Select a staff function in a given organization—HR, finance, information systems, sales, marketing, purchasing, maintenance, safety, logistics, etc.—and assess the percentage of time that is currently devoted to each of the four functional roles identified by McGregor, with the total being 100 percent of available staff time. This “current state” is:

• Help in strategic planning __________%

• Help in problem solving __________%

• Help with respect to managerial controls __________%

• Help in administering services __________%

Now, do the same allocation for how things should be in three to five years, which would be the following “desired state”:

• Help in strategic planning __________%

• Help in problem solving __________%

• Help with respect to managerial controls __________%

• Help in administering services __________%

100%

What are the implications?1