Douglas McGregor introduced a motivational theory in 1960. He had two contrasting takes on understanding motivation and management and he believed Theory X and Theory Y is the foundation used to differentiate between management approaches and techniques.
Theory X Managers are seen as: Theory X Managers see employees as:
-Authoritarian -Little Ambition
-Result Driven -Dislike Work
-Short Tempered and Demanding -Avoid Responsibility
-Do not participate in projects/ work and take -Have to be controlled and forced to work
credit for others work
-One Way communicators
-Have no concern for staff welfare and they don't praise
Theory X Managers are seen as: Theory X Managers see employees as:
-Authoritarian -Little Ambition
-Result Driven -Dislike Work
-Short Tempered and Demanding -Avoid Responsibility
-Do not participate in projects/ work and take -Have to be controlled and forced to work
credit for others work
-One Way communicators
-Have no concern for staff welfare and they don't praise
Theory Y Managers are seen as: Theory Y Managers see employees as:
-Enlightened Management -Enjoy work
-Creativity and Innovation Driven -Self-Motivated
-Allows development and growth -Accept responsibility
-Friendly Environment -Need little direction
-Decentralized -Like to be involved
-Enlightened Management -Enjoy work
-Creativity and Innovation Driven -Self-Motivated
-Allows development and growth -Accept responsibility
-Friendly Environment -Need little direction
-Decentralized -Like to be involved
So McGregor believes that you are one or the other theory and that the Theory X and Theory Y are not even on the same continuum, but two separate ones. He believes that Theory X people dislike their careers and have to be supervised, while Theory Y people take responsibility for their actions and can be just as productive while being unsupervised. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to prove that Theory Y is the only way to motivate the employees. There have been studies done that include both theories combined and it has been shown to work.
Case Study:
This case would work for Theory Y because this store switched to a holacracy. "Holacracy is a comprehensive practice for structuring, governing, and running an organization. It replaces today's top-down predict-and-control paradigm with a new way of achieving control by distributing power." This store is asking for the employees to communicate and share ideas. If they had any Theory X employees they were probably laid off because with this type of organization you need people who enjoy their job, take initiative, are self- motivated, and are creative. This organization is also decentralized and works with no bosses, so it is up to the employee to be responsible for their work.
This case would work for Theory Y because this store switched to a holacracy. "Holacracy is a comprehensive practice for structuring, governing, and running an organization. It replaces today's top-down predict-and-control paradigm with a new way of achieving control by distributing power." This store is asking for the employees to communicate and share ideas. If they had any Theory X employees they were probably laid off because with this type of organization you need people who enjoy their job, take initiative, are self- motivated, and are creative. This organization is also decentralized and works with no bosses, so it is up to the employee to be responsible for their work.
Gurun, J. (2007). Theory X and Theory Y. Retrieved from http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/
Riley, J. (2012). Motivation Theory - McGregor. Retrieved from http://www.tutor2u.net/business/people/motivation_theory_mcgregor.asp
Robbins, S. P. (2014). Management: Student value edition (12th ed.). S.l., New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Zappos (2014). Holacracy - Flattening the Organization Structure and Busting Bureaucracy. Retrieved from http://www.zapposinsights.com/training/holacracy