Employees are initially obedient, but eventually dissatisfied and even rebellious, driving down productivity and achieving contradictory outcomes, further reinforcing the belief that workers are lazy and have to be externally motivated. Micromanagement is not looked at positively in todays scenario, leading to Theory Y being the most productive way of management. An organization with this style of management encourages participation and values individuals' thoughts and goals. McGregor cautioned both types of managers against what he called self-fulfilling prophecies, whereby an employee will act just as the manager assumed he or she would due to the manager's own actions and behaviors. People under Theory Y believe. McGregor recognized that some people may not have reached the level of maturity assumed by Theory Y and may initially need tighter controlsthat can be relaxed as the employee develops. Theory X is a common management method that focuses on supervision and strict monitoring of employees. Many consider such actions necessary for self-managing work teams to succeed. He mentioned Theory X and Theory Y in his book, The Human Side of Enterprise, published in 1960. McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y is about judging the needs and character of your people. [8] As a result, Theory Y followers may have a better relationship with their boss, creating a healthier atmosphere in the workplace. 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. The managers who are categorized as a Theory X leaders in general believe that the subordinates fail to live up to the corporate expectations hence assume that subordinates are just influenced with rewards as well as monetary rather than fulfilling the stated corporate objectives. 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. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. C. employees are motivated mainly by the chance for advancement and recognition. B.most employees know more about their job than the boss. He would hierarchically arrange the job roles with several supervisors for different departments, looking over employees. As the old saying goes, 'be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.' employees are motivated mainly by the chance for advancement and recognition. I feel like its a lifeline. Informal leaders, by contrast, are not assigned by the organization. As such, McGregor acknowledged both types of managers as being a legitimate means of motivating employees, but he felt that you would get much better results through the use of Theory Y rather than Theory X. Douglas McGregor believed that there were two types of managers: Theory X and Theory Y. He was one of the most impactful, popular writers in the management field and is credited for modern management thinking. They are inherently lazy, lack ambition and prefer to be directed on what to do rather than assume responsibility on their own. It follows the idea that there is no single way to organize a company or make decisions. The capacity for creativity spreads throughout organizations. In 1960, Douglas McGregor published two theories (Theory X & Theory Y) of employee motivation based on the assumptions that managers make about employees. People under Theory X believe that employees see their work as a burden and are lazy, so they tend to micromanage and control their performance and efforts. He was one of the most impactful, popular writers in the management field and is credited for modern management thinking. Theory Y managers gravitate towards relating to the worker on a more personal level, as opposed to a more conductive and teaching-based relationship. The permissive democratic approach to leadership is characteristic of leadership in high-involvement organizations. Yoko is a Theory Y manager, and when I say Y here, think 'why not.' O most employees know more about their job than the boss. Leaders hold a unique position in their groups, exercising influence and providing direction. These managers tend to be more present in entry-level jobs where productivity and process are favored over independence or innovation, but they may show up at any company level and in any industry. Most people avoid responsibility and need constant direction. Douglas McGregor was a management professor at Massachusetts IT university, Cambridge in the 1950s, and published a few articles and books as well. They are not lazy at all. This theory is likely to be used when there are new employees, who need direction and accountability. However, McGregor asserts that neither approach is appropriate, since the basic assumptionsof Theory X are incorrect. This unique platform allows team leaders to share visuals with teammates, work together on projects in real time, comment on documents and project updates, and work collaboratively with up-to-the-minute feedback. http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Theory_X.html, https://pixabay.com/en/idea-businessman-man-outline-suit-1460935/, http://vle.du.ac.in/mod/book/view.php?id=8344&chapterid=10377, CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_Plant_Ohira_Sendai.jpg. most workers seek out more resonsibilityTheory Y managers prefera. And the most lauded skills, especially in leadership, lie in the ability to connect seemingly disparate ideas and communicate those ideas clearly. D. job satisfaction is primarily related to higher order needs. Theory Z stresses the need to helpworkers become generalists, rather than specialists. Do you agree with Riya or Joseph? The manager would use promotions, incentives, the threat of firing or cutting off pay to motivate employees to put effort or work. During the 1980s, American business and industry experienceda tsunami of demand for Japanese products and imports, particularly in the automotive industry. They need an interactive and safe environment with opportunities for growth, learning and creativity. As a result, the only way that employees can attempt to meethigher-level needs at work is to seek more compensation, so, predictably, they focus on monetary rewards. One view holds that in traditional organizations members expect to be told what to do and are willing to follow highly structured directions. This is a positive view of the nature of workers. [6] Managers who believe employees operate in this manner are more likely to use rewards or punishments as motivation. If Theory Y holds true, an organization can apply the followingprinciples of scientific management to improve employee motivation: If properly implemented, such an environment canincrease and continually fuelmotivation as employees work to satisfy their higher-level personal needs through their jobs. People are motivated when they find value in their contributions and see an opportunity to realize their own potential. The managers influenced by Theory X believe that everything must end in blaming someone. [6] Due to these assumptions, Theory X concludes the typical workforce operates more efficiently under a hands-on approach to management. Theory Y results in an arrangement whereby individuals can achieve their own goals and happily accomplish the organizations goals at the same time. flashcard sets. This book uses the D. Job satisfaction is mostly related to higher order needs. Participative Leadership Theory & Examples | What is Participative Leadership? [10] In comparison to Theory X, Theory Y incorporates a pseudo-democratic environment to the workforce. Managers who choose the Theory X approach have an authoritarian style of management. Many leaders emerge out of the needs of the situation. PEOPLE WILL SEEK INCREASED RESPONSIBILITY AND CHALLENGE AND WILL WORK HARD UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS True or false: A research called the "New Generation" of Chinese organizational leaders found that the new generation group scored the same on individualism as the current and older generation groups. Theory Y is used by managers who believe employees are responsible, committed and self-motivated. Although both styles of management can motivate people, the success of each will largely depend on your team's needs and wants and your . Henry comes to work regularly on time and his performance has been consistent. However, beyond this commonality, theattitudes and assumptionsthey embody are quite different. His ideas suggest that there are two fundamental approaches to managing people: Many managers tend toward Theory X and generally get poor results. Theory Xmanagement hinders the satisfaction of higher-level needs because it doesnt acknowledge that those needs are relevant in the workplace. Under these conditions, people will seek responsibility. As a Theory Y manager, Yoko believes her employees: Yoko assumes that her employees are full of potential and that it is her role as a manager to help develop that potential so that the employee can work towards a common organizational goal. 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. Abraham Maslow and McGregor both gave popular theories on motivation. Work in organizations that are managed like this can . Dec 12, 2022 OpenStax. It refers to the management style that follows a more participative, interactive and optimistic approach. In general, Theory X style managers believe their employees are less intelligent, lazier, and work solely for a sustainable income. [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. Are self-centered and care only about themselves and not the organization (or its goals), making it necessary for the manager to coerce, control, direct or threaten with punishment in order to get them to work towards organizational goals. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The worker here is considered to be mature. In many instances, people are put into positions of leadership by forces outside the group. As we have noted, the terms leader and manager are not synonymous. This judgement could say a lot about your style of management. Several assumptions form the basis for this theory. Ouchis Theory Z makes certain assumptions about workers. As a consequence, they exert a highly controlling leadership style. University-based ROTC programs and military academies (like West Point) formally groom people to be leaders. Theory X: The Authoritarian Boss. are licensed under a, Major Characteristics of the Manager's Job, How the Brain Processes Information to Make Decisions: Reflective and Reactive Systems, Administrative and Bureaucratic Management, External and Internal Organizational Environments and Corporate Culture, The Internal Organization and External Environments, Organizing for Change in the 21st Century, Ethics, Corporate Responsibility, and Sustainability, Dimensions of Ethics: The Individual Level, Ethical Principles and Responsible Decision-Making, Leadership: Ethics at the Organizational Level, Ethics, Corporate Culture, and Compliance, Emerging Trends in Ethics, CSR, and Compliance, Cultural Stereotyping and Social Institutions, Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs, Trends in Entrepreneurship and Small-Business Ownership, Strategic Analysis: Understanding a Firms Competitive Environment, Gaining Advantages by Understanding the Competitive Environment, A Firm's External Macro Environment: PESTEL, A Firm's Micro Environment: Porter's Five Forces, Competition, Strategy, and Competitive Advantage, The Strategic Management Process: Achieving and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, The Role of Strategic Analysis in Formulating a Strategy, Strategic Objectives and Levels of Strategy, Planning Firm Actions to Implement Strategies, Measuring and Evaluating Strategic Performance, An Introduction to Human Resource Management, Influencing Employee Performance and Motivation, Talent Development and Succession Planning, Benefits and Challenges of Workplace Diversity, Situational (Contingency) Approaches to Leadership, Substitutes for and Neutralizers of Leadership, Transformational, Visionary, and Charismatic Leadership, Opportunities and Challenges to Team Building, Factors Affecting Communications and the Roles of Managers, Managerial Communication and Corporate Reputation, The Major Channels of Management Communication Are Talking, Listening, Reading, and Writing, Formal Organizational Planning in Practice, Management by Objectives: A Planning and Control Technique, The Control- and Involvement-Oriented Approaches to Planning and Controlling, MTIIts Importance Now and In the Future, External Sources of Technology and Innovation, Internal Sources of Technology and Innovation, Management Entrepreneurship Skills for Technology and Innovation, Managing Now for Future Technology and Innovation, Tannenbaum and Schmidts Leadership Continuum, Leadership Behavior and the Uses of Power. 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