McGregor created Theory X and Theory Y of human work motivation and explained two styles of management known as authoritarian (Theory X) and participative (Theory Y). Theory X management assumes most people will attempt to avoid work whereas Theory Y managers trust their people to take ownership of their work.
About McGregor:
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. McGregor was born in Detroit. He earned a B.E. (Mechanical) from Rangoon Institute of Technology, an A.B. from Wayne State University in 1932, and then earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 1944 and 1955 respectively. His 1960 book “The Human Side of Enterprise” had a profound influence on education practices. In the book The Human Side of Enterprise, McGregor identified an approach of creating an environment within which employees are motivated via authoritative, direction and control or integration and self-control, which he called theory X and theory Y, respectively.
McGregor (1960) categorized leadership styles into two broad categories having two different beliefs and assumptions about subordinates. He called these Theory X and Theory Y.
What are Theory X and Theory Y?
This theory is an attempt to understand what actually motivates employees to go to work each day and whether people like to be independent and work hard themselves or they always need a leader to control and guide them. Whether people get great satisfaction from their work and they are proud of it or view it as a burden, and they just work as they need to work to survive. This theory tries to study this question of motivation to identify successful approaches to management.
Social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed two divergent theories on human motivation and called them as The X Theory and the Theory Y. One theory assumes that most people like working and the other contrasts that most dislike working. The management style of any manager will be strongly influenced by his beliefs and assumptions about what he thinks are the drivers of motivation for the team. If the manager believes that they dislike work, he might tend to adopt authoritarian style of management whereas the leader who assumes that employees like working will tend to adopt democratic style.
What is Theory X?
Theory X assumes that employees are naturally unmotivated and dislike working. As a result the Theory X style of leaders believes that most people dislike work and will avoid it wherever possible. Such leaders feel they themselves are a small but important group, who want to lead and take responsibility, but a large majority of people want to be directed and avoid responsibility. Therefore, this style of leadership exercises strong controls and direction and wherever necessary punish people if they do not do the work and this encourages an authoritarian style of management. If people do the work as desired, they may even get monetary or other rewards. According to this view, management must actively intervene to get things done.
This style of management assumes that workers:
What is Theory Y?
It assumes that employees are self-motivated, like working, self-motivated and take pride in getting greater responsibility. As a result, Theory Y leaders assume that people will work hard and assume responsibility if they can satisfy their personal needs and the objectives or goals of their organization. Such leaders do not sharply distinguish between the leaders and the followers in contrast to Theory X style. They feel that people control themselves within rather than being controlled by others from outside such as a leader or a manager or a supervisor. Theory Y explicates a participative style of management that is de-centralized. In Y-Type organizations, people at lower levels of the organization are involved in decision making and have more responsibility.
This style of management assumes that workers:
Comparing Theory X and Theory Y:
An effective leader needs to examine carefully their own ideas about the motivation and behavior of subordinates and others, as well as the situation, before adopting a particular style of leadership. Given below is a table explaining the contrast between Theory X and Theory Y.
Attribute |
Theory X |
Theory Y |
Motivation |
Dislike Work |
Self-Motivated |
Responsibility |
Avoid Responsibility |
Enjoy Greater Responsibility |
Management |
Authoritarian |
Democratic / Participative |
Control |
Centralized |
De-Centralized |
Decision Making |
Management Decides |
Jointly Decision Making Happens |
Skills |
Repetitive Work |
Specialized Work |
Training |
Skills Driven |
Competency Driven |
Awards |
Based on Performance |
Based on Performance and Values |
Delegation |
Not Possible |
Delegation Happens |
Delivery |
Forced to Perform |
Self-driven Delivery |
Change |
Resist Change |
Adapts to Change |
Direction |
Formal Directions |
Self-Driven |
Implications of Theory X and Theory Y:
Theory X and Theory Y relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs in how human behavior and motivation is the main priority in the workplace in order to maximize output. In relations to Theory Y the organization is trying to create the most symbiotic relationship between the managers and workers which relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs of Self Actualization and Esteem. For Self Actualization the manager needs to promote the optimum workplace through morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. It can relate to esteem when the manager is trying to promote self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others.
Very few organizations use Theory X techniques. Theory X encourages use of tight control and supervision and takes a pessimistic view of employees. It implies that employees are reluctant to organizational changes. Thus, it does not encourage innovation and encourages an authoritarian style of management. Many organizations use Theory Y techniques. Theory Y encourages decentralization of authority, teamwork and participative decision making in an organization. It tries to harmonize and match employees’ needs and aspirations with organizational needs and aspirations.
Situational Theories of Leadership
The situational theories of leadership assume that the most effective style of leadership depends from situation to situation. Situational leadership is a leadership style in which the leader must adjust to match the development needs of the followers. They must adapt varying behaviors to strike the right balance between task & relationship based on different levels of maturity of followers and also as followers develop and cultivate their skills.
Leadership Traits – A great List
What are the qualities and characteristics of a good leader? Great leaders possess core leadership traits and skills. The list includes the most important leadership qualities and skills to look for in a great leader. These are must-have traits of a powerful and successful leader, the qualities a leader possess to be great.
The Fiedler Model of leadership is a contingency theory and states that a leader's effectiveness is based on the situation. There is no one best style of leadership and the effectiveness of a leader in an organization depends on matching the leader to the situation. Leaders should determine the natural leadership style and assess the situation to flex the style.
In the field of communication studies, there are numerous models. No one model is suitable for all purposes and all levels of analysis. Some common models are known as Lasswell Model, George Gerbner Model, David Berlo Model, Shanon and Weaver Model, Osgoods Model, and Schramm Model. All these describe the four components of the communication process, namely, the source (communicator), the message, the channel, the receiver (audience).
Idiosyncrasy Credit Model of Leadership builds upon the awareness that when the emergent leader meets the team's expectations, idiosyncrasy credits are awarded. These credits depend on how the leader fulfilled follower's expectations and what is the impact of the leader's decisions on the follower. When the balance of credits shifts, another leader will emerge.
Leadership traits refer to personal qualities that define effective leaders. Here are the major leadership qualities that can make someone a good leader. Five key traits that are common in leaders can be learned and sharpened with time.
Leadership Participation Inventory (LPI)
Kouzes and Posner introduced the Leadership Participation Inventory model of Transformational leadership. This model is also known as Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Challenge Model. They identified five practices of exemplary leadership - Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enabling Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory that explains that people are motivated by five basic categories of human needs. These needs are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. There is a little scientific basis for this concept of a hierarchy of needs.
Contingency Theories in Action
Contingency theory suggests matching the best leader to a specific situation based on situational factors and the leadership style. The practical application of theory can be done in various ways. The workplace example is to determine the best candidate for a given set of requirements using the LPC score. Applying the model to determine a leader's ability to adapt in the scenario of a new project etc..
Situational Leadership - Application
Situational Leadership Theories are well known and frequently used for training leaders within organizations. Practical application is how to choose the right leadership approach for the situation. The theory emphasizes leader flexibility and advises leaders to flex their style based on the followers' needs. Leaders must adapt their leadership style to fit the prescribed task, understanding given situation/maturity of followers.
© 2023 TechnoFunc, All Rights Reserved