Theory x and y created by mcgregor has been a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management style and techniques. The theory z was introduced in the 1980s by william ouchi as the japanese consensus style. Theory y sees work as a natural part of life from which people gain a sense of satisfaction. Theory x advanced the view that human beings have an innate dislike for work. People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever. Professor douglas mcgregor highlighted that there is a significant relationship between motivation and leadership among people. The present study explored the possibility that mcgregors 1960 theory xy assumptions serve as cognitive determinants of superior communicator style, a multidimensional set of style variables that can have considerable effects on subordinate wellbeing and organizational viability.
Theory x and theory y management oxford bibliographies. They can only be made to get results at work by the application of. Mcgregor theory x and theory y for staff and employees. Motivation implies the act of stimulating or inspiring subordinates to pursue the desired course of action. His work showed that thoughts and beliefs might influence behavio. Abstract what motivates you to do a great job when you go to work. Do you care about the goals of the organization that you work for, or do you focus more on getting a regular paycheck to bring home. Mcgregors theory x and theory y are theories about human behavior and motivation in the organization that was published in 1960 by douglas mcgregor. The present and future of work modern work gets done through the connection of ideas. It appeared at a time when the behavioral sciences were playing an increasing role in how managers thought about their work. Designmethodologyapproach an empirical study was conducted through. Theory x and theory y in 1960, douglas mcgregor formulated theory x and theory y suggesting two aspects of human behaviour at work, or in other words, two different views of individuals employees.
These are two opposing perceptions about how people view human behaviour at work and organisational life. To start off with, heres a brief definition of mcgregor s theory x and theory y. He referred to these opposing motivational methods as theory x and theory y management. Theory x and y were created and developed by douglas mcgregor at the mit sloan school of management in the 1960s 2. First, there has been a failure to distinguish between theory xy attitudes and theory xy behaviors. In his 1960 book, the human side of enterprise, mcgregor proposed two theories by which managers perceive and address employee. In his 1960 management book, the human side of enterprise, douglas mcgregor made his mark on the history of organizational management and motivational psychology when he proposed the two theories by which managers perceive employee motivation. The purpose of this paper is to apply mcgregors theory x and theory y to study teacher motivation in higher education. This leads to more consultative and participative management styles. The present study explored the possibility that mcgregor s 1960 theory x y assumptions serve as cognitive determinants of superior communicator style, a multidimensional set of style variables. Theory x says that the average human being is lazy and self.
Management style and control in 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. Mcgregors theories x and y introduction to business. It is important to note that both theory x and theory y are based on the argument that there are specific approaches to managing people based on their traits. Douglas mcgregor has developed two sets of assumptions about human behaviour. Social psychologist mcgregors theoryx and theoryyof mit expounded two contrasting theories on human motivation and management in the 1960s. However, modern revisions including contingency theorists argue that theory y is not essentially a progressive alternative to a dull theory x. 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 xtype organizations seemed to believe. To start off with, heres a brief definition of mcgregors theory x and theory y. The idea behind using letters x and y, perhaps seems to be using a neutral terminology, which does not convey any sense of badness or goodness associated with these theories. The relationship between mcgregors xy theory management. He avoided descriptive labels and simply called the theories theory x and theory y.
Theory x is the belief that employees are motivated by pay and they need supervision to make sure they get their work done. And, just like your algebra class, x and y dont work totally independently, although you can manage in a style that is mostly a theory x or theory y management style. Mcgregors theoryx and theoryy what is human resource. The two theories are sets of propositions and beliefs about human nature. Mcgregor considers theory x and theory y as two different continua in themselves, they are not different ends of the same continuum. He was a strong supporter of theories x and y, and he put theory y that people want to work, achieve and take responsibility into practice in a californian electronics factory.
This refers to an authoritarian management style, where reward and punishment is seen as the best way to motivate employees to meet objectives. Mcgregors work made a significant impact on managerial thought. Theory y assumes that people are selfmotivated, and thrive on responsibility. Douglas mcgregor is the one who constructed theory x and y in the 1960s.
Differences between theory x and theory y difference between. Xy theory questionnaire score the statements 5 always, 4 mostly, 3 often, 2 occasionally, 1 rarely, 0 never to indicate whether the situation and management style is x or y. Advantages and disadvantages of theory x and y essay. In a nutshell, theory x states that people inherently dislike their jobs, see them as a necessary evil, are unmotivated, and must be externally controlled throughout the day by coercion, direction, or threat of punishment. Many have categorized theory x as an autocratic type of leadership and theory y as democratic style. Douglas mcgregor work is established in motivation theory. Douglas mcgregor, an american social psychologist, proposed his famous x y theory in his 1960 book the human side of enterprise. Essentially theory x and theory y describe two opposing views of people at work that will influence management style. Theory into practice abraham maslow viewed mcgregor as a mentor. The theory z was invented by the american economist and management professor william ouchi, following the x and y theory by douglas mcgregor in the 1960s.
While theory x managers may be suited for some processdriven organizations, a more practical management style today is that of a theory y thinker. He argued that western organisations could learn from their japanese counterparts. Challenges and limitations of theory x and theory y. Leaders know best, and should closely direct actions taken by staff, with little room for independence and responsibility. It is something that makes people act or behave in a particular manner. My boss asks me politely to do things, gives me reasons why, and invites my suggestions. Theory x and theory y, introduced in the book and are known for management and human motivation. Leadership style and organizational performance have been researched extensively. His theory x and theory y was detailed in the human side of enterprise, published in 1960. Douglas mcgregor then arrived at the conclusion that the style of leadership depends on the.
Douglas mcgregor, one of maslow s students, influenced the study of motivation with his formulation of two contrasting sets of assumptions about human nature theory x and theory y. Theory x and theory y to pick the best management style. Pdf application of mcgregors theory x and theory y. Pdf theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and. However, the literature has a limited number of studies concerning organizational performance of small and medium businesses, even less research on the impact on organizational performance of theory x and theory y type leadership styles. Many years ago a professor named douglas mcgregor dubbed these perspectives theory x and theory y. Difference between theory x and theory y with comparison. The idea that a managers 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. The average person dislikes work and will avoid it if. In his book, the human side of enterprise published in 1960, mit business professor, douglas mcgregor, proposed two schools of thought on employee motivation. Developed in the 1960s by douglas mcgregor in his book, the human side of enterprise, theory x and theory y allocate the job of management into two styles. It was a period characterized by the work of maslow, likert, argyris. Mcgregor 1960 famously argued that there are two types of managers. Mcgregors theory x and y is a salutary and simple remainder of the natural rules for managing people, which under the pressure of daytoday business are all too easily forgotten.
Based on the premises concerning human behaviour, prof. Hereafter, we refer to mcgregors theorizing as theory xy. Theory x and theory y were first introduced in the early work of douglas mcgregor. Theory x and theory y were first explained by mcgregor in his book, the human side of enterprise, and they refer to two styles of management authoritarian theory x and participative theory y. The latter theory has a much more positive view about employees and it is suggested that the employer is under a lot less pressure than one who is influenced by the management style of theory x. He referred to these two perceptions as theory x and theory y. X and consider using the techniques suggested by theory y.
The three prior studies that have made this distinction were recently conducted solely to develop constructvalid measures of both. Theory x and theory y are still referred to commonly in the field of management and motivation, and whilst more recent studies have questioned the rigidity of the model, mcgregor s x y theory remains a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management. Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its. If you believe that your team members dislike their work and have little motivation, then, according to mcgregor, youll likely use an authoritarian style of. Theory x assumes that there is a centralization of authority and very tight control over the employees, but theory y says that the authority should be decentralized and that should be leniency in control.
Douglas mcgregor 19061964 developed a philosophical view of humankind with his theory x and theory y. Workers can be motivated to give their best by respect and recognition. Theory x managers assume that workers are lazy, will avoid responsibility, and prefer to just get by. The theory x management style is based on a pessimistic view of human nature and assumes the following. Introduced by douglas mcgregor, theory x and theory y talk about the diverging views that exist about how organizations function. The major distinct disadvantage of theory x and theory y is that they are put forward as challenging sets of assumptions a supervisor is either motivated by theory x or by theory y. Organizational communication channel 114,558 views. Mcgregor postulated 2 theories on human management and leadership which are theory x and theory y. Theory x and theory y in his 1960 book, the human side of enterprise, douglas mcgregor proposed two theories by which to view employee motivation.
An exploratory study of the relationships between theory x. Technofunc mcgregors leadership theory x and theory y. He summarized the findings of the hawthorn experiment by introducing both theory x and theory y. Douglas mcgregors theory x and theory y of motivation. Douglas mcgregor put forward a theory of motivation, called as theory x and theory y. Mcgregor believed that while both styles could be effective, theory x management could lead to. Theory x and theory y team management training from. In 1960, douglas mcgregor developed a leadership theory mcgregor theory x and theory y about organization and management in which he represented two opposing perceptions about people. This theory divides workers and managers in the organization in two typical groups according to how managers lead their subordinates and respectively how subordinates behave character of the manager or worker corresponding to the. Theory x and theory y are wellresearched leadership principles. The better your ideas and the more efficient your connection, the better off your company will fare in this.
Douglas mcgregors theory x vs theory y lucidchart blog. An effective leader needs to examine carefully their own ideas about the motivation and behavior of subordinates and others, as well as the situation, before adopting a particular style of leadership. Theory x and theory y are still referred to commonly in the field of management and motivation, and whilst more recent studies have questioned the rigidity of the model, mcgregors xy theory remains a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management. Douglas mcgregor 1906 1964 was a lecturer at harvard university and became the first sloan fellows professor at mit. Mcgregors theory x and theory y theory of motivation. In the 1960s, douglas murray mcgregor, a famous mit professor of management wrote a book named the human side of enterprise in which he analyzed the various behaviors of professionals at work. In a types x organization, leadership style is authoritarian and centralized control is retained by management, while in theory y, the leadership style is participative and management of the organization involves employees in decision making, but final decision is made by top level management. Douglas mcgregor, an american social psychologist, proposed his famous xy theory in his 1960 book the human side of enterprise.
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