4. McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

 

 

4.     McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

McGregor passed away in 1964 at the age of 58, but not before making a significant contribution to the management field. McGregor's background is in social psychology, and he introduced this knowledge to the management field. The Economist (2008) stated that "he was not frequently the first to discover the ideas connected with him, but he was the first to name them." As a result, he is commonly related to them.

 

The "Conventional View" of management tasks, as described by McGregor, may be confusing to younger people since most business schools often emphasize a more Theory Y management approach. However, in the 1950s, when he was writing, the "conventional conception of management's task in harnessing human energy to organizational requirements," or what he called Theory X (to avoid the complications associated with creating a label), was that it was the responsibility of management to organize, direct, control, and modify the behavior of employees because otherwise they might become passive or even resistant to work. According to (McGregor, 1957) the tenets of this perspective were that people were lethargic, unaspirational, and unwilling to accept responsibility. They were also self-centered, resistant to change, and gullible. As a result, it was widely accepted that individuals required and even preferred to be led by others. These presumptions led to the development of "hard" and "soft" management approaches as a result of management style.

 

McGregor (1957) presented an alternative strategy based on "more appropriate assumptions about human nature," which he named Theory Y, in opposition to Theory X, or the conventional approach to management. According to this viewpoint, management's duty extends beyond simple guidance to include organizing the resources necessary for an organization to achieve its goals, whether they be material or human. Since individuals are not passive, it is the duty of management to offer chances for their employees' development and to assist them in reaching their full potential by fostering an environment that will allow them to channel their efforts toward achieving organizational goals (Morden, 2004). This viewpoint is based on the idea that, contrary to popular belief, people are not aimless and seek out direction. According to (McGregor, 1957), the possibility that "under the correct circumstances, unprecedented levels of imaginative potential might become accessible within the organizational environment" was starting to be recognized.

 

This viewpoint was criticized for leading to managers abdicating their duties. This assessment, however, lacked the knowledge that the Theory Y approach needed a fully engaged managerial position and that the role had shifted from providing guidance to fostering an environment in which individuals could achieve their full potential in the achievement of the organization's objectives (GANNON & BOGUSZAK, 2013).

 

References

GANNON , D. & BOGUSZAK, A., 2013. DOUGLAS MCGREGOR’S THEORY X AND THEORY Y, s.l.: VERSITA.

McGregor, D. M., 1957. The Human Side of Enterprise. Management Review, Volume 46, pp. 22-28.

Morden, T., 2004. Principles of Management. 2 ed. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited.

 

 

 

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