Management > Theory X or Theory Y

If you accept Theory Y assumptions, how would you be likely to motivate employees?

 

Douglas McGregor viewed the nature of human beings as either a Theory X or a Theory Y. According to Theory X, employees dislike work, they are lazy, and try to avoid responsibility, and have to be forced to perform. Theory Y assumes that employees are creative, seek responsibility and can exercise self-direction (Robbins and Decenzo 281). Now let’s see how managers can motivate employees according to Theory Y assumptions.

McGregor concluded that a manager’s view of human nature is based on assumptions, either positive or negative, and that a manager molds his/her behavior toward employees according to these suppositions. If the manager has Theory Y assumptions, he/she can alter the employee’s actions accordingly, and it might make those employees more motivated. Also true however that a manager with a Theory X assumption can be just as, if not more successful. The reason is that the Theory X manager drives his/her staff hard and sometimes this seems to be the only way to succeed because of the highly competitive market place firms have to face today.

A manager with Theory Y assumptions believes that employees are able to view work as being as natural as rest or play. It assumes that a worker likes his/her job, and not stressed out about having to go to work. Managers then have to make sure that the atmosphere on the work place is friendly, and those workers have a good relationship between them and the boss. The manager also understands that employees are capable to exercise self-direction and self-control if they are committed to the objectives. How can a manager make employees committed to the company’s objectives? One solution could be that the manager has the employees participate in the decision making process. That is he/she asks the opinions of the workers about what they think could be the best way to achieve a certain goal. Employees’ participation in decision making has been proved to enhance performance. Employees are also able to supervise their own activities, and less managerial interruption is required. If a manager is following and criticizing every step of an employee, it can have a negative effect on his/her productivity, and may loose confidence. Another important assumption a manager makes is that the average person can learn to accept, even seek, responsibility. That is if an employee has the freedom to make minor decision.

Empowerment is an important factor if a manager wants employees to maximize their effort. Empowerment means that employees have the decision discretion to do what’s necessary to do their job best. If an employee have to power to make decisions, he/she is more likely to accept the responsibility for those actions. They will be also willing to take more initiative, even if it’s outside of their direct responsibility. The last important assumption is that employees also have the ability to make good decisions, and it’s not only the manager’s sole province. The manager can therefore be confident that he/her doesn’t always have to be the decision maker, but this responsibility can be widely dispersed through the entire population of the company.

As we can see, depending on how a manager perceives the workforce he/she has to lead or motivate, different measures can be used. Theory Y assumptions enable the manager to delegate some of the responsibility to the employees, and he/she can be confident that the job will get done.

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