Theory X and Theory Y
Monday, November 25, 2013
What motivates employees to go to work each
morning?
Many people get great satisfaction from their work and take
great pride in it; Others may view it as a burden, and simply work
to survive.
This question of motivation has been studied by management theorists
and social psychologists for decades, in attempts to identify
successful approaches to management.
Social psychologist Douglas McGregor of MIT expounded two
contrasting theories on human motivation and management in the
1960s: The X Theory and the Y Theory. McGregor promoted Theory Y as
the basis of good management practice, pioneering the argument that
workers are not merely cogs in the company machinery, as Theory
X-Type organizations seemed to believe.
The theories look at how a manager's perceptions of what motivates
his or her team members affects the way he or she behaves. By
understanding how your assumptions about employees’ motivation can
influence your management style, you can adapt your approach
appropriately, and so manage people more effectively.
Understanding the Theories
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 tend towards 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 participative style.
Theory X
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:
Dislike working.
Avoid responsibility and need to be directed.
Have to be controlled, forced, and threatened to deliver what's needed.
Need to be supervised at every step, with controls put in place.
Need to be enticed to produce results; otherwise they have no ambition or incentive to work.
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 firmly
centralized.
McGregor recognized that X-Type workers are in fact usually the
minority, and yet in mass organizations, such as large scale
production environment, X Theory management may be required and can
be unavoidable.
Theory Y
Theory Y expounds a participative 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:
Take responsibility and are motivated to fulfill the goals they are given.
Seek and accept responsibility and do not need much direction.
Consider work as a natural part of life and solve work problems
imaginatively.
This more participative management style tends to be more widely
applicable. In Y-Type organizations, people at lower levels of the
organization are involved in decision making and have more
responsibility.
Comparing Theory X and Theory Y
Motivation
Theory 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.
Management Style and Control
In a Theory X organization, management is authoritarian, and
centralized control is retained, whilst in Theory Y, the management
style is participative: Management involves employees in decision
making, but retains power to implement decisions.
Work Organization
Theory 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.
Rewards and Appraisals
Theory X organizations work on a ‘carrot and stick’ basis, and
performance appraisal is part of the overall mechanisms of control
and remuneration. In Theory Y organizations, appraisal is also
regular and important, but is usually a separate mechanism from
organizational controls. Theory Y organizations also give employees
frequent opportunities for promotion.
Application
Although Theory X management style is widely accepted as inferior 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 benefits from Theory Y principles to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Tip 1:
Enough theory. Which approach do you prefer?
Do you work most effectively when your boss controls every part of everything you do? Or would this drive you mad, so that you'd just do what he or she wanted (and nothing more), look for another job, and then leave? Or would you prefer a boss who helps you to do your best, increasingly trusts your judgment, allows you to use your creativity, and step-by-step gives you more control over your job?
Would you work more effectively for a Theory X or Theory Y manager?
Learn from this! As it is for you, it will be for many of the members of your team!
Tip 2:
That said, different members of your own team may have different attitudes. Many may thrive on Theory Y management, while others may need Theory X management. Still others may benefit from an altogether different approach.
Mix and match appropriately.
Using the Theories
Understanding your assumptions about employees motivation can help your learn to manage more effectively. In order to understand McGregor’s theories in more detail, we suggest the following reading:
Douglas McGregor Revisited
Published in 2000, this book looks at McGregor’s time-tested thinking on human motivation, and shows how his theories apply in today’s organizations.
Tags:
Skills, Team Management
morning?
Many people get great satisfaction from their work and take
great pride in it; Others may view it as a burden, and simply work
to survive.
This question of motivation has been studied by management theorists
and social psychologists for decades, in attempts to identify
successful approaches to management.
Social psychologist Douglas McGregor of MIT expounded two
contrasting theories on human motivation and management in the
1960s: The X Theory and the Y Theory. McGregor promoted Theory Y as
the basis of good management practice, pioneering the argument that
workers are not merely cogs in the company machinery, as Theory
X-Type organizations seemed to believe.
The theories look at how a manager's perceptions of what motivates
his or her team members affects the way he or she behaves. By
understanding how your assumptions about employees’ motivation can
influence your management style, you can adapt your approach
appropriately, and so manage people more effectively.
Understanding the Theories
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 tend towards 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 participative style.
Theory X
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:
Dislike working.
Avoid responsibility and need to be directed.
Have to be controlled, forced, and threatened to deliver what's needed.
Need to be supervised at every step, with controls put in place.
Need to be enticed to produce results; otherwise they have no ambition or incentive to work.
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 firmly
centralized.
McGregor recognized that X-Type workers are in fact usually the
minority, and yet in mass organizations, such as large scale
production environment, X Theory management may be required and can
be unavoidable.
Theory Y
Theory Y expounds a participative 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:
Take responsibility and are motivated to fulfill the goals they are given.
Seek and accept responsibility and do not need much direction.
Consider work as a natural part of life and solve work problems
imaginatively.
This more participative management style tends to be more widely
applicable. In Y-Type organizations, people at lower levels of the
organization are involved in decision making and have more
responsibility.
Comparing Theory X and Theory Y
Motivation
Theory 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.
Management Style and Control
In a Theory X organization, management is authoritarian, and
centralized control is retained, whilst in Theory Y, the management
style is participative: Management involves employees in decision
making, but retains power to implement decisions.
Work Organization
Theory 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.
Rewards and Appraisals
Theory X organizations work on a ‘carrot and stick’ basis, and
performance appraisal is part of the overall mechanisms of control
and remuneration. In Theory Y organizations, appraisal is also
regular and important, but is usually a separate mechanism from
organizational controls. Theory Y organizations also give employees
frequent opportunities for promotion.
Application
Although Theory X management style is widely accepted as inferior 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 benefits from Theory Y principles to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Tip 1:
Enough theory. Which approach do you prefer?
Do you work most effectively when your boss controls every part of everything you do? Or would this drive you mad, so that you'd just do what he or she wanted (and nothing more), look for another job, and then leave? Or would you prefer a boss who helps you to do your best, increasingly trusts your judgment, allows you to use your creativity, and step-by-step gives you more control over your job?
Would you work more effectively for a Theory X or Theory Y manager?
Learn from this! As it is for you, it will be for many of the members of your team!
Tip 2:
That said, different members of your own team may have different attitudes. Many may thrive on Theory Y management, while others may need Theory X management. Still others may benefit from an altogether different approach.
Mix and match appropriately.
Using the Theories
Understanding your assumptions about employees motivation can help your learn to manage more effectively. In order to understand McGregor’s theories in more detail, we suggest the following reading:
Douglas McGregor Revisited
Published in 2000, this book looks at McGregor’s time-tested thinking on human motivation, and shows how his theories apply in today’s organizations.
