You might, for instance, have a tendency to micromanage or, conversely, you may prefer to take a more hands-off approach. According to McGregor, Theory X managementassumes the following: Essentially, Theory X assumes that the primary source of employee motivation is monetary, with security as a strong second. Drawing on Maslows hierarchy of needs, McGregor argues that a need, once satisfied, no longer motivates. B. most workers know more about their job than the boss. Management believes employees' work is based on their own self-interest. This approach is usually taken by managers working in older companies and firms. Micro-managers believe that they must oversee every single task assigned to the employee, and they believe employees will try . The impression that a manager makes a personal assumptions of employees attitudinal bias concerning their involvement in work activities is out of place. Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons. These theories have become the reference point for various approaches to the issues of human resource administration and organisation. 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. In this situation, one would expect employees to dislike their work, avoid responsibility, have no interest in organizational goals, resist change, etc.creating, in effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy. employees are motivated mainly by the chance for advancement and recognitionc. And the approach to and requirements of leadership are changing with it. An individual who was self- motivated was best left alone in a. People will be self-directed and creative to meet their work and organizational objectives if they are committed to them. They think most employees are only out for themselves and their sole interest in the job is to earn money. [6] Managers who believe employees operate in this manner are more likely to use rewards or punishments as motivation. The theories attempt to show how a manager's perception of his team affects the . It can be difficult for organizations and employees to make life-time employment commitments. In sum, one key to effective leadership, especially as it pertains to the exercise of social and interpersonal influence, relates to the type of power employed by the leader. Different situations call for different configurations of knowledge, skills, and abilities. He explained this concept in his book "The Human side of Enterprise". Decision making became centralized and control was established through a chain of command where workers were not being provided an opportunity to contribute to the process. [7] McGregor believes both ends of the spectrum are too extreme for efficient real-world application. workers must be controlled in order to achieve a company's goalsb. Dec 12, 2022 OpenStax. Theory X managers are likely to believe that Select one: a. the average person dislikes work and will seek to avoid it when possible. An organization with this style of management is made up of several levels of supervisors and managers who actively intervene and micromanage the employees. One assumption is that theyseek to build cooperative and intimate working relationships with their coworkers. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Theory Y managers appeal to a higher level of motivation on Maslows famous Hierarchy of Needs, capitalizing on the human need for esteem and self-actualization. Leaders who rely on reward power develop followers who are very measured in their responses to [what? Managers who assume employees are apathetic or dislike their work use theory X, which is authoritarian. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you "Theory X and Theory Y, Douglas McGregor", "Employee Management: Are You X or Are You Y", "Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People's Motivations", A diagram representing Theory X and Theory Y, Another diagram representing Theory X and Theory Y, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theory_X_and_Theory_Y&oldid=1136635549, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 10:10. Enlightened managers use Theory Y, which produces better performance and results, and allows people to grow and develop. 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 X management is substantially a matter of crafting positive and negative incentives, such as bonuses or other rewards for meeting targets, or progressive discipline for falling short, which may include remedial training. This short quiz does not count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times. It refers to the management style that follows a more participative, interactive and optimistic approach. [12] On the contrary, managers who choose the Theory Y approach have a hands-off style of management. Another assumption is that workers expect reciprocity and support from the company. This paper addresses both theories X and Y of Mc Gregor in economic crisis, where X is the one that might get the poor results focusing on instrumental, physiological values comparing to theory Y where managers are effective . Increasingly, leaders in organizations will be those who best sell their ideas on how to complete a projectpersuasiveness and inspiration are important ingredients in the leadership equation, especially in high-involvement organizations.22. Motivation occurs only at the physiological and security levels of Maslows hierarchy of needs. In fact, when the proper motivations and rewards are in place, employees are not only willing but purposely driven to seek out responsibility and challenges on their own. 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Situational Leadership Theory & Styles | What is Situational Leadership? It helped me pass my exam and the test questions are very similar to the practice quizzes on Study.com. the average person dislikes work and will seek to avoid it when possible. This website helped me pass! However, because there is no optimal way for a manager to choose between adopting either Theory X or Theory Y, it is likely that a manager will need to adopt both approaches depending on the evolving circumstances and levels of internal and external locus of control throughout the workplace. Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. The theory made some sense when. Consider these assumptions from the different managerial styles: Most people find happiness in hard work under the right conditions. Henry comes to work regularly on time and his performance has been consistent. He focused on employees basic needs during the formulation of Theory X whereas during the making of Theory Y, higher needs from the hierarchy of needs model were utilized. In general, Theory X style managers believe their employees are less intelligent, lazier, and work solely for a sustainable income. Abraham Maslow and McGregor both gave popular theories on motivation. The higher-level needs of esteem and self-actualization are ongoingneeds that, for most people, are never completely satisfied. Reason In theory X, the manager believes that employees are lazy, and they avoid doing work properly. McGregor proposed that there were two types of managers: ones who assumed a negative view of their employees, also known as the Theory X managers, and others who assumed a positive view of workers, or the Theory Y managers. The answer often is that a leaders social influence is the source of his power. d. job satisfaction is primarily related to higher-order needs. 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. I highly recommend you use this site! Good leaders, whether formal or informal, develop many sources of power. While there is a more personal and individualistic feel, this leaves room for error in terms of consistency and uniformity. However, beyond this commonality, theattitudes and assumptionsthey embody are quite different. This allows the individual to receive either a direct reward or a reprimand, depending on the outcome's positive or negative nature. 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. 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