Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest is the sixth of Henri Fayol's 14 Principles of Management. The principle states that the interests of an individual employee or group should not take priority over the general interests of the organization.
The principle addresses a fundamental management challenge: organizations consist of individuals and groups with their own needs, preferences, goals, and interests, yet they must coordinate their efforts to achieve shared organizational objectives.
Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest does not mean that employees' personal interests are unimportant. Rather, it emphasizes that legitimate organizational objectives should take precedence when individual interests conflict directly with the interests of the organization.
Key idea: Individual and organizational interests should be aligned whenever possible, but when legitimate interests conflict, the broader organizational interest should take priority.
What Is Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest?
Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest means that the interests of an individual employee or a particular group should not override the legitimate interests and objectives of the organization as a whole.
Every employee naturally has personal interests. These may include:
- Career advancement
- Higher compensation
- Greater autonomy
- Flexible working arrangements
- Recognition
- Personal convenience
- Professional preferences
Organizations also have broader interests, such as:
- Achieving strategic objectives
- Serving customers effectively
- Maintaining financial sustainability
- Protecting organizational resources
- Maintaining quality standards
- Complying with legitimate requirements
- Supporting long-term organizational performance
The principle becomes particularly relevant when these interests conflict.
Subordination of Individual Interest According to Henri Fayol
Henri Fayol identified this principle as the sixth of his 14 Principles of Management.
Fayol recognized that organizations cannot function effectively if individual interests consistently override collective objectives.
For example, an employee may prefer to complete only tasks they personally enjoy, while the organization requires them to perform other legitimate responsibilities. If every employee prioritized personal preference over organizational requirements, coordination and performance could suffer.
The principle therefore emphasizes the importance of placing legitimate collective objectives above conflicting personal interests.
At the same time, effective management should not create unnecessary conflicts between employees and the organization. Good managers attempt to align individual and organizational interests whenever possible.
To understand how this principle fits into Fayol's complete framework, see the 14 Principles of Management.
Why Is This Principle Important?
Organizations depend on collective effort. Employees perform different roles, but their activities must ultimately contribute to broader organizational objectives.
Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest helps organizations:
- Maintain focus on shared objectives
- Reduce destructive conflicts of interest
- Encourage cooperation
- Improve organizational alignment
- Support coordinated decision-making
- Protect organizational resources
- Strengthen collective responsibility
Without some degree of alignment, employees or departments may optimize their own interests while unintentionally damaging overall organizational performance.
Individual Interest vs. General Interest
The distinction between individual interest and general interest is central to understanding the principle.
| Individual Interest | General Interest |
|---|---|
| Personal career goals | Organizational strategic goals |
| Individual preferences | Collective priorities |
| Personal convenience | Operational requirements |
| Individual rewards | Organizational sustainability |
| Personal department priorities | Overall organizational performance |
These interests do not always conflict. In a well-managed organization, individual success and organizational success can reinforce each other.
Does the Principle Mean Employees Should Ignore Their Own Interests?
No.
This is one of the most important points when interpreting Fayol's principle in a modern workplace.
Employees have legitimate needs and interests. Organizations that completely ignore those interests may create dissatisfaction, disengagement, turnover, and conflict.
The principle is better understood as a requirement for alignment and prioritization.
When an employee's personal preference is compatible with organizational objectives, there is no necessary conflict.
When a personal preference directly conflicts with a legitimate organizational requirement, the organizational requirement may need to take priority.
For example, an employee may prefer to leave work early every day, but the employee's role may legitimately require participation in scheduled customer meetings. The organizational requirement takes priority during those required activities.
Examples of Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest
Example 1: Project Deadlines
An employee prefers to work on a task that is personally interesting, but the team has an urgent customer deadline.
The employee may need to prioritize the organizationally important task even though it is not their preferred assignment.
Example 2: Departmental vs. Organizational Goals
A department wants to protect its own budget, while the organization needs to redirect resources toward a strategically important project.
If the organization's decision is legitimate and properly authorized, the broader organizational objective should take priority over the department's preference.
Example 3: Customer Commitments
An employee would prefer to follow a convenient internal process, but the organization has made a legitimate commitment to a customer that requires a different procedure.
The employee should follow the appropriate organizational process necessary to fulfill the commitment.
Example 4: Team Responsibilities
An employee prefers to work independently but is assigned a necessary collaborative responsibility.
The employee may need to cooperate with colleagues because the team's objective depends on coordinated work.
Example 5: Organizational Change
A company introduces a new technology system. Some employees prefer the old system because it is familiar.
If the new system is legitimately adopted as part of the organization's strategy, employees may need to adapt while receiving appropriate training and support.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Organizational Goals
The principle is closely connected to organizational goal alignment.
Organizations establish goals that require coordinated contributions from many people.
For example, a company may establish a goal of improving customer retention.
That goal may require:
- Sales employees to focus on appropriate customer acquisition
- Customer service teams to resolve complaints effectively
- Product teams to address recurring customer problems
- Operations teams to improve delivery reliability
- Managers to coordinate resources
Each group has its own immediate responsibilities, but the activities should support the broader organizational objective.
This is where the principle overlaps with the idea of organizational alignment.
Individual Goals and Organizational Goals Can Be Aligned
Subordination does not necessarily require a permanent conflict between employees and organizations.
In fact, effective management attempts to create situations in which individual and organizational interests support one another.
For example:
| Individual Interest | Organizational Interest | Possible Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Career development | Skilled workforce | Training and development opportunities |
| Higher income | Higher performance | Performance-based rewards |
| Recognition | Employee engagement | Recognition programs |
| Flexible work | Productivity and retention | Appropriate flexible-work arrangements |
| Professional growth | Organizational capability | Career development programs |
When managers successfully align these interests, the need for direct conflict between individual and general interests is reduced.
Role of Managers in Subordinating Individual Interest
Managers have an important responsibility to create conditions in which employees can understand and support organizational objectives.
Managers can do this by:
- Communicating organizational goals clearly
- Explaining why decisions are necessary
- Ensuring fair treatment
- Providing appropriate rewards
- Listening to employee concerns
- Clarifying priorities
- Resolving conflicts of interest
- Connecting individual responsibilities to organizational objectives
Simply telling employees to sacrifice their interests is unlikely to create sustainable commitment.
Effective managers explain the relationship between individual contributions and organizational success.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Leadership
Leadership is essential because employees are more likely to support organizational objectives when they trust the people making decisions.
Leaders can strengthen alignment by:
- Communicating a clear vision
- Demonstrating fairness
- Making decisions transparently
- Recognizing employee contributions
- Explaining organizational priorities
- Maintaining consistency
- Considering legitimate employee concerns
A leader who constantly demands personal sacrifice without considering employee needs may create resentment rather than genuine organizational commitment.
Therefore, the principle should be applied together with other management principles, especially those concerned with remuneration, equity, initiative, and esprit de corps.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Remuneration
The principle has an important relationship with Fayol's principle of Remuneration.
Employees are more likely to accept organizational priorities when they believe that the organization provides fair compensation and recognizes their contributions.
For example, if an organization expects employees to take on additional responsibilities during an important business period, appropriate recognition, compensation, or other forms of support may help align employee interests with organizational needs.
This illustrates an important management principle: organizational commitment should be supported by fair organizational practices.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Equity
The principle is also closely related to Equity.
If managers expect employees to prioritize organizational interests but apply rules unfairly, employees may question the legitimacy of organizational decisions.
Fair treatment helps build trust and makes it easier for employees to accept organizational priorities.
Therefore, subordination of individual interest should not be interpreted as permission for managers to favor certain employees or impose arbitrary demands.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Discipline
The principle also connects with Discipline in Management.
Discipline establishes expectations about following legitimate organizational rules and procedures.
Subordination of individual interest addresses a related question: what happens when an individual's preference conflicts with a legitimate organizational objective?
For example, an employee may personally disagree with a routine organizational procedure but still be expected to follow it when the procedure is legitimate and properly established.
However, effective discipline and leadership should also provide appropriate channels for employees to raise concerns or identify problems with organizational procedures.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Unity of Direction
Subordination of Individual Interest is also connected to Unity of Direction.
Unity of Direction focuses on coordinating activities toward a common objective.
Subordination of Individual Interest supports that objective by encouraging individuals and groups to avoid pursuing personal or departmental interests in ways that undermine the shared organizational direction.
The relationship can be summarized as:
- Unity of Direction: Related activities follow a coordinated direction.
- Subordination of Individual Interest: Individual or group interests should not undermine the common objective.
Together, these principles support organizational alignment.
Individual Interest vs. Departmental Interest
The principle can apply not only to individual employees but also to groups and departments.
A department may develop a strong interest in protecting its own budget, influence, employees, or resources.
However, departmental optimization can become a problem when it harms the organization as a whole.
For example, a purchasing department may try to minimize its own spending by selecting the cheapest supplier. If the decision results in poor product quality and increased customer complaints, the department may achieve its local objective while damaging the broader organization.
Subordination of Individual Interest therefore also supports the idea that departmental goals should remain consistent with organizational goals.
Organizational Silos and Conflicting Interests
Organizational silos occur when departments focus primarily on their own responsibilities and become disconnected from broader organizational objectives.
Examples include:
- Sales maximizing volume while ignoring profitability
- Finance reducing costs in ways that damage service quality
- Operations maximizing efficiency while reducing customer flexibility
- IT prioritizing technical projects without considering business priorities
- HR implementing policies without sufficient consideration of operational realities
These situations illustrate why organizations need mechanisms for aligning departmental interests with broader objectives.
Subordination of Individual Interest in Modern Organizations
Modern workplaces often emphasize employee autonomy, participation, innovation, and individual development.
These approaches do not necessarily contradict Fayol's principle.
Employees can have significant autonomy while still operating within organizational objectives and legitimate constraints.
For example, an employee may have freedom to decide how to complete a project while remaining responsible for meeting agreed organizational goals, quality standards, deadlines, and customer requirements.
The modern interpretation therefore emphasizes alignment rather than blind obedience.
Subordination of Individual Interest in Remote Work
Remote work can make alignment especially important because employees often have greater independence in how and when they complete their work.
Managers can maintain alignment by establishing:
- Clear objectives
- Defined deliverables
- Shared priorities
- Transparent performance expectations
- Appropriate communication standards
- Clear deadlines
- Well-defined decision rights
Employees can then exercise autonomy while remaining accountable for organizational outcomes.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Employee Autonomy
Employee autonomy and organizational alignment are not necessarily opposites.
Managers can give employees freedom over methods while maintaining clear expectations about results.
For example, a manager may specify:
Outcome: Complete the customer analysis by Friday.
Autonomy: The employee can choose the analytical method and workflow.
In this situation, individual autonomy exists within a broader organizational objective.
This is often a more practical modern approach than attempting to control every aspect of employee behavior.
How Managers Can Apply This Principle Effectively
1. Communicate Organizational Objectives
Employees need to understand what the organization is trying to accomplish and why particular priorities matter.
2. Connect Individual Roles to Organizational Goals
Managers should explain how each employee's responsibilities contribute to broader objectives.
3. Align Incentives
Rewards and recognition should encourage behaviors that support organizational goals.
4. Resolve Conflicts Fairly
When individual and organizational interests conflict, managers should evaluate the situation objectively and apply legitimate organizational policies.
5. Listen to Employee Concerns
Employees should have appropriate opportunities to explain concerns, identify risks, and propose improvements.
6. Avoid Arbitrary Demands
Organizational interests should be legitimate and connected to actual organizational needs.
7. Lead by Example
Managers should also place organizational interests above inappropriate personal or departmental interests.
8. Review Organizational Policies
If employees repeatedly resist a particular requirement, managers should consider whether the underlying policy is unclear, unrealistic, or poorly designed.
Common Problems When Individual Interest Overrides General Interest
Reduced Cooperation
Employees may prioritize personal goals instead of supporting team objectives.
Departmental Conflict
Departments may compete for resources instead of cooperating toward organizational goals.
Resource Misallocation
Resources may be used to support narrow interests rather than strategically important organizational activities.
Inconsistent Decision-Making
Different employees may make decisions based primarily on personal preferences.
Strategic Drift
The organization may gradually move away from its strategic priorities as individual and departmental interests dominate decision-making.
Potential Problems With Excessive Subordination
The principle can also be misapplied.
If managers interpret it as requiring employees to sacrifice every personal interest, the result may be:
- Low employee morale
- Burnout
- Reduced engagement
- Higher employee turnover
- Loss of creativity
- Reduced trust in management
Employees should not be expected to accept unethical, unlawful, unsafe, or abusive practices merely because a manager claims that they serve the organizational interest.
Modern management therefore requires a balance between legitimate organizational needs and legitimate employee interests.
Ethical Application of the Principle
Subordination of Individual Interest should be applied within appropriate ethical and legal boundaries.
Managers should distinguish between:
- A legitimate organizational requirement
- A manager's personal preference
- An unreasonable demand
- An unethical instruction
- A potentially unlawful practice
The fact that a manager has authority does not automatically make every instruction legitimate.
Effective management requires organizational interests to be pursued responsibly, fairly, and within applicable rules and standards.
Subordination of Individual Interest and Organizational Commitment
Organizational commitment can strengthen when employees understand and accept the organization's objectives.
Employees are more likely to support organizational priorities when they believe that:
- The organization's goals are meaningful
- Managers are fair
- Employee contributions are recognized
- Decisions are communicated clearly
- Rules are applied consistently
- The organization respects legitimate employee needs
This suggests that genuine alignment is generally more sustainable than forced compliance.
Subordination of Individual Interest and the 14 Principles of Management
Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest is the sixth principle in Henri Fayol's management framework.
| No. | Principle |
|---|---|
| 1 | Division of Work |
| 2 | Authority and Responsibility |
| 3 | Discipline |
| 4 | Unity of Command |
| 5 | Unity of Direction |
| 6 | Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest |
| 7 | Remuneration |
| 8 | Centralization |
| 9 | Scalar Chain |
| 10 | Order |
| 11 | Equity |
| 12 | Stability of Tenure of Personnel |
| 13 | Initiative |
| 14 | Esprit de Corps |
For the complete overview of Fayol's framework, see 14 Principles of Management.
Frequently Asked Questions About Subordination of Individual Interest
What is Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest?
It is Henri Fayol's principle that individual or group interests should not override the legitimate interests and objectives of the organization as a whole.
What is the sixth principle of Henri Fayol?
The sixth principle is Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest. It emphasizes organizational alignment when individual or group interests conflict with broader organizational objectives.
Does this principle mean employees should ignore their personal needs?
No. The principle does not require employees to ignore legitimate personal needs. It emphasizes that legitimate organizational objectives may take priority when they directly conflict with individual preferences.
What is an example of this principle?
An employee may prefer to work on a particular task, but the organization may require them to prioritize an urgent customer commitment. The organizational priority takes precedence in that situation.
Why is this principle important?
It helps organizations maintain alignment, cooperation, coordination, and focus on shared objectives.
How does this principle relate to Unity of Direction?
Unity of Direction coordinates activities toward a common objective, while Subordination of Individual Interest discourages individuals or groups from pursuing interests that undermine that common objective.
How can managers balance individual and organizational interests?
Managers can communicate objectives clearly, align incentives, listen to employee concerns, provide fair treatment, and create opportunities for individual interests to support organizational goals.
Can employees have autonomy under this principle?
Yes. Employees can have substantial autonomy as long as their decisions remain consistent with legitimate organizational objectives, responsibilities, and constraints.
Can managers use this principle to justify any demand?
No. Organizational requirements should be legitimate, reasonable, ethical, and consistent with applicable rules and policies.
Conclusion
Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest is Henri Fayol's sixth principle of management. It emphasizes that individual or group interests should not override legitimate organizational objectives.
The principle recognizes that organizations depend on collective effort. Employees, teams, and departments may have their own goals and preferences, but these interests need to remain aligned with the broader purpose of the organization.
However, the principle should not be interpreted as requiring employees to sacrifice every personal interest or blindly obey management. Modern organizations are more effective when managers align individual and organizational interests through fair rewards, clear communication, employee development, autonomy, and shared objectives.
The practical lesson is therefore about alignment rather than blind obedience. When employees understand how their contributions support organizational success, individual and general interests can often reinforce one another.
Key takeaway: Subordination of Individual Interest to the General Interest means that legitimate organizational objectives should take priority when they conflict with individual or group interests. Effective managers achieve this through alignment, fairness, communication, and responsible leadership.
Continue exploring Fayol's management principles through the 14 Principles of Management, or explore the related principle of Unity of Direction.