# data[].attributes.body
I think it would not be a huge stretch o implement Theory Y in my current school building. While the leadership is new, they are willing to work collaboratively with teachers and other staff as well as students to establish a positive culture in our building. Discipline is firm but fair and communication lines are very open. A previous Assistant Principal, who just recently got promoted to Principal in my old building, managed this way. He had been a special educator before becoming an administrator, resigned his principalship to spend more time at home with his young family and choose to return to education as an Assistant Principal in a different district. He was happy with his role in our 1500 student population school but the principal resigned and he became to next logical choice. Because of the intrinsic motivation of educators to work harder when they feel appreciated, Theory Y, just makes good common sense and it's flexible enough to change with the current ebb and flow of education.

# data[].attributes.headline
McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y (Youtube, Blaisdell, J, 2014)

# data[].attributes.subject
McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y (Youtube, Blaisdell, J, 2014)

# data[].attributes.body
Very good description with explanations and a quiz to confirm understanding of the two theories.

# data[].attributes.headline
McGregor’s Theory X Vs Theory Y: How To Increase Performance In Your Team (Channell, M, October 14, 2021, TSW Training UK)

# data[].attributes.subject
McGregor’s Theory X Vs Theory Y: How To Increase Performance In Your Team (Channell, M, October 14, 2021, TSW Training UK)

# data[].attributes.body
Article stated that "The main disadvantage with both theories is that not all employees will neatly fit into either category – the workplace is not a “two sizes fit all” environment."

# data[].attributes.headline
Criticism of Theory X / Theory Y (The Team Building Company, Motivational Theory Blog)

# data[].attributes.subject
Criticism of Theory X / Theory Y (The Team Building Company, Motivational Theory Blog)

# data[].attributes.body
States that McGregor's Theories are outdated but major components of Theory Y are still successful today. Most millennial employees don't respond to Theory X, they just leave and find other jobs.

# data[].attributes.headline
Theory X And Theory Y, Douglas McGregor (Education Library Journal, Kurt, S, Dr., October 17, 2022)

# data[].attributes.subject
Theory X And Theory Y, Douglas McGregor (Education Library Journal, Kurt, S, Dr., October 17, 2022)

# data[].attributes.body
Provides great insight into McGregor and his studies as a Harvard fellow and the distinction of his Theories styles.

# data[].attributes.headline
Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People's Motivations by Mind Tools Content Team (ND)

# data[].attributes.subject
Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People's Motivations by Mind Tools Content Team (ND)

# data[].attributes.body
This newsletter discusses the Theories, McGregor and provides basic insight into advantages and disadvantages from the MTCT perspective, easy read.

# data[].attributes.headline
Organizational Behavior in Education: Leadership and School Reform (Owens, R., Valesky, T. 2022)

# data[].attributes.subject
Organizational Behavior in Education: Leadership and School Reform (Owens, R., Valesky, T. 2022)

# data[].attributes.body
Chapter 1, Pages 6-9

# data[].attributes.body
Nowadays McGregor's theory is seen as outdated, representing two extremes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Douglas McGregor (1906 -1964) was a lecturer at Harvard University and became the first Sloan Fellows Professor at MIT.

His Theory X and Theory Y was detailed in The Human Side of Enterprise, published in 1960.

What is it?

Essentially Theory X and Theory Y describe two opposing views of people at work that will influence management style.

Managers can be said to follow either view of their workforce.

Theory X is often said to describe a traditional view of direction and control.

Theory Y implies a more self directed workforce that takes an interest in the goals of their organisation and integrates some of their own goals into these.

Theory X

Theory X assumes that: -

The average person dislikes work and will avoid it unless directly supervised.

Employees must be coerced, controlled and directed to ensure that organisational objectives are met.

The threat of punishment must exist within an organisation.

In fact people prefer to be managed in this way so that they avoid responsibility.

Theory X assumes that people are relatively unambitious and their prime driving force is the desire for security.

Theory Y

Theory Y effectively takes the opposite view.

It assumes that: -

Employees are ambitious, keen to accept greater responsibility and exercise both self-control and direction.

Employees will, in the right conditions, work toward organisational objectives and that commitment will in itself be a reward for so doing.

Employees will exercise their imagination and creativity in their jobs if given the chance and this will give an opportunity for greater productivity.

Theory Y assumes that the average human being will, under the right conditions, not only accept responsibility but also seek more.

Lack of ambition and the qualities of Theory X are not inherent human characteristics but learned in working environments that suffocate or do not promote Theory Y behaviours.

Links with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow viewed John McGregor as a mentor and was a supporter of his theory and each utilised each other's theories in their own work.

McGregor grouped Maslow's hierarchy into 'lower order' Theory X needs and 'higher order' Theory Y needs, suggesting that those behaviours at the top of his hierarchy linked with Theory Y behaviours.

Criticism of Theory X / Theory Y

Nowadays McGregor's theory is seen as outdated, representing two extremes.

Theory X is perhaps visible in low paid or menial work but employees in those situations will move on in search of positions with Theory Y conditions if they are motivated.

Personal development, management training and even general perceptions of behaviour are against a Theory X outlook towards work.

There is no doubt that this outlook would have been more prevalent in the 1960s when McGregor created his theory.

Before he died McGregor started working on a new Theory that he called Theory Z to address these criticisms.

Unfortunately he died before this could be widely published and the ideas have since faded from mainstream management theory.

They were, however, landmark ideas at their time and now form an important part of the historical study of management theory.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
douglas mcgregor theory x and theory y  management theory

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y. A summary from The Teambuilding Company.

# data[].attributes.headline
Some Disadvantages of Theory X and Theory Y

# data[].attributes.subject
Some Disadvantages of Theory X and Theory Y

# data[].attributes.body
According to the article, the main disadvantage with both theories is that not all employees will neatly fit into either category – the workplace is not a “two sizes fit all” environment (Channell, M, October 14, 2021, TSW Training UK)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
McGregor’s Theory X vs Theory Y: How To Increase Performance In Your Team

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Theory X describes an authoritarian management style, while Theory Y is participative. What does that mean and how do each increase productivity of your team?

# data[].attributes.body
McGregor insightful thoughts on management style became a research study that spanned the 1950's through 1960's and continues today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Douglas McGregor spent the end of the 1950's and the early 1960's working on his motivation theory. Curiously titled Theory X Theory Y, his theory outlines two opposing views on human behavior in the workplace. Each of the viewpoints addresses a different way of meeting each individual's motivational needs. McGregor believed that a manager's assumptions about their employees determined their leadership style in the workplace.

The first part of McGregor's theory is Theory X. Managers have many assumptions about their employees in Theory X:

Workers dislike their jobs and they are inherently lazy.

Workers have little motivation and prefer direction from their superiors.

Workers need consistent rewards and punishments to ensure their task is completed.

Workers do not have a desire to grow or achieve personal or professional goals.

a person refusing to work ("X") and a person cheering the opportunity to work ("Y")

Many of these assumptions are based on basic physical needs. Businesses who utilize a Theory X approach often have multiple levels of management with a low rate of delegation. Workers are often micromanaged and have very little autonomy in the organization. There is often a central authority base and managers follow an authoritative leadership style.

The next part of McGregor's theory is Theory Y. Managers also have assumptions about their employees in Theory Y:

Workers are willing to accept challenges and are proud of the work that they do.

Workers do not need to be micromanaged; they are self-directed.

Workers are eager to participate in decision-making.

Workers are happy to contribute and feel internally satisfied.

These assumptions lead to a better managerial approach and this greater satisfaction in the workplace. McGregor encouraged organizations to adopt more of a Theory Y leadership style. It is much more decentralized and requires more participation from the managers, but assumes that workers would also be committed to the long-term goals of the company. He believed that by following Theory Y, supervisors could motivate their workers to achieve their highest potential.

There are many similarities between Theory X Theory Y and Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow's theory uses a pyramid to describe the different types of needs that need to be met. Each level, or type of human need, can only be achieved if all of the levels below are satisfied, starting with basic needs at the bottom. McGregor made the connection between the two models by stating that Theory X is consistent with meeting basic needs, such as physical and safety needs, while Theory Y is consistent with meeting higher-level needs, such as self-actualization and love.

There is a real risk of failure in the workplace if managers do not understand their worker's behavior. Many workplaces originally utilized Theory X, which believes that employees are lazy and unproductive. This led them to use rewards and punishment as their primary means to motivate employees. In a strict environment with little autonomy, workers were indeed unhappy and lacking ambition. McGregor suggested that organizations would experience greater success if they focused on satisfying interpersonal needs, which led to the development of Theory Y.

While McGregor's theory was developed to improve motivation in the workplace, it has been recently used in the school system. Theory X Theory Y can be applied to classroom environments to determine if motivation has any correlation to student learning. It has been discovered that the intrinsic feedback given in the classroom setting has the greatest effect on motivation and learning.

Educators who believe in Theory X would agree with the following statements:

The instructor is responsible for actively sharing their knowledge with the students.

Students are not motivated to learn new information.

Students prefer to have the instructor direct their learning and not take on that responsibility themselves.

The instructor must ensure a controlled learning environment to prevent cheating and necessitate student learning; the students prefer to have the material summarized for them.

Students find learning inherently challenging and are only expected to have limited success in the course.

Educators who believe in Theory Y would have different assumptions:

Students are naturally predisposed to learn.

Responsibility for their own learning will be as natural to the students as other responsibilities.

Students experience self-satisfaction when they learn and this is enough to motivate them to meet their learning goals.

It is not necessary to threaten students with lower grades; they are not naturally lazy.

Traditional classrooms do not enable the potential of almost all students.

Students have large amounts of creative thinking and innovation that is applied throughout their learning journey.

While it may seem like McGregor's Theories of X and Y are outdated, they can actually still be applied in many business settings today. McGregor's Theories allow managers to better understand their employees. This enables them to modify their leadership style accordingly and create systems that motivate their workers.

See also:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Theory X and Theory Y, Douglas McGregor - Education Library

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Douglas McGregor spent the end of the 1950's and the early 1960's working on his motivation...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The approach that you take will have a significant impact on your ability to motivate your team members. So, it's important to understand how your perceptions of what motivates them can shape your management style.

We'll now take a more in-depth look at the two different theories, and discover how and when they can be useful in the workplace.

Theory X

Theory X managers tend to take a pessimistic view of their people, and assume that they are naturally unmotivated and dislike work.

Work in organizations that are managed like this can be repetitive, and people are often motivated with a "carrot and stick" approach. Performance appraisals and remuneration are usually based on tangible results, such as sales figures or product output, and are used to control and "keep tabs" on staff.

This style of management assumes that workers:

Dislike their work.

Avoid responsibility and need constant direction.

Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to deliver work.

Need to be supervised at every step.

Have no incentive to work or ambition, and therefore need to be enticed by rewards to achieve goals.

According to McGregor, organizations with a Theory X approach tend to have several tiers of managers and supervisors to oversee and direct workers. Authority is rarely delegated, and control remains firmly centralized.

Although Theory X management has largely fallen out of fashion in recent times, big organizations may find that adopting it is unavoidable due to the sheer number of people that they employ and the tight deadlines that they have to meet.

Theory Y

Theory Y managers have an optimistic opinion of their people, and they use a decentralized, participative management style. This encourages a more collaborative, trust-based relationship between managers and their team members.

People have greater responsibility, and managers encourage them to develop their skills and suggest improvements. Appraisals are regular but, unlike in Theory X organizations, they are used to encourage open communication rather than to control staff.

Theory Y organizations also give employees frequent opportunities for promotion.

This style of management assumes that workers are:

Happy to work on their own initiative.

More involved in decision making.

Self-motivated to complete their tasks.

Enjoy taking ownership of their work.

Seek and accept responsibility, and need little direction.

View work as fulfillling and challenging.

Solve problems creatively and imaginatively.

Theory Y has become more popular among organizations. This reflects workers' increasing desire for more meaningful careers that provide them with more than just money.

It's also viewed by McGregor as superior to Theory X, which, he says, reduces workers to "cogs in a machine," and likely demotivates people in the long term.

When to Use Theory X and Theory Y

Most managers will likely use a mixture of Theory X and Theory Y. You may, however, find that you naturally favor one over the other. You might, for instance, have a tendency to micromanage or, conversely, you may prefer to take a more hands-off approach.

Although both styles of management can motivate people, the success of each will largely depend on your team's needs and wants and your organizational objectives.

You may use a Theory X style of management for new starters who will likely need a lot of guidance, or in a situation that requires you to take control such as a crisis.

But you wouldn't use it when managing a team of experts, who are used to working under their own initiative, and need little direction. If you did, it would likely have a demotivating effect and may even damage your relationship.

Circumstance can also affect your management style. Theory X, for instance, is generally more prevalent in larger organizations, or in teams where work can be repetitive and target-driven.

In these cases, people are unlikely to find reward or fulfilllment in their work, so a "carrot and stick" approach will tend to be more successful in motivating them than a Theory Y approach.

In contrast, Theory Y tends to be favored by organizations that have a flatter structure, and where people at the lower levels are involved in decision making and have some responsibility.

The Disadvantages of Theory X and Theory Y

However, both theories have their challenges. The restrictive nature of Theory X, for instance, could cause people to become demotivated and non-cooperative if your approach is too strict. This may lead to high staff turnover and could damage your reputation in the long term.

Conversely, if you adopt a Theory Y approach that gives people too much freedom, it may allow them to stray from their key objectives or lose focus. Less motivated individuals may also take advantage of this more relaxd working environment by shirking their work.

If this happens, you may need to take back some control to ensure that everyone meets their team and organizational goals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Theory X and Theory Y - Understanding People's Motivations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What do you think motivates your team? Money or the challenge? Theory X and Theory Y explains how your perceptions can affect your management style.

# data[].attributes.headline
Explanation and Description of Theory X and Theory Y

# data[].attributes.subject
Explanation and Description of Theory X and Theory Y

# data[].attributes.body
This video explains the Theory better than I could and there's even a quiz. I agree with Theory Y, the managers that I have worked for in the past, corporate and educational, have gotten more work from me when they have treated me with respect, asked for my input and gave me positive feedback even when correcting a task or item.