Reading: McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y The idea that a manager’s attitude has an impact on employee motivation was originally proposed by Douglas McGregor, a management professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 1950s and 1960s. Theory X and Theory Y were first introduced in the early work of Douglas McGregor. McGregor’s work made a significant impact on managerial thought. It appeared at a time when the behavioral sciences were playing an increasing role in how managers thought about their work. It was a period.
Mnemonic device for the two theories: a person refusing to work ('X') and a person cheering the opportunity to work ('Y')
Theory X and Theory Y are theories of human work motivation and management. They were created by Douglas McGregor while he was working at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the 1950s, and developed further in the 1960s.[1] McGregor's work was rooted in motivation theory alongside the works of Abraham Maslow, who created the hierarchy of needs. The two theories proposed by McGregor describe contrasting models of workforce motivation applied by managers in human resource management, organizational behavior, organizational communication and organizational development. Theory X explains the importance of heightened supervision, external rewards, and penalties, while Theory Y highlights the motivating role of job satisfaction and encourages workers to approach tasks without direct supervision. Management use of Theory X and Theory Y can affect employee motivation and productivity in different ways, and managers may choose to implement strategies from both theories into their practices.[2]
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McGregor and Maslow[edit]
McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y and Maslow's hierarchy of needs are both rooted in motivation theory.[3] Maslow's hierarchy of needs consists of physiological needs (lowest level), safety needs, love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization (highest level).[3] According to Maslow, a human is motivated by the level they have not yet reached, and self-actualization cannot be met until each of the lower levels has been fulfilled.[4] Assumptions of Theory Y, in relation to Maslow's hierarchy put an emphasis on employee higher level needs, such as esteem needs and self-actualization.[4]
McGregor also believed that self-actualization was the highest level of reward for employees.[4] He theorized that the motivation employees use to reach self-actualization allows them to reach their full potential.[4] This led companies to focus on how their employees were motivated, managed, and led, creating a Theory Y management style which focuses on the drive for individual self – fulfillment.[4] The next two sections will define and discuss McGregor's two theories (1) Theory X (2) Theory Y and give scenarios when each management style could be used. McGregor's perspective places the responsibility for performance on managers as well as subordinates.[5]
Theory X[edit]
Theory X is based on assumptions regarding the typical worker.[6] This management style assumes that the typical worker has little ambition, avoids responsibility, and is individual-goal oriented.[6] In general, Theory X style managers believe their employees are less intelligent, lazier, and work solely for a sustainable income.[6] Management believes employees' work is based on their own self-interest.[7] Managers who believe employees operate in this manner are more likely to use rewards or punishments as motivation.[7] Due to these assumptions, Theory X concludes the typical workforce operates more efficiently under a hands-on approach to management. Theory X managers believe all actions should be traceable to the individual responsible. This allows the individual to receive either a direct reward or a reprimand, depending on the outcome's positive or negative nature.[6] This managerial style is more effective when used in a workforce that is not essentially motivated to perform.[6]
According to McGregor, there are two opposing approaches to implementing Theory X: the hard approach and the soft approach.[8] The hard approach depends on close supervision, intimidation, and immediate punishment.[6] This approach can potentially yield a hostile, minimally cooperative workforce that may cause resentment towards management.[7] Managers are always looking for mistakes from employees, because they do not trust their work.[7] Theory X is a 'we versus they' approach, meaning it is the management versus the employees.[7]
The soft approach is characterized by leniency and less strict rules in hopes for creating high workplace morale and cooperative employees.[8] Implementing a system that is too soft could result in an entitled, low-output workforce.[8] McGregor believes both ends of the spectrum are too extreme for efficient real-world application. Instead, McGregor feels that an approach located in the middle would be the most effective implementation of Theory X.[8]
Because managers and supervisors are in almost complete control of the work, this produces a more systematic and uniform product or work flow.[6] Theory X can benefit a work place that utilizes an assembly line or manual labor. Using this theory in these types of work conditions allows employees to specialize in particular work areas which in turn allows the company to mass-produce a higher quantity and quality of work.[6]
Theory Y[edit]
Theory Y managers assume employees are internally motivated, enjoy their job, and work to better themselves without a direct reward in return.[6] These managers view their employees as one of the most valuable assets to the company, driving the internal workings of the corporation.[6] Employees additionally tend to take full responsibility for their work and do not need close supervision to create a quality product.[2] It is important to note, however, that before an employee carries out their task, they must first obtain the manager's approval.[6] This ensures work stays efficient, productive, and in-line with company standards.
Theory Y managers gravitate towards relating to the worker on a more personal level, as opposed to a more conductive and teaching-based relationship.[6] As a result, Theory Y followers may have a better relationship with their boss, creating a healthier atmosphere in the workplace.[9] In comparison to Theory X, Theory Y incorporates a pseudo-democratic environment to the workforce.[4] This allows the employee to design, construct, and publish their work in a timely manner in co-ordinance to their workload and projects.
Although Theory Y encompasses creativity and discussion, it does have limitations. While there is a more personal and individualistic feel, this leaves room for error in terms of consistency and uniformity.[4] The workplace lacks unvarying rules and practices, which could potentially be detrimental to the quality standards of the product and strict guidelines of a given company.
Theory Z[edit]
Humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, upon whose work McGregor drew for Theories X and Y,went on to propose his own model of workplace motivation, Theory Z. Unlike Theories X and Y, Theory Z recognizes a transcendent dimension to work and worker motivation. An optimal managerial style would help cultivate worker creativity, insight, meaning and moral excellence.[10]
Another innovative management style developed by William Ouchi is also called Theory Z.[11]
Choosing a management style[edit]
For McGregor, Theory X and Theory Y are not opposite ends of the same continuum, but rather two different continua in themselves. In order to achieve the most efficient production, a combination of both theories may be appropriate.[6] This approach is derived from Fred Fiedler's research over various leadership styles known as the contingency theory. This theory states that managers evaluate the workplace and choose their leadership style based upon both internal and external conditions presented. Managers who choose the Theory X approach have an authoritarian style of management. An organization with this style of management is made up of several levels of supervisors and managers who actively intervene and micromanage the employees.[12] On the contrary, managers who choose the Theory Y approach have a hands-off style of management. An organization with this style of management encourages participation and values individuals' thoughts and goals. However, because there is no optimal way for a manager to choose between adopting either Theory X or Theory Y, it is likely that a manager will need to adopt both approaches depending on the evolving circumstances and levels of internal and external locus of control throughout the workplace.[13]
Military command and control[edit]
Theory X and Theory Y also have implications in military command and control (C2). Older, strictly hierarchical conceptions of C2, with narrow centralization of decision rights, highly constrained patterns of interaction, and limited information distribution tend to arise from cultural and organizational assumptions compatible with Theory X. On the other hand, more modern, network-centric, and decentralized concepts of C2, that rely on individual initiative and self-synchronization, tend to arise more from a 'Theory Y' philosophy.[14]Mission Command, for example, is a command philosophy to which many modern military establishments aspire, and which involves individual judgment and action within the overall framework of the commander's intent. Its assumptions about the value of individual initiative make it more a Theory-Y than a Theory X philosophy.[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Douglas M. McGregor'. iwer.mit.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ^ ab'Beyond Theory Y'. Harvard Business Review. 1970-05-01. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
- ^ abMaslow, A. H. (1943). 'A theory of human motivation'. Psychological Review. 50 (4): 370–396. CiteSeerX10.1.1.334.7586. doi:10.1037/h0054346.
- ^ abcdefgCarson, Charles (Spring 2018). 'A historical view of Douglas McGregor's Theory Y'. Journal of Management Decision. 43 (3): 450–460. doi:10.1108/00251740510589814.
- ^Worth, Michael (2019). Nonprofit Management: Principles and Management. United States of America: SAGE. p. 248. ISBN978-1-5063-9686-6.
- ^ abcdefghijklmHattangadi, Vidya (December 2015). 'Theory X & Theory Y'(PDF). International Journal of Recent Research Aspects. 2: 20–21.
- ^ abcdeFischer, Elizabeth (October 1, 2009). 'Motivation and Leadership in Social Work Management: A Review of Theories and Related Studies'. Administration in Social Work: 356.
- ^ abcdNetMBA.com. 'Theory X and Theory Y'. www.netmba.com. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
- ^'Employee Management: Are You X or Are You Y'(PDF).
- ^Maslow, Abraham (2009). 'Theory Z'. maslow.org. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
- ^Ouchi, William G (1993). Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge. New York, NY: Avon Books. ISBN9780380719440.
- ^'Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People's Motivations'. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ^Avolio, Bruce J. (2007). 'Promoting more integrative strategies for leadership theory-building'. American Psychologist. 62 (1): 25–33. CiteSeerX10.1.1.467.7223. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.62.1.25. PMID17209677.
- ^Vassiliou, Marius, David S. Alberts, and Jonathan R. Agre (2015). 'C2 Re-Envisioned: the Future of the Enterprise.' CRC Press; New York; pp. 98-99.
- ^Vassiliou, Marius, and David S. Alberts (2017). 'Mission Command and Agile C2.' Proc. 22nd International Command and Control Research and technology Symposium (ICCRTS).
External links[edit]
![Douglas mcgregor management theory Douglas mcgregor management theory](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125676126/278203232.jpg)
- A diagram representing Theory X and Theory Y, Alan Chapman, 2002.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theory_X_and_Theory_Y&oldid=923572472'
<p>Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) </p><p>McGregors Theory X and Theory Y</p><p>By: Douglas McGregor</p><p>McGregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y in 1960. His work is based upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, where he grouped the hierarchy into lower-order needs (Theory X) and higher-order needs (Theory Y). He suggested that management could use either set of needs to motivate employees, but better results would be gained by the use of Theory Y, rather than Theory X. These two views theorized how people view human behavior at work and organizational life.</p><p>History</p><p>Your management style is strongly influenced by your beliefs and assumptions about what motivates members of your team: If you believe that team members dislike work, you will have an authoritarian style of management; On the other hand, if you assume that employees take pride in doing a good job, you will tend to adopt a more participation style.</p><p>Understanding the Theories </p><p>- Theory X assumes that employees are naturally unmotivated and dislike working, and this encourages an authoritarian style of management. According to this view, management must actively intervene to get things done. This style of management assumes that workers:</p><p>Dislike working.</p><p>Avoid responsibility and need to be directed.</p><p>Have to be controlled, forced, and threatened to deliver what's needed.</p><p>Need to be supervised at every step, with controls put in place.</p><p>Need to be enticed to produce results; otherwise they have no ambition or motivation to work. </p><p>Theory X </p><p>X-Type organizations tend to be top heavy, with managers and supervisors required at every step to control workers. There is little delegation of authority and control remains centralized.</p><p>McGregor recognized that X-Type workers are in fact usually the minority, and yet in large scale production environment, X Theory management may be required and can be unavoidable.</p><p>Theory X Continued</p><p>Theory Y shows a participation style of management that is de-centralized. It assumes that employees are happy to work, are self-motivated and creative, and enjoy working with greater responsibility. It assumes that workers:</p><p>Take responsibility and are motivated to fulfill the goals they are given.</p><p>Seek and accept responsibility and do not need much direction.</p><p>Consider work as a natural part of life and solve work problems imaginatively. </p><p>Theory Y</p><p>This management style tends to be more widely appropriate. In Y-Type organizations, people at lower levels of the organization are involved in decision making and have more responsibility.</p><p>Theory Y Continued</p><p>MotivationTheory X assumes that people dislike work; they want to avoid it and do not want to take responsibility. Theory Y assumes that people are self-motivated, and thrive on responsibility. </p><p>Management Style and ControlIn a Theory X organization, management is authoritarian, and centralized control is retained, while in Theory Y, the management style involves employees in decision making, but retains power to implement decisions. </p><p>Comparing Theory X and Theory Y </p><p>Work OrganizationTheory X employees tend to have specialized and often repetitive work. In Theory Y, the work tends to be organized around wider areas of skill or knowledge; Employees are also encouraged to develop expertise and make suggestions and improvements. </p><p>Rewards Theory X organizations work on a carrot and stick basis, and performance is part of the overall mechanisms of control. In Theory Y organizations, appreciation is also regular and important, but is usually a separate mechanism from organizational controls. Theory Y organizations also give employees frequent opportunities for promotion. </p><p>Although Theory X management style is widely accepted as poor to others, it has its place in large scale production operation and unskilled production-line work. Many of the principles of Theory Y are widely adopted by types of organization that value and encourage participation. Theory Y-style management is suited to knowledge work and professional services. Professional service organizations naturally evolve Theory Y-type practices by the nature of their work; Even highly structure knowledge work, such as call center operations, can benefit from Theory Y principles to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. </p><p>Application </p><p>Understanding your assumptions about employees motivation can help you learn to manage more effectively.</p><p>Conclusion</p>