Samual (Ebb) moves in!

*This morning I would like to introduce you to someone I’ve known for minimally over the last 9 years. His name is Samuel. He goes most often by the name of Ebb. I think the nickname has something to do with him having at one time fallen from a state of grace. He’s never really explained.

Ebb is quite an intellectual who is going to stay for a while in our guest bedroom. He is an older and trustworthy gentleman in his early 60's. He says he’s been retired for quite some time now, but seems to have an income that allows him to get along in the world. I believe there are other places and friends he sometimes stays with, because he doesn’t come home every night. We’ve never asked many personal questions of each other, but I suspect there is a woman involved. The idea of having him stay with us is quite new. The arrangement met both our physical and companionship needs.

Our schedules coincide well. He is up later at night, while I’m up earlier ... so, we both have private use of the living room, books and computer. Neither of us watch the television. He understands my diet, so he tends to fend for himself in the area of meals, but we’ve enjoyed spending an after dinner drink together and the conversation is always excellent.

Last night, when I came home from work, I had found that he’d put up the last of our bookshelves, vacuumed the carpet and had even brought down the trash. Whata guy. And, the best part? There were fresh flowers found on my computer table which resides in the living room. I recognize the yellow carnations, white daisy’s and wild green filler. I’m not very good at identifying flowers, but there is also a dainty white flower with brown specks and a wonderful yellow flower with long, thin petals. Hehe could almost think of it as having hundreds of banana peel fingers! Ebb said he had wanted to give me a proper welcome home. I think he’s quite taken with the new arrangements. I feel as appreciative of him as he does of me.

We fell into a conversation of work. He was telling me of a business theory, I’d only heard in passing before. Ebb stated, McGreggor’s Theory Y had come about during the 60's and that it had become a classic. The theory challenged business practices in the area of motivation and behavior. The older theory which he called Theory X states that workers are viewed "... as uninformed, lazy, and untrustworthy members of the organization. Management’s task was to control workers and motivate them through a combination of control systems, fear of discipline or dismissal, and organizational rules." McGreggor contrasted this view with Theory Y. Theory Y assumes that " ... workers are highly motivated and can be trusted to contribute to the organization’s objectives if given the opportunity to participate in organizational decision making."

Well, if you can imagine this information had me almost falling off my chair! I said to him, "You mean, there is a reason that Sr. Tess acts as she does? She is following a business style and that other managers supported that view?! Ebb said, "Yep! She is a classic Theory X manager." Hehe, he then offered me his condolences.

Ebb said that there were other theories sustained the ideas represented in Theory Y. Mainly it was a consideration of acknowledging both workers and their social environment to advance "...design and implementation of new technologies and production systems." He informed me that this theory had originated from Scandinavia and had found a home here in America, especially due to global competition and evolving technological change.

The key to Theory Y seemed to be that management ought support participation and communication with their employees. Then he added there were still that doubted that employees should be involved with decision making which gave way for both theory X and theory Y concepts.

Like wow!! This seemed like a pretty big missing piece of the puzzle. I am still not sure what to do with this information, but it did have an impact in my efforts to understand Sr. Tess. I imagine that I’m going to have to forgive for the very rough time she gave us yesterday. There had been a very bad meeting with our PAS agency. That is the agency that has just since July 1rst been enacted to be a monitoring body between agencies like ours and the state which partially funds us. Very bad scene ... one that jeopardizes my ability to maintain my present work load. It might take a few days for the dust to settle. Fortunately, our friend should be back by tomorrow. I’m not sure his impact, but if I’m fired or quit ... eh, not going to talk about work ... maybe indirectly, but we want to shut down its taking over of my mind mentally. Ebb had smiled before I turned in. He likes to remind me that I’m ok, just we’re in a tough situation. I think this is common for people who find themselves behind the eight ball!

*From the imagination of Lissa and Encylopeadia Brittanica (1995).