Subordinate of Individual Interests to General Interest

Subordination of Individual Interests to General Interest

Subordination of Individual Interests to General Interest is one of Fayol's fourteen administrative principles. This principle calls to mind the fact that in a business the interest of one employee or group of employees should not prevail over that of the concern, that the interest of the home should come before that of its members and that interest of the state should have pride of place over that of one citizen or group of citizens.


Each and every individual joins the organization with certain expectations and objective. And everyone works to achieve his objective. If the objectives of the individual employee is in the direction of the achievement of the overall organizational objective then there is no problem, but where the employee has an objective which drives him in the opposite direction from that of the organizational objective, the manager must try to reconcile the goals of both, the individual with the organization so as to achieve the objectives. The manager must try to achieve the organizational objective in such a manner that the individual objectives are also achieved.


In any aspect of business – management’s role is to put employees into a position to be successful. In the context of organizational goals this can be viewed as modifying tactical plans so the strengths of the employee are brought to the fore and weaknesses are hidden or compensated for. Providing employees with an opportunity to succeed in the course of pursuing organizational objectives will build loyalty and instill a culture that support subordination of individual interests to organizational interests. When the team comes first and everyone does their part everybody wins.