Evidence suggests that managers from different parts of the global community commonly hold the same view. Many writers and researchers have explored how leaders can use power to address the needs of various situations. This leader behavior is recommended when decision-making time is limited, when tasks are routine, or when organizational members have sufficient expertise to determine appropriate role behaviors. As a result, they think that employees need to be prompted, rewarded or punished regularly to make sure that they perform their tasks. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. As a Theory Y manager, Yoko believes her employees: Yoko assumes that her employees are full of potential and that it is her role as a manager to help develop that potential so that the employee can work towards a common organizational goal. This theory is also likely to be used when the work in the organization is repetitive and employees are likely to get bored and need some control. [8] This approach is derived from Fred Fiedler's research over various leadership styles known as the contingency theory. Emergent leaders, on the other hand, arise from the dynamics and processes that unfold within and among a group of individuals as they endeavor to achieve a collective goal. We recommend using a Theory X is a management style and way of thinking that suggests people are purely motivated by earning income to support their personal goals. They're full of potential, and it's through their own. Work in organizations that are managed like this can . It views job rotations and continual training as a means of increasing employees knowledge of the company and its processes while buildinga variety of skills and abilities. They do not always need coercion, incentives or force to complete their work. Peopleare motivated by money and fears about their job security. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. The Theory Y manager assumes that employees accept work as a normal part of their day right next to recreation and rest. There are several ways to lead an organization and this theory allows fluidity. C. employees are motivated mainly by the chance for advancement and recognition. Market Segmentation Types & Examples | What is Market Segmentation? Theory X and Theory Y are two contrasting models of how your work force can be motivated. The permissive democratic approach to leadership is characteristic of leadership in high-involvement organizations. The control and coercion involved in this style of management could lead to employee frustration, de-motivate employees and damage relationships within the organization. Self-actualization and creativity were given importance in Theory Y. Douglas McGregor introduced Theory X and Theory Y to explain different styles of management. What is the role of the leader and follower in the leadership process? Power, then, essentially answers the how question: How do leaders influence their followers? How do leaders influence and move their followers to action? A manager who believes in Theory Y could have assumptions that: Too much freedom could lead to no accountability and people could lose direction and focus. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. What might be less immediately understandable are the differing effects of Theory X and Y on resulting behavior and productivity. Theory X: The Authoritarian Boss. It refers to the management style that believes in authoritarian and controlling behavior. The employees could prefer responsibility and show willingness, depending on their traits. Sometimes these powers lead to follower performance and satisfaction, yet they also sometimes fail. They think most employees are only out for themselves and their sole interest in the job is to earn money. In 1960, Douglas McGregor published two theories (Theory X & Theory Y) of employee motivation based on the assumptions that managers make about employees. http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Theory_X.html, https://pixabay.com/en/idea-businessman-man-outline-suit-1460935/, http://vle.du.ac.in/mod/book/view.php?id=8344&chapterid=10377, CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_Plant_Ohira_Sendai.jpg. B.most employees know more about their job than the boss. [4] The workplace lacks unvarying rules and practices, which could potentially be detrimental to the quality standards of the product and strict guidelines of a given company. And the most lauded skills, especially in leadership, lie in the ability to connect seemingly disparate ideas and communicate those ideas clearly. Previous post: Improving Problem Solving Skills. Theory X management, defined by Douglas McGregor in 1960, is a behavioral style for workplace management. Informal leaders, by contrast, are not assigned by the organization. While these contrasting management styles might be easily recognizable in todays technology-driven world, they were novel thoughts at one point, developed through research and observation by a workplace thought leader. So they must be controlled and coerced to get the job done. C. employees are motivated mainly by the chance for advancement and recognition.D. 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. In fact, when proper motivations and rewards are in place, employees are not only willing but purposely driven to seek out responsibility and challenges on their own. Leadership is also about having a vision and communicating that vision to others in such a way that it provides meaning for the follower.32 Language, ritual, drama, myths, symbolic constructions, and stories are some of the tools leaders use to capture the attention of their followers to be to evoke emotion and to manage the meaning of the task (challenges) facing the group.33 These tools help the leader influence the attitudes, motivation, and behavior of their followers. Very few practice either being autocratic or democratic completely. [4] This led companies to focus on how their employees were motivated, managed, and led, creating a Theory Y management style which focuses on the drive for individual self-fulfillment. Where a Theory X manager might threaten loss of employment in order to get employees to work on a Saturday, a Theory Y manager might appoint a temporary leadership title to anyone who chooses to show up to work on a Saturday. This ensures work stays efficient, productive, and in-line with company standards.[9]. When this persons role is sanctioned by the formal organization, these team leaders become formal leaders. Theory Y managers, on the other hand, are more optimistic. Both theories are mostly used as a mixture in organizations and workplaces. His ideas gained most of their momentum in the 1960s, when the American and Western workforce was at a crucial transition from factory work of the Industrial Revolution to more collaborative technology-centered teamwork, aided no doubt by the Womens Labor Movement and the dawn of computing technology. The Theory X leader assumes that the average individual dislikes work and is incapable of exercising adequate self-direction and self-control. Theory X and Theory Y were developed in the 1960's and describe two different, almost opposite, attitudes to motivation in the workplace. It mightseemthat the optimal approach to human resource management would lie somewhere between these extremes. Learn about motivation in the workplace . Under Theory X, one can take a hard or soft approach to getting results. We refer to this person as the designated leader (in this instance the designated and formal leader are the same person). [6] Theory X is a "we versus they" approach, meaning it is the management versus the employees. D. job satisfaction is primarily related to higher order needs. [11], For McGregor, Theory X and Theory Y are not opposite ends of the same continuum, but rather two different continua in themselves. The soft approach, however, is to be permissive and seek harmony in the hopes that, in return, employees will cooperate when asked. On the other hand, more modern, network-centric, and decentralized concepts of C2, that rely on individual initiative and self-synchronization, tend to arise more from a "Theory Y" philosophy. Implementing a Theory Y-focused leadership approach requires modern tools that can complement the collaborative workplace. OpenStax is part of Rice University, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Proc. [7] McGregor believes both ends of the spectrum are too extreme for efficient real-world application. A surgeon might allow the entire surgical team to participate in developing a plan for a surgical procedure. Think about a conveyor belt of automotive parts with workers and machines lined side by side, each tasked with applying a specific skill to the production processtightening a bolt, applying a hinge, taping up a box to be shipped, etc. 219.Theory X managers are likely to believe that: A. the average person dislikes work and will seek to avoid it when possible. Answer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered above. [2], McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y and Maslow's hierarchy of needs are both rooted in motivation theory. then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution: Use the information below to generate a citation. They typically allow organizational members significant amounts of discretion in their jobs and encourage them to participate in departmental and organizational decision-making. Grace Hopper, retired U.S. Navy admiral, draws a distinction between leading and managing: You dont manage people, you manage things. Question: Theory X managers are likely to believe thata. People come to leadership positions through two dynamics. Many consider such actions necessary for self-managing work teams to succeed. Theory X managers are likely to believe that: A. the average person dislikes work and will seek to avoid it when possible. 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