questions concerning a particular supervisor who had once worked
with the regional vice president in another location, (c) four specific
accounting questions that required immediate responses (including
investigation), and (d) five questions regarding sales issues. There
were also several other detailed questions.

All of the questions required follow-up, investigation and the gen-
eral manager's time. In all cases, the questions were about details
that were the broad responsibility of the location's general manager,
but should not have required the vice president's time nor the
general manager's time. They were overwhelmed with details, or cir-
cumstances. It was micro-management. Not only was it time-
consuming (time orientation), but it distracted all involved from
performing their real jobs. This organization did not need additional
personnel, it needed to manage the roles at the level they worked.
For purposes of our illustration, this general manager and his sub-
ordinates were motivated by the Circumstances Orientation Motive
to assume this micro-management approach to their jobs. It applied
throughout the organization. It took everyone's time. The element
of pace was obvious. Also their behavior included the Time Orien-
tation Motive because time was being wasted. Department manag-
ers were behaving like supervisors, and no one had any time left
over for strategic thinking.

The repair of this situation was difficult, but obtainable. It re-
quired both a vertical and lateral fix. A vertical fix is required when
the blocks in the pyramid get out of order. As they did in this case.
The Circumstances Orientation Motive had to be put back into the
pyramid where it belongs: on the bottom. Not that circumstances
are not important. It is just that they can be performed by individ-
uals at a lower level in the organization.

A lateral fix is required when a person -- in this case, the general
manager -- has gone out too far on one of the blocks in the pyramid.
He had become too absorbed in details and minutiae. He had be-
come so absorbed that he was overwhelmed!

The vertical fix moved the Circumstances Orientation Motive back
to its rightful place in the pyramid. The lateral fix moved the man-
ager further toward a "center stage" position on the Circumstances
Orientation Motive.

Fleischman P. ( 1990). The healing spirit. New York: Paragon House.

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