Geraldine Laybourne: Theory X, Theory Y, and Theory G: From Gak to Get the Money

Theory X, Theory Y, and Theory G: From Gak to Get the Money

Even if you've never heard of Douglas McGregor or taken a business course, you're probably familiar with his famous Theory X and Theory Y business management models. But you've probably never heard of Theory G, because we just made it up. It's the Geraldine Laybourne '69 model, and it ought to be taught in every business school. Theory G holds that if you want to unleash the creativity of the people who work for you, you have to create the conditions for it. Laybourne is famous for doing things like bringing buckets of gak to her staff meetings'giving her people "recess"�putting five recent college grads in a room with a bunch of computer gadgets and seeing what they come up with. You want people to think playfully? Encourage them to play.

It's the model Laybourne used to develop Nickelodeon into the most highly rated cable network in the country, and it's the strategy she's using now to develop Oxygen Media into the premier cable network for women, with a rep for the edgiest entertainment on the tube.

Two other Laybourne business trademarks: do your homework, and take risks. Well trained Vassar grad that she is, Laybourne always goes to the source. According to Matt Stump, writing for Cable World online, "Laybourne built Nickelodeon with a never-ending mantra of listening to children. She's bringing the same philosophy to Oxygen." Wanna find out what kids like? Ask them. Better yet, bring them into the studio, give them a bunch of awesome stuff to play with, and see what they do with it.

"Ren and Stimpy" and "Rugrats" now seem like classics, but at the time, they were risky. "The vogue at the time was to create animation based on pre-existing, pre-sold characters from toys or movies or books," Laybourne said in an interview with Penn Graduate School of Education Magazine. "But we had this hunch that there were animators all around the world who had characters living inside them the way Kermit the Frog lived inside Jim Henson and Mickey lived inside Walt. Sure enough, we sent out scouts who came back with eight groups of characters and we green-lit three of them."

And finally, create something of value. According to the Penn magazine, Laybourne believes that the biggest challenge for women entrepreneurs is believing that they are capable of raising start-up funds. "So, the woman who raised $600 million in start-up money to launch her dream business has inaugurated a small business grant program for women. 'Oh! Get the Money!' invites women to submit business plans to a Build Your Own Business competition in which the three finalists win $25,000 in start-up funds and some advice from experts. Says Laybourne, `We train them, we give them computer equipment, we make short movies about them and put it on the air and show other women."

Now that is a great idea.

More: http://vq.vassar.edu/issue/summer_2000/article/pure_oxygen