Theories in Action: The Pros to Working w/ relationship-oriented coworkers during COVID

One of the first behavioral theories we learned about during our theories and methods class, was the difference between task-oriented and relationship-oriented leadership. Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed this concept further by explaining this concept through a managerial grid.

I have found that in my case, my supervisors and co-workers are highly relationship-oriented, but still maintain expectations about deadlines. There is less of a focus on tasks and the quality of tasks, but rather on the workers themselves. This is not to say that I am not given and doing work every day, because trust me I am, but rather that there is a lot of flexibility and understanding amongst those who work in the office.

I would argue that my coworkers are very middle of the road in terms of Mouton and Blaske’s theory. Blake and Mouton argue that this approach creates a very average work production because employees aren’t pushed to achieve higher quality work. I find this to be very applicable within the Congressman’s office, however given COVID-19 I find this to be the best for the office environment.

During COVID-19 I have seen how blurred the lines between professional and personal life have become. When working from home we are in our personal space, often interrupted by family, friends, and unexpected daily tasks.  Politics is usually a very formal field. I started this internship expecting that there would be a high emphasis on task-oriented behavior and an expectation of professionalism at all times. Rather, I found that my supervisors where very understanding and flexible when it came to changing my hours, taking extra time on projects, or talking me through questions.

My supervisors go out of their way to ask how I’m doing, call to check up on me and be flexible over projects. However, there are still expectations about timeliness and it is expected that every intern does their work in a timely manner. My supervisors rarely give feedback on the quality of my work, even when I ask. I think giving me more feedback and being more task-oriented may increase the quality of work.

I dont know what the office was like before COVID-19, but I do know that many of the things I learned from others who had worked in congressional offices, was very different. I am grateful for the increased level of concern for individuals with the office and their mental and physical health. I think if I was working with co-workers and supervisors who where extremely task-oriented without concern for the lives of their employees, would be very difficult for me. Life happens and I think that is true, now more than ever, in the midst of COVID-19. Survivors must find more room to be relationship-oriented even if that wasn’t the way they functioned before COVID-19, and I am lucky my office has been able to do that.