Unfortunately I really know people in my class who believe that if people are in fear of getting fired and missing deadlines they will be more productive :/

A lot of people who are interested in management (including CS people wanting to make a ton of money), have this idea that 'survival of the fittest' is just everything killing everything else all the time.

The line of thinking is that the best way to be successful in the business world is to abuse and destroy everyone possible to show how tough and competitive you are. If you've ever been pushed to compete with your co-workers instead of a competing company, someone higher up is probably thinking that way.