Theory X & Theory Y
Introduction
Theory X&Y has been simply defined on the book of ‘The Human Side Of Enterprise’ written by Douglas McGregor as below.
Theory X – Which the employees on particular company must be commanded and controlled.
Theory Y – This resists that individuals are self-motivated and self-directed.
Link to Buy book ‘ The Human Side Of Enterprise’ - https://www.amazon.com/Human-Side-Enterprise-Annotated/dp/0071462228/
Global Context
Globally the context has been distribute to establish work places and to maintain management styles. Basic theory X is the workplace behavioral style. The global companies work on theory X&Y within strict guidelines to maintain behavioral styles by leadership skills and essential people management requirements. The video exact the leadership styles towards getting achieve on theory X&Y
In fact, Fortune’s list of ‘100 Best Companies Work For’ and the society for HRM’s list of “Great Places to Work” are full of companies that operate using theory Y management style. And the within global aspect the theory X management style is based on a pessimistic view of human nature.
Sri Lankan Context
Many studies we have not been reported in Sri Lanka for theory X&Y. The study has been taken out from one of study carried out on 2013 by Mohamed Ismail within National Higher Education Universities to check human behavior and motivation within the working place to maximize output. It was found that the staff are less towards theory X and staff except internal motivation and acceptance of responsibility shown more towards on theory Y.
As per above example we can conclude that within Sri Lanka most probably the academic staff willing towards the theory Y with best leadership & management towards job role with distributing responsibilities, empowering and achievements through motivation.
Conclusion
The article comprise the overall context separate within global & Sri Lanka towards theory X&Y. The most of the academic staff willing to work within management style of theory Y and average person prefers to be directed, avoids responsibility, is relatively unambitious as per the theory X describe.
Video reference of Theory X&Y -
A performance management system sets criteria for evaluating worker productivity and contributions. This allows business owners to guide performance to suit their organization’s activities and needs. For example, a manufacturer might achieve its organizational objectives by requiring workers to produce a specific number of units per hour.
ReplyDeleteIn theory X people doesn't like to work an should be forced or bribed.They won't take a responsibility and they are mainly motivated by money.These people are not creative.People in theory Y enjoy the work and willing to work towards a target.They realise their potential ,take responsibility and also creative.
ReplyDeleteTheory X management style is beneficial in large scale production operations or for a production line with unskilled workers.Theory Y is suitable for skilled workers and professional services.Theory Y is extremely helpful an organization to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.However both theories can be effectively used when applied accordingly.
Good article, Theory X and Theory Y were developed in the 1960’s and describe two different attitudes to motivation in the workplace. The theories attempt to illustrate how a manager’s perception of his team affects the performance of the manager and how they treat their team.
ReplyDeleteMcGregor developed two theories of human behaviour at work and did not imply that workers would be one type or the other. Rather, he saw the two theories as two extremes with a whole spectrum of possible behaviours in between.
ReplyDeleteAlthough 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. Many of the principles of Theory Y are widely adopted by types of organization that value and encourage participation. Theory Y style management is suited to knowledge work and professional services. Professional service organizations naturally evolve Theory Y type practices by the nature of their work. Even highly structure knowledge work, such as call center operations, can benefits from Theory Y principles to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Both the theories, which are very different from each other, are used by managers to motivate their employees. There are many Implications of that such as Recognize Individual Differences (Employees have different needs, Don’t treat them all alike, Spend the time necessary to understand what’s important to each employee), Use Goals and Feedback, Allow Employees to Participate in Decisions That Affect Them, Link Rewards to Performance (Employees must perceive a clear linkage), Check the System for Equity (Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior, Second Canadian Edition)
ReplyDeleteGood article. During covid pandemic, work from home concept is being applied in most of the organizations. Theory Y relies on the participative style of management, where the managers assume that the employees are self-directed and self-motivated to accomplish the organizational objectives. Due to the remote workplace concept, supervisors will not be able to give instructions and keep a close check on each employee. Hence, applying the Y theory is most effective in management during the covid pandemic.
ReplyDeleteIt isn’t as easy as just saying that either Theory X or Theory Y is the ‘right’ theory. Both can be right, given the conditions, the employees in question, and the formation of the company as a whole. It is up to you as a company owner or manager to figure out what it is that your organizations need to be successful, so you can then pass that to them usually. When driven correctly based on their underlying motivation, you should be able to get the best from your organizations.
ReplyDeleteDouglas McGregor created theory X and theory Y in 1950s when he was working at MIT sloan school of management, and further developed in the 1960s. This considers as human motivation theories. Theory X and Theory Y and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are both rooted in motivation theory.
ReplyDeleteBoth theories have their challenges. The restrictive nature of Theory X, for instance, could cause people to become demotivated and non-cooperative if your approach is too strict. This may lead to high staff turnover and could damage the reputation in the long term.
ReplyDeleteTheory Y approach that gives people too much freedom, it may allow them to stray from their key objectives or lose focus. Less motivated individuals may also take advantage of this more relaxed working environment by shirking their work.