Influence of McGregor's Theory X and Y on time management
Role theories suggest people take on various roles within their organizations which shape the individuals behaviors to meet the organizations goals and expectations (Colorado State University-Global Campus, 2013). McGregor’s Theory X and Y managerial assumptions seek to explain the role of managers in organizations and how their managerial views influence key business decisions (McGregor, 1957/2000). McGregor (1957/2000) has found that depending on how a manager views their employees and role as manager will determine how they interact with and engage their employees. This work will discuss key assumptions of McGregor’s Theory’s X and Y. For the sake of this discussion, William Ouchi’s adaptations via, Theory Z, will not be addressed. Additionally, this work will address ways in which McGregor’s assumptions are applied in business via examples of its influence in time management decisions.
Understanding Theory X and Y Managerial Assumptions
Douglas McGregor (1957/2000) utilized the work of Abraham Maslow, namely his Hierarchy of Needs, in developing the Theory X and Theory Y assumptions. McGregor theorized that under Theory X, managers are responsible for organizing the elements of productive enterprise for economic interests; managing is a process of directing, motivating, controlling and modifying behaviors to meet organizational needs; and without managerial intervention, people would be resistant to organizational needs. Theory X assumes that the average person is lazy, chooses to work as little as possible, and therefore must be punished or rewarded in order to get them to work (McGregor, 1957/2000). This theory perpetuates a belief that managers are responsible fo...
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...o do their jobs. Flexible scheduling would be utilized by the managers to empower their employees and create an environment that supports employees maximizing their potentials.
Works Cited
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According to Brad the characteristics of management that contribute to success can be broken into six categories. The first one being a...
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In the 1940s Abraham Maslow created his famous theory of needs and set the groundwork for David McClelland who in 1961 launched his book, “The Achieving Society” (Mind Tools, n.d.). McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory explores the thought that “needs are acquired throughout life…needs are not innate, but are learned or developed as a result of one’s life experiences” (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2007, p.27). In this theory are three types of needs: need for achievement-desire for success, mastering tasks, and attaining goals; need for affiliation-desire for relationships and associations with others; and need for power-desire for responsibility, control, and authority (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2007). Therefore, management, hospitals, and organizations must determine what the needs of their employees are in order to properly motivate
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As it has been mentioned above, Maslow’s theory was published in 1943. It has its own historical background of manufacturing age, which is quite different from present society. In Maslow’s theory, pay is a fundamental factor in order to satisfy individuals’ physiological and safety needs. Consequently, managers may have the perception that emphasis on salary and bonuses can motivate their employees. Also, managers threaten job security to force employees perform well as safety needs are basic in Maslow’s theory (Chen, 2014). However, it has been proved that these measures are oversimplified. According to Chen (2014), after analyzing 12,000 diary entries, Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile and psychologist Steven Kramer pointed out that the most significant motivator for employees at work is “the power of small wins”, which means that employees are highly motivated when they perceive as though they are making headway daily toward an important goal. It can be seen that Amabile and Kramer’s finding contradicted Maslow’s theory. In addition, with the revolutions and innovations of high-technology, the organizations have gradually developed from manufacturing age into information age today. Stum (2001) claims that a sustaining change circle in the organizational life’ nature and the expectations of the labour force result in the
Temporal flexibility: It is concerned with the pattern of hours worked and linked to the demands of the business. Seasonal or demand work is provided leading to Flexi-time systems. In addition, annual hours contracts allotted with increase in evening working.
Employees are increasingly interested in jobs with flexible work schedules. What factors are driving this interest?
Furthermore, there are three theories which explain the different factors in how employees are motivated based on their needs. The first theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, was proved by Abraham Maslow in the years of 1943 and 1954 (McLeod, 2013). Maslow believed that society developed their motivations depending on their needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in which five motivational needs( self-actualization,esteem, belongingness and love, safety, and psychological) are demonstrated in a hierarchy pyramid. The five motivational needs are divided into three categories(basic, psychological, and
If motivation is driven by the existence of unsatisfied needs, then it is worthwhile for a manager to understand which needs are the more important for individual employees. In this regard, Abraham Maslow developed a model in which basic, when a need is mostly satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place.
In the workplace, time management is an important factor in everyone’s day-to-day work. If a person’s time is well managed, it is possible to achieve a greater amount in a shorter space of time. How effectively people manage their time has a major influence on aspects of their working lives and their personal lives. Effective time management can have a hugely positive effect on a person, it can lead to a focused and disciplined mentality, giving a higher level of productivity, greater efficiency and an all round positive attitude in life. This benefits the individual, their team, the company they work for and also their friends and family. An example of this is an employee who prioritises their jobs at the start of the day; this gives them a structured day and ensures they have time to complete all of the important jobs. However, if time is poorly managed it can lead to inefficiencies, work overload and added pressure, this could eventually lead on to other issues such as stress.
Motivation is the reason one behaves or act in a certain way. This behavior can be found animals to humans. It is the basis in which we choose to take action and what course of action we that is. Our actions are goal orientated, but motivation is gives us the persistence of effort towards that goal The underlying driving forces that creates such motivation can be but not limited to biological, social, emotional or cognitive. In most instances, three key elements are linked to motivation. We need a direction to which our efforts are aimed and the intensity and persistence to overcome obstacles to achieve our goal. Psychologist and researchers have expanded the topic to develop different theoretical explanations behind motivation. Most theories fall in five categories which are Instinct, Incentive, Drive, Arousal and the Humanistic Theory. In the text, Essentials of Organizational Behavior, Authors Robbins and Judge focus on four of the early theories. They are the Hierarchy on Needs Theory, Theory X and Theory Y, Two-Factor Theory and McClelland’s Theory of Needs. The Hierarchy on Needs Theory written in 1943 by Abraham Maslow is one of the most popular and enduring influences to modern psychology. Maslow belief is that humans have requirements that are “instinctoid”. The word instinctoid describes an innate instinct seen in many other animals. The way we react to this instinct is what lead Maslow to develop the Hierarchy on Needs Theory.
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During his life and in modern days, Maslow’s Hierarchy has been used to enhance leadership in business settings. Many motivational enterprises have taken the Hierarchy of Needs and adapted them to teach leaders how to help their employees achieve a high level of motivation. A company named Ovation Incentives trains that “an employee needs their basic needs such as their salary and work conditions to be fulfilled first before reaching high level needs such as feeling part of something bigger within an organization” (Stead,