Difference between theory x and theory y with comparison. The idea that a managers attitude has an impact on employee motivation was originally proposed by douglas mcgregor, a management professor at the massachusetts institute of technology during the 1950s and 1960s. Chapter 4 leadership theories and models leader, from which. Comparing generation x and generation y on their preferred. Learn about william ouchis theory z, and about how it how might be applied to the workforce. It was in 1957 that douglas mcgregor first proposed the concept of theory x and. X, y, z leadership dimensions click here for larger version. Theory x and theory y 875 assumptions about human behavior in organiza. Motivation, theory x and y, classroom, management manager and organisation introduction douglas mcgregor, an american social psychologist, proposed his famous theory x and y in his book the human side of enterprise in 1960. Mcgregors ideas suggest that there are two fundamental approaches to managing people.
Theory x and theory y mcgregor and leadership motivation hr. Theory x and theory y team management training from. Department of public administration, go mal university, dera ismail khan. Features of mcgregors theory x and theory y of motivation. Ouchis theory first appeared in his 1981 book, theory z. The next section of the chapter is devoted to an account of the characteristics that a. In this study, we expected the transformational leadership styles of nursing to influence nursing mental health outcomes.
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. Apr 04, 2017 managers should distribute leadership and make life more efficient for their employees. 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. Leaders know best, and should closely direct actions taken by staff, with little room for independence and responsibility.
It has been in use only for about two hundred years, although the term leader, from which it was derived, appeared as early as a. Jul 11, 2017 managers generally have one of two perspectives regarding their employees. Differences between theory x and theory y difference between. A boss can be viewed as taking the theory x approach, while a leader takes the theory y approach. Theory x is the view that traditional management has taken towards the workforce. Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its impact on organizational performance. In his 1960 book, the human side of enterprise, mcgregor proposed two theories by which managers perceive and address employee. Introduction the term leadership is a relatively recent addition to the english language. According to mcgregor, the perception of managers on the nature of. Douglas mcgregor described theory x and theory y in his book, the human side of enterprise. Conference paper pdf available in ssrn electronic journal 75 october 2012 with 34,158. Managers generally have one of two perspectives regarding their employees.
Author links open overlay panel aykut arslan selva staub. Mcgregors work was rooted in motivation theory alongside the works of abraham maslow, who created the hierarchy of needs. Pdf theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and. Theory x gives importance to supervision, while theory y stresses on rewards and recognition. Theory x managers assume that workers are lazy, will avoid responsibility, and prefer to just get by. Theory x, theory y, and theory z introduction to business. We should emphasize that we have labeled these assumptions as a step beyond theory y because of mcgregors own recognition that the theory y assumptions would probably be supplanted by new.
Mcgregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his theory x and theory y in 1960. Pdf theory x and theory y published in the sage encyclopedia. Kopelman and others published theory x and theory y published in the sage encyclopedia of management theories find, read and cite all the research you need on. Leadership, an increase in articles on effective leadership studies has grown since 1974, from 3000 to 5000 in seven years, a pace of publication that has accelerated ever since in grint, 1997. Professor douglas mcgregor highlighted that there is a significant relationship between motivation and leadership among people. A total of 279 superiors completed an online survey that measured theory x y orientation and superior communicator style. Many organisations are now taking the enlightened view of theory y. Most managers will likely use a mixture of theory x and theory y. Douglas mcgregor has developed a theory of motivation of the basis of hypotheses relating to human behaviour. What generations x, y and z want from leadership insead. This approach is derived from fred fiedlers research over various leadership styles known as the contingency. It encapsulated a fundamental distinction between management styles. The two theories are sets of propositions and beliefs about human nature.
Mcgregor 1960 famously argued that there are two types of managers. 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. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for. For mcgregor, theory x and theory y are not opposite ends of the same continuum, but rather two different continua in themselves. An exploratory study of the relationships between theory x. Apr 02, 2012 theory x is the view that traditional management has taken towards the workforce.
Douglas mcgregor 19061964 followed a mostly academic career lecturing at harvard university. The author responds to a widespread misinterpretation of theory x and y and presents the position that mcgregors work is, in fact, a contingency approach to management and leadership. 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 are part of motivational theories. 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. The theory x and y leadership model was developed 50 years ago and has. Small business owners in the sishane lighting and chandelier district. Introduced by douglas mcgregor, theory x and theory y talk about the diverging views that exist about how organizations function. Based on the main hypotheses of the research, the results were presented in the final model which revealed the positive relationship between nursing transformational leadership and general health status. Mcgregors xy theory is a natural rule for managing people. Many years ago a professor named mcgregor dubbed these perspectives. 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. Correlational tests revealed that theory x assumptions were positively related to the dominant and impression leaving styles. Theory x is a motivational theory, which involves high supervision and control over the subordinates, and greater degree of centralization.
Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its impact. Understanding the theory xy leadership model will help you be a. The theories attempt to show how a managers perception of his team affects the behaviour of the manager and how they treat their team. The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest.
May, 2016 many theorists support that mcgregors theory considers the field of management from a new angle, indicating a strong influential value. System theory, institutional theory, discourse analysis, social identity theory, etc. However, the literature has a limited number of studies concerning organizational performance of small and medium businesses, even less research on the impact on organizational performance of theory x and theory y type leadership styles. In my xyz theory of leadership, each of the eight leader modes displayed in figure 1b and 16 in figure 1a has two mb archetypes, for a total of 16 listed in table 2 below. It is important to note that both theory x and theory y are based on the argument that there are specific approaches to managing people based on their traits. In the 1960s, social psychologist douglas mcgregor developed two contrasting theories. In this article, we are going to talk about the major differences between theory x and theory y. Theory x and y were created and developed by douglas mcgregor at the mit sloan school of management in the 1960s 2. After reading you will understand the definition and basics of this powerful management and leadership tool. It then discusses another way of categorizing leadership styles, based on the leadership grid, and explores the view that a leader needs to use different styles in different situations.
What you do in one situation will not always work in another. 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. Both the theories, which are very different from each other, are used by managers to motivate their employees. The three prior studies that have made this distinction were recently conducted solely to develop constructvalid measures of both. Theory ythe integration of goalsemphasizes the average persons intrinsic interest in his work. Jul 08, 2017 on the other extreme, theory y is diametrically opposite to theory x which shows the modern and dynamic approach to individuals and relies on the assumptions that are practical in nature. With the onslaught of b2b social media, and the break down of formal business approach, business. This refers to an authoritarian management style, where reward and punishment is seen as the best way to motivate employees to meet objectives. Theory x and theory y are wellresearched leadership principles.
Thus, whereas opportunities for intrinsic article in organizational dynamics. Theory x and theory y was an idea devised by douglas mcgregor see article in his 1960 book the human side of enterprise. Theory x assumptions believe that workers must be controlled and threatened with punishment allio, 2009. Theory x and theory y are theories of human work motivation and management. International journal of academic research in business and social sciences. According to mcgregor, the function of motivating people involves certain assumptions about human nature. In order to achieve the most efficient production, a combination of both theories may be appropriate. His work showed that thoughts and beliefs might influence behavio.
How american management can meet the japanese challenge. Theory y, is an advanced theory, wherein it is assumed that the workers are selfdirected and selfmotivated, for growth and development and takes active part in decision making. Many years ago a professor named mcgregor dubbed these perspectives theory x and theory y. The theory z was invented by the american economist and management professor william ouchi, following the x and y theory by douglas mcgregor in the 1960s. Theory x says that the average human being is lazy and self.
Aug 15, 2017 to begin our exploration of leadership theories, lets start with one of the most researched and referenced today, transformational leadership. Theory x and theory y each represent different ways in which leaders view employees. Theory y, on the other hand, states that work is natural. Generation z, however, the generation born from 1994 onwards, has. First, there has been a failure to distinguish between theory xy attitudes and theory xy behaviors. The influences of nursing transformational leadership. Ivey business journal, sepoct vol 75 issue 5, 2011, pp57. May 03, 20 this study seeks to explore whether mcgregors theory xy assumptions are related to managers communication apprehension ca their degree of comfort when interacting with others. You may, however, find that you naturally favor one over the other. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For those managers faced with the challenge of douglas mcgregors landmark book. In a nutshell, theory x states that people inherently dislike their jobs, see them as a necessary evil, are unmotivated, and must be externally controlled throughout the day by coercion, direction, or threat of punishment. Small business aykut arslana, selva staubb, a,b halic university, sishane, istanbul, 34420, turkey abstract leadership style and organizational performance have been. The relationship between mcgregors xy theory management.
This article and video will explore mcgregors theory further, and well look at. Moreover, it is explored, through an empirical study, whether generations x and y prefer different emotional leadership styles. The present study explored the possibility that mcgregors 1960 theory xy assumptions serve as cognitive determinants of superior communicator style, a multidimensional set of style variables that can have considerable effects on subordinate wellbeing and organizational viability. Critically evaluate mcgregors theroy x and theory y. According to mcgregor, the perception of managers on the nature of individuals. Theory x and theory y management oxford bibliographies. Identifying that some people may not have gotten the level of development assumed by theory y, mcgregor submits that those employees may require a structure of harder controls that a manager can ease as each employee progresses. Managers should distribute leadership and make life more efficient for their employees. To start off with, heres a brief definition of mcgregors theory x and theory y.
Pdf theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its. You might, for instance, have a tendency to micromanage or, conversely, you may prefer to take a more handsoff approach. This article describes the theory x and theory y of douglas mcgregor. Theory x and theory y explains how your perceptions can affect your. Mar 21, 20 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. Introduction theory x and y was developed by douglas mcgregor, a social psychologist in 1960.
This study seeks to explore whether mcgregors theory xy assumptions are related to managers communication apprehension ca their degree of comfort when interacting with others. Myersbriggs, xyz leadership and team roles by david m. His work is based upon maslows hierarchy of needs, where he grouped the hiera. Theory x and theory y are descriptions of two extreme managerial styles. Theory x managers believe that employees are motivated mainly by money, are lazy, uncooperative, and have poor work habits. If you believe that your team members dislike their work and have little motivation, then, according to mcgregor, youll likely use an. Mcgregor argued that theory y controlling does not indicate a soft approach. Rob hyronsdollar photo club leadership styles are determined by the ways in which a leader perceives those under him and the assumptions he holds about human behavior. Article pdf available in journal of managerial issues 202. This article describes the william ouchi theory z in a practical way.
Theory x the theory leads to mistrust, highly restrictive supervision, a punitive atmosphere, threat and coercion to gain employees compliance theory x managers feel the sole purpose of the employees interest in the job is money they will blame the person, without questioning whether it may be the system. The result was theory za development beyond theory x and theory y that blended the best of eastern and western management practices. 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. May 15, 2017 mcgregor argued that theory y controlling does not indicate a soft approach. Theory x and theory y were developed in the 1960s and describe two different, almost opposite, attitudes to motivation in the workplace. After reading you will understand the background and the practical basics of these leadership styles. This paper argues that theory y managers are the effective leaders who could.
The purpose of this paper is to trace mcgregors xy theory and its relationship with fulfillment of psychological contract. This article examines the pros and cons of these two competing. Theory x and theory y type leadership behavior and its. That history will explain why theory ys view of human nature is incomplete. Theory x assumes that people dislike work and must be coerced, controlled, and directed toward organizational goals. Many theorists support that mcgregors theory considers the field of management from a new angle, indicating a strong influential value.
On the other extreme, theory y is diametrically opposite to theory x which shows the modern and dynamic approach to individuals and relies on the assumptions that are practical in nature. An exploratory study of the relationships between theory xy. Leadership style and organizational performance have been researched extensively. Categorized under business, management, psychology differences between theory x and theory y. He referred to these opposing motivational methods as theory x and theory y management. Furthermore, most people prefer to be treated this way, so they can avoid responsibility. Theory x and theory y were first explained by mcgregor in his book, the human side of enterprise, and they refer to two styles of management authoritarian theory x and participative theory y. The average human being does not inherently dislike work. The author sets forth a model of how theory y relates to managerial style and behavior. He summarized the findings of the hawthorn experiment by introducing both theory x and theory y. Open communication and feedback are most often cited as qualities preferred in leaders by members of generation x, the postbaby boomer generation, and generation y, the millennials. Online mba, online mba courses, online msc, theory z, theory x, theory y, william ouchi, japanese management style, paternalistic management, cultual leadership, cultural differences, use of theory z, western world, social relations, caring, leadership style, leadership style in japan.
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