McGregor's Theory X/Y

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the approaches of McGregor's Theory (Theory X and Y) in a broader context. The main focus of the research is on McGregor's Theory and its relation with the domain of management. The research also analyzes many aspects of McGregor's Theory and tries to gauge its effect on human resource management. Finally the research describes various aspects of McGregor's Theory with special emphasis on the domain of managing people. It is expected that this paper would prove to be helpful in analyzing McGregor's Theory and its two approaches in context of management of people in organizations.

3

Introduction4

Discussion5

Theory X6

Theory Y7

Description of both Approaches8

Real Life Examples of Application of McGregor's Theory11

Micromanagement11

Emphasis on Consequences11

Secretive Evaluation Processes12

Willingness to Work13

Conclusion14

References16

McGregor's Theory X/Y

Introduction

There are a number of different theories in this world that have been formulated in order to describe some behavior, phenomenon, etc. all of the theories have been devised after some sort of analysis and evaluation. One of such theories that is related to human behavior is the motivational theory of that was developed by Douglas McGregor.

This theory is also known as the X-Y theory and finds its applications in many areas. These include organizational development and communication and human resource management. The theory was devised in the year 1960. The theory deals with the perceptions that are mostly held by the managers regarding their employees. Douglas McGregor, who was an American social psychologist, put forward this theory in his book named The Human Side of Enterprise. The theory soon gained worldwide popularity that continued to grow with the passage of time. The motivational theory, also referred to as Theory X and Theory Y is quite useful in the fields of motivation as well as management. There have been some concerns that emerged regarding the rigidity of the model that is devised in the motivational theory. However, McGregor's motivational theory is still considered to be the basis on which different management techniques were developed.

The theory plays a pivotal role in the discipline of organizational development. Moreover, it plays its part in the improvement of the culture of an organization. It is a simple reminder that reminds of the natural rules in order to manage people. The painful thing is that in the modern world, these natural rules are almost forgotten due to the pressures involved in the modern businesses, as a result of which different issues take place (Devanna et.al, 2006)). The theory of McGregor puts forward the idea that there are two different approaches that can be taken towards the task of managing people. Many of the persons involved in managing people, i.e. managers tend to follow theory X, but get outcomes that are undesirable. On the other hand, some of them who are enlightened follow theory Y and get better results as compared to the ones who use theory X. in this paper, an attempt would be made to analyze both of these approaches used in management and the outcomes of both would ...