Theory X management

MacGregor recognized that Theory X works best in some situations. Those cases include repetitive tasks in which a high volume of output is required. Further, where folloxving orders is important to the well-being of the organization. Theory X management style is important. Often seen as... 

In conclusion. Theories X and Y both work, but in different ways. On the proper occasions. Theory X can produce better short-term results. However, if people are subjected to Theory X management style consistently, it could lead to disharmony and dissatisfaction, which is counterproductive in the long term. To maintain a healthy, viable organization, managers need to keep people happy and motivated. 

Theory-X Manager - secretive, has his or her fingers in everything that happens, always has the final word, tells rather than asks questions Theory-Y Manager - values the opinion of the employees, spends more lime hstening than talking, looks for ideas from the bottom-up but makes the final decision Theory-Z Manager - tends to empower the employees to make their own decisions and lets them in tlement their own ideas... 

Theory X Manager-Cash Manager This manager is impersonal and quick to fire and bases all decisions on short-term financial reports. 

Theory X Manager-Crisis Manager The General charges his or her troops against the... 

Theory X Manager-Conflict Manager The Boss expects the respect of employees and demands immediate response to his or her whims and wishes. 

Theory X Manager-Cool Manager The manager makes the final decisions, but in an attempt to keep everyone happy, many of the decisions are political and therefore contradictory. The result is more confusion than progress. 

Theory X Manager-Change Manage This manager forces change on employees, leaving them rebellious and resistant... 

Supervisory styles were mentioned both in the Hawthorne study and in a book discussing theory X and Y. The theory X manager/supervisor thinks that workers are basically bad and cannot be trusted. Punishment is mentioned as a motivator for the theory X supervisor. The theory Y manager/supervisor believes that workers are not basically bad. This theory attributes poor worker performance to a management failure and not to the worker s nature. Later chapters expound on the basic themes presented so far and on developing programs to enhance safety culture. 

The first type of manager operates from a set of assumptions that McGregor labels theory X. These managers believe that people ... 

Almost any organization of any size is filled with its own tales of theory X and theory Y. The next section considers one true story in which an employee s behavior transformed dramatically with a change in management. 

Consider a manager you have worked for. Make a list of things he or she did that you would classify as theory X behavior, and make another list of things he or she did that you would classify as theory Y behavior. 

These findings led to fhe development of Douglas McGregor s Theory X and Theory Y management. Theory X, a basic assumption of bureaucratic organizations, assumes that people inherently dislike work, must be coerced and threatened to do the job, avoid responsibility, and have few career ambitions. Theory Y, in contrast, looks at workers as individuals willing to work and accept responsibility and as capable of self-direction and control. It also considers that the expenditure of menfal and physical energy at work is the same as at play. 

Theory X states that people inherently dislike work and need to be coerced into performing a duty. Further, the theory indicates that people attempt to avoid responsibility and have relatively little ambition. They wait to be told what tasks to perform and have little or no control of or direction in their work lives. Overall, employees seek money and job security only. Theory X is considered an authoritarian style of management. 

McGregor s book The Human Side of Enterprise was published in 1960. His view was that the leadership approach managers took was based on assumptions they made about the people they managed. McGregor grouped possible assumptions in what he called Theory X and Theory Y categories. 

McGregor s view was that if a manager believed that workers had Theory X characteristics, they would provide close direction and control. But, McGregor believed that Theory Y characteristics prevail. His premise is that people can be self-actualizing, exercise intellectual capacities, and more fully utilize their capabilities—if they are given opportunities to participate in establishing goals and commit to them, and to influence the nature of their work. 

Management styles, as they might affect the health of people at work, have already been dealt with to some degree in the section above. They are generally broken down into McGregor s Theory X, autocratic, and Theory Y, participative/democratic. 

Douglas McGregor, who specialized in human behavior in organizations, is famous for his formulation of Theory X (authoritarian management) versus Theory Y (participative management [2]). 

McGregor defined two sets of assumptions about human nature using them to explain how people influence the behaviour of others and in particular how managers view their employees. Theory X was a carrot and stick approach to achieving high levels of productivity. Workers either were bribed or threatened, and frequently a mixture of both, to get them to achieve the work required. Specific targets for work were set and... 

Another well-known use of this rhetorical device is the juxtaposition of Theory X and Theory Y in Douglas McGregor s 1960 book The Human Side of Enterprise. The juxtaposition was used to encapsulate a fundamental distinction between two different management styles (authoritarian and participative, respectively), which turned out to be very influential. And there are, of course, even more famous examples, such as Galileo s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and the philosophical dialogue in the works of Plato. 

For more information about Theory-X and Theory-Y managers, including some very interesting examples, read the book McGregor, Douglas, The Human Side of the Enterprise, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1985. 

Using the five C s to define a management style requires integration with the other classifications. For example, you could have a manager who is sunrise, cool, and Theory-X this would be a happy, smiley, bossy dreamer. Have you identified yourself yet Let s add one more classification category before we integrate the management styles. 

Recall from Chapter 2 the discussion on theory X and Y. There are still many supervisors employed today who are the typical theory X supervisor or manager. Caution must be exercised to ensure that these types of reports are used for accident-prevention purposes and not fault finding. Getting people used to filling out these reports takes time and determination. The format used in these report forms should be worded so that prevention is the key word. 

---