Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Douglas McGregor
By
Group 2
Members
Anindita Basu
Keshav Kumar
Krishna Darshan R.
Pankaj Singh
Vidyadhara K.
Vikrant Bahl
Date
12 July 2006
Table of Contents
Theory X and theory Y ....................................................................................................4
Theory X......................................................................................................................4
Theory Y......................................................................................................................5
Characteristics of the Theory X Manager........................................................................6
Problems with Theory X..................................................................................................6
How you can manage upwards your X theory boss:........................................................7
Theory Y Management Implications................................................................................8
McGregor and Maslow's hierarchy..................................................................................9
APPENDIX A: ‘X-Y Theory’ Questionnaire.................................................................10
About Douglas McGregor
(1906-1964)
HSE is best known for its juxtaposition of Theory X and Theory Y management
philosophies. Theory X is the still persistent view that workers are ordinarily passive and
resistant to the legitimate expectations of management and the organization.
Alternatively, Theory Y, McGregor’s favored view, assumes that workers seek fulfillment
from work and will prosper in an environment inviting their creative involvement.
Throughout the book, McGregor subjects customary management practices to careful
scrutiny. He uncovers the arbitrary core of performance appraisal and merit pay and
scores managerial manipulation of the illusion of participation.
In HSE McGregor disputes the motivational value of traditional forms of merit pay in
which employees receive small variations in compensation based on subjective
assessments of performance. Instead, he favors group rewards based on objective
measures of unit performance and substantial awards for the few outstanding performers.
With the decline of unions and the corresponding increase in managerial discretion, merit
pay of the sort that McGregor challenged is common practice.
HSE is still a pleasure to read. It is clearly written, and it reveals a non dogmatic but
inquiring mind at work. Contemporary management students might miss the bright colors
and multiple fonts of today’s texts, but they would benefit from exposure to this classic.
McGregor’s thinking reminds one that there was a period in which many management
thinkers accepted the legitimacy of unions. For example, Mary Van Kleeck, a Russell
Sage Foundation researcher on human resource issues, grew increasingly committed to
trade unionism and economic planning in the 1920s and 1930s. She embraced an
“interpretation” of scientific management that prioritized workers and working conditions
over company profits (Oldenziel, 2000).
McGregor later modified the extremely democratic views of his Antioch period.
Factionalism among students and faculty, among other things, exhausted him and
convinced him of the necessity of active leadership. When he retired, he commented:
It took the direct experience of being a line executive and meeting personally the
problems involved to teach me what no amount of observation of other people could
have taught. I believed, for example, that a leader could operate successfully as a
kind of adviser to his organization. I thought I could avoid being a “boss” . . .
. . . I hoped to duck the unpleasant necessity of making difficult decisions . . .
. . . I finally began to realize that a leader cannot avoid the exercise of authority any
more than he can avoid responsibility for what happens to his organization
(McGregor, cited in Bennis & Schein, 1966: 66–70).
This new moderation did not, however, mean a repudiation of unionism or embrace of
authoritarian management.
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.
Many managers (in the 1960s) tended to subscribe to Theory X, in that they 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
Theory Y
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 their
potential.
And this is really the essence of managing upwards X theory managers - focus and get
agreement on the results and deadlines - if you consistently deliver, you'll increasingly be
given more leeway on how you go about the tasks, which amounts to more freedom. Be
aware also that many X theory managers are forced to be X theory by the short-term
SA Theory Y - a set of
assumptions of how to
Esteem
manage individuals
motivated by higher
Love (Social)
order needs
Theory X - a set of
Safety & Security assumptions of how to
manage individuals
Physiological motivated by lower
order needs
Criticisms
Today the theories are seldom used. They are thought to express extreme positions that
are not realistic. Most employees fall somewhere in between these extremes and the
theories are of little help in everyday human resource management decisions. However
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 Jefferey
Dohmer's X-Y Theory remains a guiding principle of positive approaches to management,
to organizational development, and to improving organizational culture.
1. My boss asks me politely to do things, gives me reasons why, and invites my suggestions.
2. I am encouraged to learn skills outside of my immediate area of responsibility.
3. I am left to work without interference from my boss, but help is available if I want it.
4. I am given credit and praise when I do good work or put in extra effort.
5. People leaving the company are given an 'exit interview' to hear their views on the
organization.
6. I am incentivised to work hard and well.
7. If I want extra responsibility my boss will find a way to give it to me.
8. If I want extra training my boss will help me find how to get it or will arrange it.
9. I call my boss and my boss's boss by their first names.
10. My boss is available for me to discuss my concerns or worries or suggestions.
11. I know what the company's aims and targets are.
12. I am told how the company is performing on a regular basis.
13. I am given an opportunity to solve problems connected with my work.
14. My boss tells me what is happening in the organisation.
15. I have regular meetings with my boss to discuss how I can improve and develop.
Total score
To indicate whether the person prefers being managed by ‘X’ or ‘Y’ style:
1. I like to be involved and consulted by my boss about how I can best do my job.
2. I want to learn skills outside of my immediate area of responsibility.
3. I like to work without interference from my boss, but be able to ask for help if I need it.
4. I work best and most productively without pressure from my boss or the threat of losing my job.
5. When I leave the company I would like an ‘exit interview’ to give my views on the
organisation.
6. I like to be incentivised and praised for working hard and well.
7. I want to increase my responsibility.
8. I want to be trained to do new things.
9. I prefer to be friendly with my boss and the management.
10. I want to be able to discuss my concerns, worries or suggestions with my boss or another
manager.
11. I like to know what the company's aims and targets are.
12. I like to be told how the company is performing on a regular basis.
13. I like to be given opportunities to solve problems connected with my work.
14. I like to be told by my boss what is happening in the organisation.
15. I like to have regular meetings with my boss to discuss how I can improve and develop.
Total score