According to mcgregor, the function of motivating people involves certain assumptions about human nature. This theory was developed by douglas mcgregor in 1950s at mit. Difference between douglas mcgregor theory and herzberg s theory. Pdf douglas mcgregors landmark book, the human side of enterprise, changed the path of management thinking and practice by. 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 the theory x management style is based on a pessimistic view of. Theory x and theory y team management training from.
It was a period characterized by the work of maslow, likert, argyris. This new theory gives a new look to the relationships flanked by human being and management. Mcgregor sees these two theories as two quite separate attitudes. Mcgregors theory x and theory y theory of motivation. Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its impact on. 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. His work is based upon maslows hierarchy of needs, where he grouped the hierarchy into lowerorder needs theory x and higherorder needs theory y. 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 style and techniques. Critically evaluate mcgregors theroy x and theory y free. 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. Mcgregor s xy theory is a natural rule for managing people. Theory x and theory y, introduced in the book and are known for management and human motivation. Features of mcgregors theory x and theory y of motivation.
Theory x and theory y management oxford bibliographies. Theory x holds a negative traditional view of the workers while theory y holds a much refined and. Social psychologist mcgregor s theory x and theory yof mit expounded two contrasting theories on human motivation and management in the 1960s. According to this theory the management is responsible for coordinating the activities in an organisation and for accomplishing its purposes.
Mcgregor theory x and theory y for staff and employees. Theory x and theory y framework proposed by mcgregor in his classic book the human side of enterprise 1960 consists of two alternative set of assumptions. Theory x and theory y published in the sage encyclopedia of management theories. Designmethodologyapproach an empirical study was conducted through. Douglas postulated over three decades ago that every leader has core assumptions about human nature and these assumptions influence the style of leadership practiced by the leader. Douglas mcgregor, an american social psychologist, proposed his famous xy theory in his 1960 book the human side of enterprise. 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. Ncjrs abstract national criminal justice reference service.
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. My boss asks me politely to do things, gives me reasons why, and invites my suggestions. Challenges and limitations of theory x and theory y. 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. Mcgregor argued that these assumptions fall into two broad categories theory x and theory y. In the human side of enterprise mcgregor shows how theory y affects the management of promotions and. According to mcgregor 1960, 1966, management styles that the supervisors apply in a work setting range from theory x to theory y principles. John wiley, 2000 journal article douglas mcgregor a lasting impression, robert a cunningham ivey business journal, sepoct vol 75 issue 5, 2011, pp57 related model mcgregor s theory x and theory y related thinkers.
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. Given the drawbacks of theory x, mcgregor developed an alternative theory of human behavior called theory y. Mcgregor maintained that there two fundamental approaches to managing people. Douglas mcgregors theory x and theory y of motivation. The strongest influence in this area is motivation because it overlaps into both of the other two components.
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. Theory x and theory y was an idea devised by douglas mcgregor in his 1960 book the human. 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. 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. Douglas mcgregor in his book, the human side of enterprise published in 1960 has examined theories on behavior of individuals at work, and he has. 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. Jim was a fellow manager at hanover insurance, and we often reflected on the diseases produced by the prevailing hierarchical management practices of that time. Pdf leadership style and organizational performance have been researched extensively.
Both theories x and y are proposed by mcgregor which describe the workforce models which are contrasting in nature and which are used by reporting managers in organizational behaviour and human. It was in 1957 that douglas mcgregor first proposed the concept of theory x and theory y in the human. Theory x percieves employees to be lazy, irresponsible and untrustworthy, while according to theory y employees are approached as one of the most valuable assets of the company. Mcgregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his theory x and theory y in 1960. Yet, mcgregor s 1960 assumption that employees perform. Theory x and theory y are considered as theories of human motivation at the workplace. Mcgregors xy theory remains central to organizational development, and to. Mcgregor s ideas suggest that there are two fundamental approaches to managing people. There are two alternative sets of assumptions which mcgregor has described as theory x and theory y.
Theory x and y were created and developed by douglas mcgregor in the 1960s. 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. Therefore, managers must direct employees, control them through close supervision, and coerce. Douglas mcgregor s theory x and theory y the work of douglas mcgregor, the renowned social psychologist at mits sloan school of management who studied the theoretical foundations of human motivation in the 1960s, was premised on a binary conception of managerial perception known as theory x and theory y according to mcgregor. Copyright 2017, scholarly research journal for interdisciplinary.
The relationship between mcgregors xy theory management. This entry first describes ising strategies for improved transfer in todays mcgregors theory x and theory y. So, in place of theory x mcgregor proposed a new theory broadly recognized as 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. 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. Douglas mcgregor s theory x and theory y have both their advantages and disadvantages, though many would prefer to call them their strengths and weaknesses. Theory x and theory y describe two views of people at work and may be used to describe two opposing management styles. This article describes the theory x and theory y of douglas mcgregor.
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. He avoided descriptive labels and simply called the theories theory x and theory y. Job satisfaction, motivation, and reward systems are included in one area of organizational theory. The human side of enterprise, mcgregor, 1957 and were expanded upon. The purpose of this paper is to apply mcgregor s theory x and theory y to study teacher motivation in higher education. Management theorist douglas mcgregor coined these terms to describe two fundamentally different approaches to managing people. Toward a constructvalid measure article pdf available in journal of managerial issues 202. How are mcgregors theories x and y and ouchis theory z used to explain worker motivation. Advantages and disadvantages of theory x and y essay.
Pdf theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and. Theory x says that the average human being is lazy and selfcentred, lacks ambition, dislikes change, and longs to be told what to do. People will exercise selfdirection and selfcontrol if they are committed to the objectives. Dogan unlucan mcgregor theories x and theory y student. Douglas mcgregor is the one who constructed theory x and y in the 1960s.
Theory x people dislike work, have little ambition, and are unwilling to take responsibility. Pdf theory x and theory y published in the sage encyclopedia. However, the impact between xy attitudes and job performance has never been empirically substantiated. Mcgregors ideas about theory x and theory y were first articulated in his article. Many theorists support that mcgregor s theory considers the field of management from a new angle, indicating a strong influential value. Mcgregors theories x and y introduction to business. Many managers tend towards theory x, and generally get poor. 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. 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. 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. Mcgregor s work made a significant impact on managerial thought.
The xy theory diagram and measurement tool below pdf and doc versions are. However, modern revisions including contingency theorists argue that theory y is not essentially a progressive alternative to a dull theory x. After reading you will understand the background and the practical basics of these leadership styles what is theory x and theory y. However, the literature has a limited number of studies. Theory x and y created by mcgregor has been a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management style and techniques. Theory x of motivation is based on the following assumptions. Theory x and theory y are theories of human work motivation and management. Abstract what motivates you to do a great job when you go to work. Mcgregors work was rooted in motivation theory alongside the works of. Mcgregors ideas suggest that there are two fundamental approaches to managing people. Theory z was developed by william ouchi, in his book 1981 theory z. The biggest advantage of using theory x and theory y is that they are easy to understand. Mcgregor considers theory x and theory y as two different continua in themselves, they are not different ends of the same continuum. In addition to this, they can help a manager to focus on his thoughts on the different ways in which individuals relate to and.
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. Employees can view work as being as natural as rest or play. He referred to these opposing motivational methods as theory x and theory y management. Theory x and theory y were first introduced in the early work of douglas mcgregor.
Theory x management style generally get poor results compare with. Mcgregor theory x assumes that employees of an organization or team members are naturally unmotivated and dislike working, and this encourages an authoritarian leadership style. Theory y is difficult to put into practice on the shop floor in large mass production operations, but it can be used initially in the managing of managers and professionals. How american business can meet the japanese challenge. The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if possible. Theory x and theory y assumptions, merits and demerits. According to this view, management of an organization must actively involve in get things done by their employees.
Difference between douglas mcgregor theory and herzberg s. Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its. Theory y maintains that human beings are active rather than passive shapers of. Theory z william ouchi first things first theory z is not a mcgregor idea and as such is not mcgregor s extension of his xy theory. Pdf theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its. Conversely, mcgregor saw theory y managers as those that hold assumptions that workers care about the organization, will seek responsibility, and exercise. 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. What are the advantages and disadvantages of theory x and. Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its impact on organizational performance.
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 is based on the assumption that the average person has an inherent dislike of work physical and mental effort, does not want responsibility, and lacks ambition. Pdf douglas mcgregors landmark book, the human side of enterprise, changed the path of management thinking and practice by questioning fundamental. An example is mcgregor s theory y which postulates that people can be basically self directed and creative at work if properly motivated hersey and blanchard 1982, 48.
441 16 492 951 370 514 1073 1436 1160 666 1549 1083 1020 1380 659 53 312 736 1238 140 1383 95 242 636 60 31 1479 861 27 1440 635 14 772 783 1313 211