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Whale Done By Ken Blanchard

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In his novel Whale Done, Ken Blanchard illustrates the power that his Whale Done strategy can have on a manager’s relationships, not only with his employees but also with his family and friends. Blanchard argues that his strategies, including redirection and accentuating the positive, can make a major difference in work and family relationships. He believes that these strategies will increase employee productivity and forge stronger relationships through positive interactions. In an easy-to-read, informative style, Blanchard communicates how I can put his strategies in place in my life to make more effective choices within my relationships.
One of the biggest issues with the GOTCHA response is the ripple effect it has throughout the …show more content…

Blanchard illustrates this when Jim Barnes implicitly threatens Wes Kingsley’s job because Wes is being too ‘soft.’ Jim assumes that since Wes, like every worker, lacks motivation and wants to do as little as possible while still collecting a pay check, it is his responsibility to provide a direct reward or punishment in order to ensure Wes’s performance. This contrasts sharply with the style Wes learns from Shamu and the Seaworld team, who believe that trust between whale and trainer (in Wes’s case, manager and employee) is most important. This falls in line with Theory Y management in its belief that under proper, caring (WRONG WORD) management, workers can be self-motivated and flourish. Similar to how Dave Yardley believes Shamu inherently enjoys performing (when treated well), Theory Y/Whale Done managers trust that their workers want to succeed and welcome responsibility above the bare minimum. The managers believe that it is just as much in their employees nature to work and complete tasks as it is to rest or play. Both Blanchard and MacGregor illustrate that Theory Y/Whale Done management is clearly best not only for employee morale, but also productivity. When a manager trusts his or her employees to excel and an

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