Theory X and theory Y

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Theory X and theory Y are theories of human motivation created and developed by
Douglas McGregor at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the 1960s that have been
used in human resource management, organizational behavior, and organizational
development. They describe two very different attitudes toward workforce motivation.
McGregor felt that companies followed either one or the other approach.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Theory X
• 2 Theory Y
• 3 Theory X and Theory Y combined
• 4 McGregor and Maslow's hierarchy
• 5 Criticisms

• 6 See also

[edit] Theory X
In this theory, management assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if
they can. Because of this, workers need to be closely supervised and comprehensive
systems of controls developed. A hierarchical structure is needed with narrow span of
control at each level. According to this theory, employees will show little ambition
without an enticing incentive program and will avoid responsibility whenever they can.

The Theory X manager tends to believe that everything must end in blaming someone.
He or she thinks all prospective employees are only out for themselves. Usually these
managers feel the sole purpose of the employees interest in the job is money. They will
blame the person first in most situations, without questioning whether it may be the
system, policy, or lack of training that deserves the blame.

Furthermore, Theory X supervisors cannot trust any employee, and they reveal this to
their support staff via their communications constantly. A Theory X manager can be said
to be an impediment to employee morale and productivity.
Managers that subscribe to Theory X, tend to take a rather pessimistic view of their
employees. A Theory X manager believes that his or her employees do not really want to
work, that they would rather avoid responsibility and that it is the manager's job to
structure the work and energize the employee. The result of this line of thought is that
Theory X managers naturally adopt a more authoritarian style based on the threat of
punishment.

One major flaw of this management style is it is much more likely to cause Diseconomies
of Scale in large businesses. Theory Y allows a business to expand while making more
profit because factory-floor workers have their own responsibilities.

[edit] Theory Y
In this theory management assumes employees may be ambitious, self-motivated, anxious
to accept greater responsibility, and exercise self-control, self-direction, autonomy and
empowerment. It is believed that employees enjoy their mental and physical work duties.
It is also believed that if given the chance employees have the desire to be creative and
forward thinking in the workplace. There is a chance for greater productivity by giving
employees the freedom to perform at the best of their abilities without being bogged
down by rules.

A Theory Y manager believes that, given the right conditions, most people will want to
do well at work and that there is a pool of unused creativity in the workforce. They
believe that the satisfaction of doing a good job is a strong motivation in and of itself. A
Theory Y manager will try to remove the barriers that prevent workers from fully
actualizing themselves .

Many people interpret Theory Y as a positive set of assumptions about workers. A close
reading of The Human Side of Enterprise reveals that McGregor simply argues for
managers to be open to a more positive view of workers and the possibilities that this
creates.

[edit] Theory X and Theory Y combined

Per McGregor, Theory X and Y are not different ends of the same continuum. Rather
they are two different continuum's in themselves. Thus, if a manager needs to apply
Theory Y principles, that does not preclude him from being a part of Theory X.

[edit] McGregor and Maslow's hierarchy

McGregor's work was based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. He grouped Maslow's
hierarchy into "lower order" (Theory X) needs and "higher order" (Theory Y) needs. He
suggested that management could use either set of needs to motivate employees.
[edit] Criticisms
Today the theories are seldom used explicitly, largely because the insights they provided
have influenced and been incorporated by further generations of management theorists
and practitioners. More commonly, workplaces are described as "hard" versus "soft."
Taken too literally any such dichotomy including Theory X and Y seem to represent
unrealistic extremes. Most employees (and managers) fall somewhere in between these
poles. Naturally, McGregor was well aware of the heuristic as opposed to literal way in
which such distinctions are useful. Theory X and Theory Y are still important terms in
the field of management and motivation. Recent studies have questioned the rigidity of
the model, but McGregor's X-Y Theory remains a guiding principle of positive
approaches to management, to organizational development, and to improving
organizational culture.

Comparison Theory X and Y?

Douglas McGregor, an American social psychologist, proposed his famous Theory X and
Theory Y models in his book 'The Human Side Of Enterprise' (1960).

Theory X Theory Y
People view work as being as natural as play
Humans inherently dislike working and and rest. Humans expend the same amount of
Assumptions will try to avoid it if they can. physical and mental effort in their work as in
their private lives.
Because people dislike work they have Provided people are motivated, they will be
to be coerced or controlled by self-directing to the aims of the organization.
management and threatened so they Control and punishment are not the only
work hard enough. mechanisms to let people perform.
Average employees want to be Job satisfaction is key to engaging employees
directed. and ensuring their commitment.
People learn to accept responsibility and seek
responsibility. Average humans, under the
People don't like responsibility.
proper conditions, will not only accept, but even
naturally seek responsibility.
Average humans are clear and People are imaginative and creative. Their
unambiguous and want to feel secure ingenuity should be used to solve problems at
at work. work.
 Shop Floor, Mass Manufacturing. Professional Services, Knowledge Workers.
Application Production workers. Managers and Professionals.

Management of Professionals, Participative

Large scale efficient operations.
Conducive to Complex Problem Solving.

Management Authoritarian, Hard Management. Participative, Soft Management.

Style

McGregor sees Theory Y as the preferable model and management method, however he
thought Theory Y was difficult to use in large-scale operations.

Theory Z - Ouchi

In 1981, William Ouchi came up with a variant that combined American and Japanese
management practices together to form Theory Z, having the following characteristics:
long-term employment - collective decision-making - individual responsibility - slow
evaluation & promotion - implicit, informal control with explicit, formalized measures -
moderately specialized career paths - and a holistic concern for the employee, including
family.