McGregor’s theory x and theory y

This theory is very common in employee motivation. This investigation was guided by the X and Y Theories proposed by Douglas McGregor in 1957 (Lawter, Kopelman, & Prottas, 2015). According to the X Theory, individuals dislike working, lack ambition and a desire for responsibility, are selfish, resistant to change, and gullible (Gannon & Boguszak, 2013). As a result, the ordinary employee performs better under intense supervision (Aithal & Kumar, 2016). As a result, the supervisory style necessary for X employees should be a tough, forceful approach, necessitating close supervision procedures and tight control (Gannon & Boguszak, 2013). As a result, there is a necessity for stringent supervisory conduct.

                                                                       Figure 03




Source: Reaserchgate.net 

Furthermore, on theory x it is founded on the pessimistic notion that "the average employee dislikes work and avoids it whenever possible, lacks responsibility, has little ambition, and seeks stability above all else, he has little or no ambition, shies away from work or obligations, and is individual-goal oriented" (Aithal& Kumar, 2016, p. 804).

Some Huawei employees have low IQ levels, and their own working patterns are lethargic, untrustworthy, and lack ambition to accomplish the daily required duties. As per observation by Huawei leadership and according to theory x, those employees are naturally lazy and try to avoid work whenever possible, subordinates are inherently irresponsible and, thus, work behavior should be closely monitored, and most of the workers have little to contribute rationally to the Huawei’s operation (Lawter, Kopelman&Prottas, 2015). Working solely for salary and benefits causes a person to dislike and avoid their jobs. To keep them functioning, they should be controlled, monitored, and directed utilizing a stick and carrot motivational method (Touma, 2021).

Theory Y is a participative management style based on the notion that individuals would practice self-direction and self-control in order to achieve company goals and objectives (Hattangadi, 2015). The majority of Huawei employees are internally motivated, have a positive attitude toward their daily work, achieve KPIs on learning and knowledge enhancement, always innovative, and contribute to the company's competitive advantage. Everyone in the organization is recognized for their inherent potential, and Huawei leadership recognizes their ability to achieve the best and most desirable outcomes in their life. Unlike Theory X employees, Theory Y employees are self-motivated and do not require daily supervision. Furthermore, theory Y employees have a positive view of human nature, such as finding work interesting and having positive encounters. Theory Y employees have a positive perspective of human nature, such as finding work enjoyable and fulfilling, subordinates are accountable, capable of self-direction and self-control, and workers may make significant intellectual contributions to the task they accomplish (Lawter et al., 2015).

References

Aithal, P.S. and Kumar, P.M.S. (2016). Organizational Behaviour in 21st Century ‘Theory A’ for Managing People for Performance. IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), Vol 18, Issue 7 .Ver. IV(ISSN: 2319-7668), pp.126–134.

 Aithal, P.S. and Suresh Kumar, P.M. (2016). Comparative Analysis of Theory X, Theory Y, Theory Z, and Theory a for Managing People and Performance. International Journal of Scientific Research and Modern Education (IJSRME), Vol 1(1)(ISSN: 2455 – 5630,), pp.803–812.

 Gannon, D. and Boguszak, A. (2013). Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. CRIS - Bulletin of the Centre for Research and Interdisciplinary Study, 2013(2), pp.85–93.

Hattangadi, V. (2015). Theory X & theory Y. International Journal of Recent Research Aspects, vol. 2,  no. 4,(ISSN: 2349-7688), pp.20–21.

Lawter, L., Kopelman, R.E. and Prottas, D.J. (2015). McGregor’s Theory X/Y and Job Performance: a Multilevel, Multi-source Analysis. Journal of Managerial Issues, 27(1/4), pp.84–101.

Touma, J. (2021). Theories X and Y in Combination for Effective Change during Economic Crisis. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, [online] 09(01), p.20.  

Comments

  1. Thanuja Sajani10 May 2022 at 13:08

    Hi Suresh, agree with your post. As addition to your contents , McGregor (1960) famously argued that there are two types of managers: Theory X and Theory
    Y. Theory X managers assume that workers are lazy, will avoid responsibility, and prefer to just get
    by. Theory X assumptions believe that workers must be controlled and threatened with punishment
    (Allio, 2009). Conversely, McGregor saw Theory Y managers as those that hold assumptions that
    workers care about the organization, will seek responsibility, and exercise self-control. Bobic and Davis
    (2003) found that most of the population has the ability to be innovative and creative. This finding
    supports the argument that Theory Y assumptions contribute positively toward more participative
    decision-making, ultimately benefitting the organization (Russ, 2011).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chamara Gunarathne13 May 2022 at 04:09

    Agreed Suresh, Managers who practice Theory X have a strong prejudice against systems that prioritize command and control, authoritarianism, micromanagement, and advanced supervision to ensure that people can do what they need. In this system, based on writings of Gannon and Boguszak, (2013) humans are essentially reduced to what he produces and their performance indicators. When it comes to incentives, Theory X relies heavily on external motivation. That is, using the famous carrot and stick metaphor rewards and punishments will improve people's performance.

    ReplyDelete

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