Douglas M. Mcgregor: Theory X and Theory Y

288 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theory x and theory y

Mr. McGregor theorizes that management views an employee’s motivation toward work in two distinct ways—Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X managers believe the following: (1) The average worker naturally does not like work and will avoid it whenever possible. (2) Managers must always control, motivate, and direct their employees to perform well. (3) Most workers prefer being directed, avoid responsibility, and seek job security. On the other hand, Theory Y managers assume the following: (1) Employees enjoy working. (2) Managers do not need to control and punish workers to accomplish organizational goals. (3) Workers will be committed to an organization if their work is satisfying. (4) Managers should “…arrange organizational conditions and methods of operation so that people can achieve their own goals best by directing their own efforts toward organizational objectives'; (Kolb, et al., 1995, p. 62).
The theory McGregor believes will best stimulate employee motivation toward accomplishing organizational goals is Theory Y. The goal of Theory Y is to provide employees ways to attain the higher levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (esteem (ego) and self-actualization (-fulfillment)) so that the establishment may prosper. McGregor thinks that most organizations today already fulfill the lower needs of employees (physiological, safety, and love (social)) and therefore should concentrate on the higher needs of individuals.
Therefore, McGregor says that management should try to develop a relationship based on two-way trust between management and employees.

Show More
Related

  • Gregor's Theory Y Play At Whole Foods Summary

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    McGregor has written two theories about human nature. Theory X basically assumes that people will do the least amount of work required of them. That they will need to be monitored and workers will need a set of rules for every employee to follow . There is also no incentive for them to go above their current job duty. Theory Y basically believes that if you give the employee the opportunity to do well the employee will take that opportunity and use it to the best of their abilities. They are able to set their own work goals and really strive to put their all into their career. They will be go getters that are responsible for their self and willing to do whatever the company needs from them. They will own up to any issue and trust that their co-workers will do the same (Larsson, Vinberg & Wiklund, 2007).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ers and mentors and have decided who I would like to work like and one day become. I take different lessons and motivations from each one of my leaders and have over time developed my own method of motivation. Watching so many different styles of motivation from the “figure it out yourself” to the “watch over you like a hawk”, and everything in between has given me the skills to one day motivate somewhere in the middle. The other skills I have acquired over time observing others are the different methods required to motivate each person individually. One thing I have learned and will hold true as I motivate as a manager is positive reinforcement will keep your employee striving to motivate themselves. In closing I would just like to say that even though there may be a few holes in Maslow’s theory it’ a great way to look at motivating and managing your employees.

    Read More

  • Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y Biography of Douglas McGregor Douglas McGregor was born on 1906 in Detroit, America. In 1895, it was here that his grandfather, Thomas McGregor started his business and given its name as, McGregor Institute. The business provides assistance to Great Lakes sailors and other transient labour. The Institute provided shelter, warmth and food to approximately 100 men every year. When Thomas McGregor passed away, his son Murray McGregor (Douglas’s father) continued to manage the business.

    Read More

  • The Value Of Performance-Related Pay

    1642 Words  | 4 Pages

    People spend an extensive part of their lives at work, so it is not astonishing that they expect to be rewarded and fulfilled with the job that they do. Motivation is concerned with why people do things as well as what drives them to act in a particular way. Understanding what motivates an individual is important in a workplace. Motivated employees are happier at work. They get more satisfaction from their work, they are absent less frequently, and work with more enthusiasm. This encourages them to contribute more, hence increasing the productivity in the organization. Unmotivated workers will not be as contented with their position in the work environment as motivated workers. The job might not be as important for them which may lead to a poor performance, which will lead to less efficiency and hence to poor productivity.

    Read More

  • Person-Organization Fit Theories

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    Steers, T. M., Mowday, R. T., & Shapiro, D. L. (2004). Introduction to Special Topic Forum: The Future of Work Motivation Theory. The Academy of Management Review, 29 (3), 379-387.

    Read More

  • The Google Case: Aiming for an Evolutionary Advantage

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    Latham G.P and Pinder C.C. (2005). Work Motivation Theory and Research at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century. Annual Review of Psychology 56.

    Read More

  • McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...he task on their own and seem to enjoy doing what they do this will show a positive and place them in the Y theory.

    Read More

  • Theories of Motivation

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is my intention in this essay to explore some issues around motivation and cite work based experiences to illustrate and substantiate any arguments or points of view.

    Read More

  • Motivation, Organizational Behavior and Performance

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    Research has shown that motivation in an employee is an important factor which determines his performance. Motivation is the “driving force within individuals” (Mullins, 2007, p. 285). It is the concerned with finding out the reasons which shape and direct the behaviour of the individuals. The people act to achieve something so that they can satisfy some needs (Gitman and Daniel, 2008). It is important for the manager to understand this motivation of individual employees in order to inspire them and devise an appropriate set of incentives and rewards which would satisfy the needs that they have individually (Kerr, 2003). Once these needs are expected to be met in return for some specific behaviour or action, they would work more diligently to have that behaviour in them and to achieve that objective (Meyer and Hersovitch, 2001). Since it would lead to early and fuller achievement of the company objectives as the individual would work more diligently, it would lead to better organizational performance (Wiley, 1997).

    Read More

  • Motivation In The Workplace Essay

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Motivation is key in the workplace. It is developed from the collaboration of both conscious and unconscious principles such as the strength of desire or need, motivating force or reward estimation of the objective, and desires of the person and of his or her peers/co-workers. These elements are the reasons one has for carrying on a specific way. An illustration is an understudy that invests additional energy contemplating for a test since he or she needs a superior review in the class. The Inside and outside principles that animate want and vitality in individuals to be constantly intrigued and centered around their work, part or subject, or to try to achieve an objective.

    Read More

  • Motivation in The Workplace

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    When it is discovered that a worker can fulfill the requirements of their job, but are experiencing shortcomings in doing so, many times it is believed that worker motivation may be the root of the problem (Laird 95). What, though, is work motivation? According to Laird (2006), “motivation is a fundamental component of performance “ and “is the reason that someone chooses to do some things and chooses not to do others”. In other words, work motivation is what energizes workers to the level of output required to fulfill a task, directs their energy towards the objectives that they need to accomplish, and sustains that level of effort over a period of time (Steers et al., 2004). In essence, worker motivation is what gets the job done. Employee motivation has always been a central problem in the workplace, and, as an individual in a supervisory position, it becomes ones duty to understand and institute systems that ensure the proper motivation of your subordinates. Proper motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and successful workflow, while low worker motivation can result in absenteeism, decreased productivity rates, and turnover. A large body of research has been produced regarding motivation, and much of this research is applicable to the workplace. Due to the nature of man, motivation varies from individual to individual, and, because of this, there is no one system that is the best for ensuring worker motivation in every organizational situation, and, as a product, many theories have been created to outline what drives people to satisfactorily complete their work tasks. Throughout the course of this document, the three main types of these motivational theories will be outlined and examples of each as well...

    Read More

  • Motivation And Lack Of Motivation

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    December 2009). Researchers from various organizations unequivocally agree that managers can use an employee’s intrinsic motivation to gain the maximum output from that employee as well as support the employee in achieving his personal career goals as stated by (George N. Root III 2016). According to (Thomas, K) managers should help their employees understand self-management process that involves four steps to increase intrinsic motivation. Those steps may perhaps be nominated as a sense of meaninglessness, of choice, of competence and as a sense of progress. One of the successful strategies that managers can take into consideration is to clearly define strategic visions and goals set by an organisation. Moreover, by providing a broad vision of a company, managers demonstrate a warm sense of meaningless for an employee that makes him feel like there is an opportunity for him to accomplish something of real value, something that matters in the big picture as said by (Thomas, K 2009). In addition, Managers should make employees feel like their job is a choice, not a requirement in order to encourage employees to demonstrate intrinsic willingness to perform better. Nevertheless, some organisations emphasize that managers can experience numerous issues in increasing intrinsic motivation. For instance, an intrinsically motivated employee will only be able to do the particular task depending on “interesting, challenging, and has personal meaning based on the satisfaction they receive from performing the activity itself” (Giancola, 2014, p. 25). Essentially managers would face issues with increasing an employee’s performance when an extremely vital task has been assigned to the employee that has no interest in undertaking the given task. Although In my mind,

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses Of Motivation Essay

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    People’s behaviour is determined by what motivates them. The aim of this essay is to discuss the essence of the motivation and psychological strengths, its evolution, a brief overview of the key theories of the employees’ motivation and behaviour analysis. The main task is to understand how motivation affects employee behaviour and to clarify the importance of motivation. In this essay I will discuss and produce definitions and examples to answer the main question of what is the driving force and how do people’s needs influence performance at work?

    Read More

  • The Importance of Motivation in an Organization

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Motivation is an important function in organizations to motivate their employees for their ability to perform well, improving their skills, increasing productivity, job satisfaction and employee extension. Employees also are not a machines that we could just program their task in their brain and they will do it automatically, they require motivation to actually do their job properly. And so, after discussing the process models of the Maslow’s “Hierarchy of needs”, Douglas McGregor theory X and Y, and also the Herzberg’s “two factor motivation hygiene theory.” understanding the ways of motivating people, the human nature, and the substance of nature. I believe that the true motivation can only come from within and also managers can actually motivate all of their employees.

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On Personal Learning

    2945 Words  | 6 Pages

    Motivation, as defined in class, is the energy and commitment a person is prepared to dedicate to a task. In most of organisations, motivation is one of the most troublesome problems. Motivation is about the intensity, direction and persistence of reaching a goal. During the class, we have learned a substantial theories of motivation and many theories of motivations are used in real business. Each theory seems to have different basic values. But, they all have been analysed for one reason, recognising what motivates and increases the performance of employees. Ident...

    Read More

More about Douglas M. Mcgregor: Theory X and Theory Y

Open Document