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. Theory x and theory y assumptions, merits and demerits. Doktorarbeit uber theorie x and theorie ypdf 1,27 mb. Theory x, theory y, and theory z introduction to business.
Theory y maintains that human beings are active rather than passive shapers of. His theory x and theory y was detailed in the human side of enterprise, published in 1960. Mcgregor s x y theory is a natural rule for managing people. Theory x and theory y management oxford bibliographies. Theory y principles to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. Yet the effect of x y attitudes on job performance has never been empirically demonstrated. Theory x and theory y were first introduced in the early work of douglas mcgregor. Abstract what motivates you to do a great job when you go to work. Ten important differences between theory x and theory y are discussed in this article. 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. Theory x and theory y, introduced in the book and are known for management and human motivation.
As such, it is these higherlevel needs through which employees can best be motivated. Fortythree years ago, douglas mcgregors the human side of enterprise offered managers a new assumption of management theory y, which would be. Theory x and theory y team management training from. Many have categorized theory x as an autocratic type of leadership and theory y as democratic style. 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. Douglas mcgregor theory x theory y pdf programpals. Critically evaluate mcgregors theroy x and theory y.
It is mcgregor s conclusion, of course, that the latter approach to organization is the more desirable one for managers to follow. A multilevel, multisource analysis article pdf available in journal of managerial issues 2714. Difference between theory x and theory y with comparison. According to theory x, there is complete centralization of authority, in the organisation, i. According to this theory the management is responsible for coordinating the activities in an organisation and for accomplishing its purposes. The three prior studies that have made this distinction were recently conducted solely to develop constructvalid measures of both. Application 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. Theory x and theory y are theories of human work motivation and management. 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. Tausky 1992, 4, theory x assumptions still prevail in the workplace collins 1996 and some management students still prefer those assumptions to theory y assumptions weinstein 2001. Theory x suggests that individuals have an instilled dislike for work and try to avoid it.
Theory x management style generally get poor results compare with managers use theory y, which produces better performance and results, and allows people to grow and develop. Essentially theory x and theory y describe two opposing views of people at work that will influence management style. To start off with, heres a brief definition of mcgregor s theory x and theory y. There were two main parts to this framework, theory x and theory y. Many managers tend towards theory x, and generally get poor. The purpose of this paper is to trace douglas mcgregor s theory y thinking back from pre. As the classical theory of human behavior, theory x. The idea that a managers attitude has an impact on employee motivation was originally proposed by douglas mcgregor. Mcgregors theory x and theory y theory of motivation. Comparative analysis of theory x, theory y, theory z, and theory. Douglas mcgregor, an american social psychologist, proposed his famous x y theory in his 1960 book the human side of enterprise.
Theory x is characterised by tight external control on the employees, whereas theory y features leniency in control. Mcgregor s six assumptions of theory y and his ideas of integrating individual and organization goals are congruent with the main planks in. Douglas mcgregor has developed two sets of assumptions about human behaviour. Mcgregor s work was rooted in motivation theory alongside the works of abraham maslow, who created the hierarchy of needs. Mcgregor s 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. 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. Toward a constructvalid measure article pdf available in journal of managerial issues 202. In contrast to the principles of conventional management mentioned as theory x, the advocated theory y illuminated a cluster of new or redefined concepts such as selffulfilling prophecy and responsibility. He did not imply that workers would be one type or the other. Douglas mcgregor, working in the 1960s, believed that management style was determined by the managers assumptions about human. Mcgregor s work made a significant impact on managerial thought.
Social psychologist mcgregor s theoryx and theory yof mit expounded two contrasting theories on human motivation and management in the 1960s. 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. 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. Features of mcgregors theory x and theory y of motivation. Douglas mcgregor put forward a theory of motivation. 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.
Application of theory x and y in classroom management by. First, there has been a failure to distinguish between theory x y attitudes and theory x y behaviors. Mcgregor developed two theories of human behaviour at work. Theory x holds a negative traditional view of the workers while theory y holds a much refined and. Mcgregor s theory x and theory y douglas mcgregor s in his book the human side of enterprise published in 1960, explained two different kinds of theories or assumptions about human behavior.
Mcgregor s ideas suggest that there are two fundamental approaches to managing people. In the 1960s, social psychologist douglas mcgregor developed two contrasting theories that explained how managers beliefs about what motivates their people. In his book the human side of enterprise 1960, douglas mcgregor studied behavior patterns of individuals in the workplace, and formulated the x and y theory. Douglas mcgregor 1906 1964 was a lecturer at harvard university and became the first sloan fellows professor at mit. According to mcgregor, the function of motivating people involves certain assumptions about human nature. A powtoon video highlighting the advantages of mcgregor s theory x and y while highlighting the disadvantages of the other 3 theories. Douglas mcgregors theory x and theory y of motivation. Rather, he saw the two theories as two extremes with a whole spectrum of possible behaviours in between. X and consider using the techniques suggested by theory y.
Many years ago a professor named douglas mcgregor dubbed these perspectives theory x and theory y. This article describes the theory x and theory y of douglas mcgregor. Dogan unlucan mcgregor theories x and theory y student. Pdf the impact of theory x, theory y and theory z on. One criticism of mcgregor s theory x is that it creates diseconomies of scale in large applications. Unlike, decentralisation of authority is presumed in theory y, which involves. 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. The purpose of this study is to find the impact of theory x, theory y and theory z on research performance of foundation university members in turkey on the number of articles published in science citation index and social science citation index. It was a period characterized by the work of maslow, likert, argyris. Theory into practice abraham maslow viewed mcgregor as a mentor. The higherlevel needs of esteem and selfactualization are ongoing needs that, for most people, are never completely satisfied. Understanding management and leadership styles cmi.
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. Leaders know best, and should closely direct actions taken by staff, with little room for independence and responsibility. This article argues that theory x methods persist because the view of human nature found in theory y is incomplete. 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. He also taught at the indian institute of management calcutta.
Mcgregor postulated 2 theories on human management and leadership which are theory x and theory y. What are the criticism of mcgregors theory x and theory y. And theory x theory y was based on mcgregor s book of 1960s called the human side of enterprise. Mcgregor maintained that there two fundamental approaches to managing people. Mcgregors theory x and theory y organizational behavior. Theory x was based on a number of key assumptions, the most important of which was that individuals instinctively didnt like work.
This new theory gives a new look to the relationships flanked by human being and management. 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. People will exercise selfdirection and selfcontrol if they are committed to the objectives. Given the drawbacks of theory x, mcgregor developed an alternative theory of human behavior called theory y. They were created by douglas mcgregor while he was working at the mit sloan school of management in the 1950s, and developed further in the 1960s. Theory x of motivation is based on the following assumptions. He referred to these opposing motivational methods as theory x and theory y management. To mcgregor, a steady supply of motivation seemed more likely to occur under theory y management.
This refers to an authoritarian management style, where reward and punishment is seen as the best way to motivate employees to meet objectives. Employees can view work as being as natural as rest or play. Maslow states that people are motivated by unmet needs whici are in a hierarchical order that prevents people from being motivated. Theory x advanced the view that human beings have an innate dislike for work. Douglas murray mcgregor 1906 1 october 1964 was a management professor at the mit sloan school of management and president of antioch college from 1948 to 1954. There are two alternative sets of assumptions which mcgregor has described as theory x and theory y. 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. Theory y management style is suited to knowledge work and professional services. So, in place of theory x mcgregor proposed a new theory broadly recognized as theory y. My boss asks me politely to do things, gives me reasons why, and invites my suggestions. Douglas mcgregor work is established in motivation theory. The relationship between mcgregors xy theory management. They can only be made to get results at work by the application of. It appeared at a time when the behavioral sciences were playing an increasing role in how managers thought about their work.
The present research investigates whether x y attitudes and x y behaviorsexamined as two distinct constructsare. They were created by douglas mcgregor while he was working at the mit. One criticism of mcgregor s theory y is that it may not be possible for the superior. He avoided descriptive labels and simply called the theories theory x and theory y. I knew instinctively that mcgregor s assessment of the traditional view management, which he names theory x, was true because i had worked in x environments for years, trying to run y divisions. Mcgregor s theory x and theory y are theories about human behavior and motivation in the organization that was published in 1960 by douglas mcgregor. Many theorists support that mcgregor s theory considers the field of management from a new angle, indicating a strong influential value.
1199 83 1398 1451 96 1399 624 818 316 12 537 414 795 1234 1126 556 387 1305 804 447 1246 1280 1354 49 1387 847 556 1473 1419 527 642 322 4 519 707 1365 548 777 1197 1085 1282 433 1176 499 716