ONE MINUTE MANAGER 2

One Minute Manager

Watch the video titled “More Management Techniques from The One Minute Manager” (6
min 28 s), shown below. From the video, give your opinion on the three (3) approaches
discussed in the video (goal setting, praise, and reprimand). Assess how these are or are not
applicable to a team setting, and whether this is still pertinent in today’s workforce given
that the video is nearly three (3) decades old.   Support your response with recognized
authorities in the field.
One minute goal
The approach of one minute goal is effective as a motivator and as a regulator of
behavior. When people have goals that they are trying to achieve they tend to be more motivated
than those working without any specific goal in mind. Additionally, the one minute goal helps
employees to only focus on behaviors and activities that play a role in the achievement of their
goals.
One minute praising
I believe that one minute praising is key to the development of high achieving employees.
When employees are “caught doing something right” and are praised at that very moment, they
will strive to do many more right things and receive even more praises (Blanchard & Spencer,
1982). The praises, of course, have to be honest. If employees sense dishonesty in the praises, the
motivational effect of the praises may not be significant. Compared to “catching employees
when doing wrong” strategy, the one minute praise encourages excellence. With the former,
employees become mediocre because they will just do enough to avoid trouble from their
superiors.

ONE MINUTE MANAGER 3
One minute reprimand
One minute reprimand is effective for two reasons. First, since it is delivered at the time
the employee makes a mistake, it is likely to induce change. When employees are reprimanded
many weeks or months after they have done a mistake, they unlikely to take the reprimand
positively and make the required changes. Second, one minute reprimand is effective because it
is made in a manner that makes the employee feel that their boss wants them to succeed. It shows
that the boss has no problems with them as individuals but only specific behaviors that they want
changed.
These three approaches can be applied in team settings. When adopted by team leaders,
they have the potential of creating highly motivated and effective teams. Even though the video
is nearly three decades old, the contents are still applicable in modern times because human
psychology has not changed. People still respond positively to timely and honest praises and
change behavior when subjected to timely and honest reprimands (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, &
Wells, 2019). Goals also focus people’s energies and behaviors on things that are really
important. The contents of the video are, therefore, relevant even in modern times.

ONE MINUTE MANAGER 4

References

Blanchard, K. & Spencer, J. (1982, September 6). Management Techniques from “The One
Minute Manager”.
Kloppenborg, T. J., Anantatmula, V. S., & Wells, K. N. (2019). Contemporary Project
Management. Cengage.