and Brazzel’s “The NTL Handbook” (see my reviews), I was interested in learning more about how his work had progressed over the years.
Active in similar fields, I had met Schutz in a personal growth workshop he conducted, used his FIRO-B instrument, as well as read a few of his books and articles from some time ago. Consequently, it was heartening to see how he drew his experience together and brought it to bear in a business context during the latter part of his career---masterful theory and practice for building further.
More specifically, the book consists mainly of an introduction (The Heart of the Human Element), two parts of six chapters and a conclusion. Namely, Part One (Developing the Human Element) includes (1) A New Way of Making Sense of Ourselves and Our Relationships: Inclusion, Control, and Openness, and (2) The Basis for Personal and Professional Effectiveness: Self-Concept and Self-Esteem. Part Two (The Human Element at Work) entails (3) Teamwork: Building Compatible and Productive Teams, (4) Optimal Individual Performance: Enhancing Performance and Unblocking Creativity, (5) Concordance Decision Making: Developing Better Decisions That Everyone Supports, and (6) Redefining Leadership and Creating the Human-Element Organization. In addition to the Conclusion (The Real Bottom Line: Productive, High Self-Esteem, and Successful People and Organizations), there is an Appendix (Human Element Tools), Notes & References, and an Index.
My favorite aspects included Schutz’s background about his career and life as a psychologist and consultant (combining science and the experiential). He remarks early on (pg. 12) that “In the past, I had found that to write . . . was not simply to record what I already knew; it always turned out to be a more creative experience, one in which new correlations emerged, new associations were made, and new simplifications appeared. In short, I usually had a better idea of what I had been doing . . . “ Schutz’s “Human Element Periodic Table” which he uses as a reference throughout the book is exquisite It is a chart which elegantly lays out the various dimensions of his Inclusion, Control and Openness paradigm. These dimensions underly processes by which individuals, groups and organizations develop (a brilliant table of 8 rows and 9 columns). For instance (pg. 77), the author explains that “Self-concept and self-esteem are crucial to personal and professional effectiveness . . . [when] I become more aware of the origins of my behavior . . . [I can] be effective when I choose to change. Teams, groups, and entire organizations with greater awareness of the dynamics of self-concept and self-esteem can look forward to more productive and . . . more pleasant working relationships.” Further on (PG. 130-31), he elaborates that “If we all have high self-esteem – that is if we feel both consciously and unconsciously significant, competent, and likable – then differences among us (intellectual, ethnic, stylistic, gender-related), although they may be difficult, are all conscious and are puzzles to be solved. Team members who are aware of their fears and feelings can acknowledge their differences and integrate them creatively in order to enrich the solution to problems.” Towards the end of the book (PG. 243), the author suggests that “The Human Element model offers all organizations the opportunity to change consciousness by helping people to be more self-aware.”
Regrettably, since Schutz died in 2002, it seems this text was his last book and major work---just as internet was beginning to come into its own. Thus, this oeuvre does not take into account digital conditions and capabilities that were only starting to emerge. For instance, more recently, some have started to seek more direct measures of individual emotional states and indicators of actual behavior to go beyond the type of self-reporting that Schutz (and most psychologists) have relied upon in gaining further insight into human behavior (e.g., see my reviews of Zak’s “Trust” and Halpern’s “Inside the Nudge Unit”).
Fortunately, Schutz’s work is so well documented/tested, explained and laid out where those who progress from here can incorporate such luminous frameworks as they continue to enhance ways to foster “the human element.”
Active in similar fields, I had met Schutz in a personal growth workshop he conducted, used his FIRO-B instrument, as well as read a few of his books and articles from some time ago. Consequently, it was heartening to see how he drew his experience together and brought it to bear in a business context during the latter part of his career---masterful theory and practice for building further.
More specifically, the book consists mainly of an introduction (The Heart of the Human Element), two parts of six chapters and a conclusion. Namely, Part One (Developing the Human Element) includes (1) A New Way of Making Sense of Ourselves and Our Relationships: Inclusion, Control, and Openness, and (2) The Basis for Personal and Professional Effectiveness: Self-Concept and Self-Esteem. Part Two (The Human Element at Work) entails (3) Teamwork: Building Compatible and Productive Teams, (4) Optimal Individual Performance: Enhancing Performance and Unblocking Creativity, (5) Concordance Decision Making: Developing Better Decisions That Everyone Supports, and (6) Redefining Leadership and Creating the Human-Element Organization. In addition to the Conclusion (The Real Bottom Line: Productive, High Self-Esteem, and Successful People and Organizations), there is an Appendix (Human Element Tools), Notes & References, and an Index.
My favorite aspects included Schutz’s background about his career and life as a psychologist and consultant (combining science and the experiential). He remarks early on (pg. 12) that “In the past, I had found that to write . . . was not simply to record what I already knew; it always turned out to be a more creative experience, one in which new correlations emerged, new associations were made, and new simplifications appeared. In short, I usually had a better idea of what I had been doing . . . “ Schutz’s “Human Element Periodic Table” which he uses as a reference throughout the book is exquisite It is a chart which elegantly lays out the various dimensions of his Inclusion, Control and Openness paradigm. These dimensions underly processes by which individuals, groups and organizations develop (a brilliant table of 8 rows and 9 columns). For instance (pg. 77), the author explains that “Self-concept and self-esteem are crucial to personal and professional effectiveness . . . [when] I become more aware of the origins of my behavior . . . [I can] be effective when I choose to change. Teams, groups, and entire organizations with greater awareness of the dynamics of self-concept and self-esteem can look forward to more productive and . . . more pleasant working relationships.” Further on (PG. 130-31), he elaborates that “If we all have high self-esteem – that is if we feel both consciously and unconsciously significant, competent, and likable – then differences among us (intellectual, ethnic, stylistic, gender-related), although they may be difficult, are all conscious and are puzzles to be solved. Team members who are aware of their fears and feelings can acknowledge their differences and integrate them creatively in order to enrich the solution to problems.” Towards the end of the book (PG. 243), the author suggests that “The Human Element model offers all organizations the opportunity to change consciousness by helping people to be more self-aware.”
Regrettably, since Schutz died in 2002, it seems this text was his last book and major work---just as internet was beginning to come into its own. Thus, this oeuvre does not take into account digital conditions and capabilities that were only starting to emerge. For instance, more recently, some have started to seek more direct measures of individual emotional states and indicators of actual behavior to go beyond the type of self-reporting that Schutz (and most psychologists) have relied upon in gaining further insight into human behavior (e.g., see my reviews of Zak’s “Trust” and Halpern’s “Inside the Nudge Unit”).
Fortunately, Schutz’s work is so well documented/tested, explained and laid out where those who progress from here can incorporate such luminous frameworks as they continue to enhance ways to foster “the human element.”
July 4, 2021
Will Schutz speaks 'Teal' (from Reinventing Organizations by Laloux) although he probably never heard the concept himself.
With the Human Element he provides a self-developmental and psychological perspective to organizational development. His premise is that all interactions and communications in any social system are influenced by the unconscious preferences of humans. He argues that addressing the root cause at the human side as a prerequisite for any change is openness, truth and awareness. With that 'inside-out' philosophy he provides an complementary perspective to the often heavily systems-thinking influenced 'outside-in' approach to organizational development that argues simplified that changing structures will change behavior, and ultimately consciousness.
What I like most about this book is that it puts the self-development aspect of humans, which I believe are needed for the development of self-determined and self-organized ways of working, in relation to the work that needs to be done in an organization. The training happens on-the-job, rather than in some external training sessions. For example he shows how decision-making processes are providing a chance for more self-awareness and thus influence the decision to be made. (The interplay of personal and organizational development comes to mind, as for example described in Deliberately Developmental Organization by Kegan.)
Four stars, because the own preferences and rigidity of Schutz is seen in his methodology, which is very structured and method-driven. His academic background at Harvard has surely influenced how the human element developed and is set up.
With the Human Element he provides a self-developmental and psychological perspective to organizational development. His premise is that all interactions and communications in any social system are influenced by the unconscious preferences of humans. He argues that addressing the root cause at the human side as a prerequisite for any change is openness, truth and awareness. With that 'inside-out' philosophy he provides an complementary perspective to the often heavily systems-thinking influenced 'outside-in' approach to organizational development that argues simplified that changing structures will change behavior, and ultimately consciousness.
What I like most about this book is that it puts the self-development aspect of humans, which I believe are needed for the development of self-determined and self-organized ways of working, in relation to the work that needs to be done in an organization. The training happens on-the-job, rather than in some external training sessions. For example he shows how decision-making processes are providing a chance for more self-awareness and thus influence the decision to be made. (The interplay of personal and organizational development comes to mind, as for example described in Deliberately Developmental Organization by Kegan.)
Four stars, because the own preferences and rigidity of Schutz is seen in his methodology, which is very structured and method-driven. His academic background at Harvard has surely influenced how the human element developed and is set up.
March 9, 2020
This book was recently recommended to me but honestly I don't think it has aged well. The underlying premise is good. People need to be self-aware and have good self esteem to be productive leaders and team members because interpersonal problems are the root of 90% of organizational strife. Right on. I didn't like how the author felt the need to invent a new language, analytical tools, and trainings to deal with the issues. Most of the book relied on clunky assessment tools or described how organizations had all their employees endure a group training or experience to get to the next level. A lot of it was unrealistic and not helpful to the average reader. PS I never to plan to make a hire using a live group to winnow the herd in a process that takes until 2 am or do performance appraisals as a group exercise. Still not enlightened, I guess.
November 21, 2019
Self confidence, self esteem, and openness are keys to being a good leader.
February 16, 2015
I was privileged to learn from Will. His last book encapsulated the many gifts of perspective this pioneer of human potential shared.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews