Article archive / March 1, 2010
Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 7. Source pages: 7.
Four decades ago Douglas McGregor noticed something profound about human motivation and organizations, and it has been a part of IO psychology ever since. His early ideas and contributions were laid out in the 1960 management classic The Human Side of Enterprise, and viewed as one of the most important management texts ever written. His ideas were rebooted again in 2000 by Heil, Bennis, and Stephens in Douglas McGregor, Revisited, about which Peter Drucker said, “With every passing year, McGregor’s message becomes ever more relevant, more timely, and more important.”
One of McGregor’s contributions was the concept of Theory X and Theory Y. Leaning on Maslow’s theory, McGregor saw that those in leadership could have one of two sets of beliefs about people, and that these beliefs to some extent would be self-fulfilling. He called these two contrasting sets of assumptions about human nature, Theory X and Theory Y.
Theory X managers hold the idea that people are naturally lazy, that people dislike work, that they must be controlled or pushed in order to be productive, and that they will try every way possible to avoid responsibility.
A contrasting set of assumptions is held by Theory Y managers, McGregor said. Theory Y managers view people as naturally creative, self-directed, and willing to seek opportunities to be responsible and productive.
There are differences in the workplace and there is a place for both theories. But, overall, Theory X values strict rules and discipline. Theory Y values people.
McGregor’s view was that the more leadership held to Theory X, the more restricted the organization would be. In contrast, the more the management aligned its beliefs with Theory Y, the stronger the move to an “intrinsically motivating, actualizing organization.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.