What do you think motivates your people to come to work each morning? Do you believe that they get great from their work and take pride in doing the best possible job? Or do you think that they see it as a burden, and simply work for the money?
These assumptions about your team members can have a significant influence on how you manage them. In the 1960s, social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed two contrasting theories that explained how managers' beliefs about what motivates their people can affect their management style. He labelled these Theory X and Theory Y. These theories continue to be important even today. This article and video will explore McGregor's theory further, and we'll look at how it applies in the workplace. Theory X assumes that people dislike work and are not motivated to do a good job. Understanding Theory X and Theory Y Theory X and Theory Y were first explained by McGregor in his book, ',' and they refer to two styles of management – authoritarian (Theory X) and participative (Theory Y).
Introduction • Theory X and Y was developed by Douglas McGregor, a social psychologist in 1960. • Theory X and Y is about managers’ beliefs. The Relationship between McGregor's X-Y Theory. Theory X and Theory Y was an idea devised by Douglas McGregor in his book “The Human Side of Enterprise” 1960. JOURNAL OF MANAGERIAL ISSUES Vol. XX Number 2 Summer 2008: 255-271 Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Y: Toward a Construct-valid Measure* Richard E.
If you believe that your team members dislike their work and have little motivation, then, according to McGregor, you'll likely use an authoritarian style of management. This approach is very 'hands-on' and usually involves micromanaging people's work to ensure that it gets done properly. McGregor called this Theory X. On the other hand, if you believe that your people take pride in their work and see it as a, then you'll more likely adopt a participative management style. Managers who use this approach trust their people to take ownership of their work and do it effectively by themselves. McGregor called this Theory Y. The approach that you take will have a significant impact on your ability to motivate your team members.
So, it's important to understand how your perceptions of what motivates them can shape your management style. We'll now take a more in-depth look at the two different theories, and discover how and when they can be useful in the workplace. Theory X Theory X managers tend to take a pessimistic view of their people, and assume that they are naturally unmotivated and dislike work. As a result, they think that team members need to be prompted, or punished constantly to make sure that they complete their tasks. Work in organizations that are managed like this can be repetitive, and people are often motivated with a 'carrot and stick' approach.
Archvision Software License Cracker. Performance and are usually based on tangible results, such as sales figures or product output, and are used to control staff and 'keep tabs' on them. This style of management assumes that workers: • Dislike their work.
• Avoid responsibility and need constant direction. • Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to deliver work.
• Need to be supervised at every step. • Have no incentive to work or ambition, and therefore need to be enticed by rewards to achieve goals. According to McGregor, organizations with a Theory X approach tend to have several tiers of managers and supervisors to oversee and direct workers.
Authority is rarely delegated, and control remains firmly centralized. Managers are more authoritarian and actively intervene to get things done. Although Theory X management has largely fallen out of fashion in recent times, big organizations may find that adopting it is unavoidable due to the sheer number of people that they employ and the tight deadlines that they have to meet.