The human being is complex and unpredictable and throughout history it has offered innumerable samples of what it is capable of doing to satisfy its need for power. This issue has already been analyzed and studied by McClelland who pointed out that the individual has a need for power, ensuring that those people who spend most of their time thinking about the influence they have on others and how they can use it to change the behavior of their Subordinates are the ones that demonstrate it the most, adding that they are satisfied manipulating and controlling their subordinates.
In organizations, power is obtained as one rises in office, and once achieved it is difficult to accept that it can be lost, so in some cases there is usually the desire to cling to it in an unhealthy way, which leads to individual to do anything to avoid being displaced. This could be the reason that motivates managers to avoid that their subordinates develop and end up taking their place, being overshadowed by the brightness of new ideas or because of a better academic profile; and at the same time it could be the cause that justifies the presence of almost immovable personnel from their positions.
This need to stay safe and not be reached by someone who attempts against him, avoiding at any cost the possibility of being displaced, can be compared to a story present in Greek mythology.
It is said that Cronos was so thirsty for power that he attacked his father Uranus with the intention of taking his place, since he was the lord and master of the universe. Uranus badly wounded, cursed him to experience the same fate at the hands of his children, so Cronos decided to devour them at birth, however, and thanks to the cunning of the goddess Era, one of his sons, Zeus, managed to save himself from such cruel fate fulfilling the curse years later.
Although it is true that in contemporary management it would be absurd to imagine a supervisor devouring a subordinate, literally speaking, it is no less true that some practices could easily be considered very close to such a situation, in these cases reference would be made to the constant explanations and excuses that are offered to employees to justify the absence of salary increases, promotions, transfers or any other type of improvement that brings them closer to or equal to their superior.
Although the fear of being displaced by the subordinate is not present in all cases, in those where the manager's actions tend to impede the growth of his workers, it could be said that he is in the presence of the now called Chronos Syndrome.
The Chronos Syndrome is nothing more than the deliberate action of the supervisor to stagnate his staff for fear of being displaced or replaced, preventing the growth of subordinates in the area where he exercises his power or possesses it.
This "managerial disease" has particular symptoms that can be listed as follows:
1. It occurs in any company or organization, regardless of size or function.
2. It is practiced by people who hold a position of relative importance.
3. The age, gender or condition of the manager does not matter, although it usually occurs in people with little academic preparation and greater seniority.
4. Generally, people who present it have a high level of insecurity, lack of knowledge or skills.
The Chronos Syndrome occurs more easily in those organizations where the possibilities of development in positions and / or levels of knowledge are very scarce, so the individual tends to guard their territory to avoid showing their weaknesses, shortcomings, fears or losing his power in front of those who have given it to him, not always demonstrating exemplary or ethical behavior, guiding his administration to avoid the profiling of some individuals who may threaten the stability of his position.
It seems logical to think that a highly productive management should not be one where the Chronos Syndrome is present, as the main characteristic it has to generate disinterest in the execution of subordinates' work, affecting their level of productivity, as expressed by Albrigth and Carr when they explain that workers need to grow and state that when their employees' growth is impeded, their performance is not the same.
A subordinate who observes the deliberate conduct of his supervisor by always keeping him in the same condition can react in two possible ways: expressing his discontent at the expense of losing his job, or limiting himself to communicating what is strictly necessary, waiting for some opportunity where he can detach from the supervisor.
While it is true that stagnation produces a drop in productivity, it is no less true that it will generate feelings of helplessness and resentment, which tend to serve as communication barriers.
Sometimes individuals idealize the organizations where they want to work, but once inside they discover, in the reality of administrative management, the presence of absolutist and perpetual managerial behaviors that diminish the desire for improvement, forcing them to lose interest in the site in who works and therefore identification with the company.
The loss of interest also translates into a drop in productivity, the quality of work and responsibility for it.
In the presence of the Chronos Syndrome, the subordinate begins to manifest a behavior more oriented to disinterest and disdain when realizing the impossibility of growth or the level of stagnation that this managerial behavior fosters. You may also have symptoms of hostility, or indifference.
But, can an employee in need of growth and development be motivated in the presence of this syndrome? When feeling stagnant, little can be done to stimulate the individual, only an extraordinary event would restore interest to him, so that a staff working in these conditions is hardly motivated.
Chronos Syndrome is a behavior that violates the five basic premises of human capital management, aimed at offering well-being and development of any organization, these are: productivity, communication, identification, behavior and motivation. These premises can be compared with each of the extremities of the human body, if some disease affects them, it will hardly be able to move quickly and successfully. This behavior, which limits the growth of the individual, either in a traditional way or in levels of knowledge; it is simply a managerial condition, which must be identified, combated and eradicated in any of the areas of the administration where it can be found.
