Most corporate managers are fighting the last generation's war, operating under a mentality that is outdated, but pervasive at all levels of corporate America.

Most corporate managers are fighting the last generation's war, operating under a mentality that is outdated, but pervasive at all levels of corporate America. If you're running a plantation or a coal mine, the work is physically difficult and the rewards are minimal, so you have to be either (a) generous or (b) brutal in order to get people to work. Historically, the latter option was more popular. Thus, we end up with the entrenched (but increasingly wrong) idea that people have to be intimidated into working, or they'll shirk: "Theory X", in management parlance. It works if you're running a coal mine; not so much for a software shop. Of course, most bosses would rather be "Theory Y" (nurturing, encouraging) than X. Few people want to be assholes. The problem is that a manager who's permissive and nurturing will be regarded well by his subordinates, and held in good regard during good times, but if something happens outside of his control, he's likely to take blame from above for having been "too soft". Follow the ladder high enough, and at some point you're likely to encounter someone with the old mentality (or an egomaniac, or an asshole).