ABSTRACT
LIKE the party whip whose job it is “to enforce party discipline and to secure the attendance of party members at important sessions” (Kellerman, 1975), it is also part of the manager’s role to ensure the performance and attendance of his or her staff. While political whips coax and even cajole, they rarely use punishment to “whip” members into line (Cooper, 1978). In contrast, managers must sometimes use both punishment (that is, discipline) and persuasion-based strategies, especially when poor performance manifests itself in a mounting chain of incidents that become increasingly difficult to deal with. Consider the following example:
The third time we talked I called Cheri into the office to talk about her tardiness. On numerous occasions, Cheri would walk in anywhere from 5 to 10 to 15 minutes late. Not one word was offered as explanation—I’m sorry, I had car trouble; I’m sorry, my kids were sick. So I told her that I expected her to be prepared to work at 9:30. To do that she should be here by 9:25 or 9:26. She became very belligerent. That’s the only word I can use. She actually sat there and yelled at me. The tellers across the lobby could hear her yelling at me. I have never had anyone act that way to me before. … She did not think that she should be here one minute before 9:30 when her time card said 9:30 to 5:30. I again told her of the many times she had started work past 9:30 which I actually kept a record of and never said a word to her. I actually showed her the card and she actually denied ever being late.
