Theory X and Theory Y are two theories developed by Douglas M. McGregor. They are often compared and contrasted however, for the purposes of this paper the primary focus will be on Theory Y. It is important to note the differences between the two theories to understand why Theory Y is thought to be superior.
McGregor was intrigued by what motivated people to work hard and how leaders could foster their motivation (Bobic and Davis, 2003, p. 241). He also wanted to know why so many workerss were not happy with their jobs (McGregor, 1060, p. 22-24, 54). McGregor wrote The Human Side of Enterprise (1960) where he discussed his perspectives about management which “was that management was more than simply giving orders and coercing obedience; it was a careful balancing of needs of the organization with the needs of individuals” (McGregor 1960, 53-55). He based his new theories off of the idea of a classification of needs developed Abraham Maslow.
The foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy or pyramid is basic physiological, then safety and security, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization (Maslow, 1970). Maslow observed the work environment and determined employees are primarily concerned with the culture and structure of the work place meeting their needs (Bobic & Davis, 2003, p. 242). McGregor applied these needs to the work environment of the mid to late 1950’s (Bobic & Davis, 2003, p. 240). The result was a new era of management theory and practice which tapped the creative potential of the workforce (Bobic and Davis, 2003, p. 241).
McGregor said “behind every managerial decision or action are assumptions about human nature and human behavior,” (The Economist Newspaper Limited, 2014, para.7). Whether or not they are awar...
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What role, if any, does McGregor's Theory Y play at Whole Foods? Explain McGregor has written two theories about human nature. Theory X basically assumes that people will do the least amount of work required of them. That they will need to be monitored and workers will need a set of rules for every employee to follow .
Maslow’s theory is simple, if your basic needs our met you will strive to achieve your next level of need. As you achieve human needs you will desire greater needs until you reach self- actualization or transcendence. Throughout this paper first I will be discussing Maslow’s theory and the different levels of achievement. As well as the changes he made to his theory in the 70’s. I will talk about the grouping for these achievements and where they fit in the hierarchy of needs. Secondly, we will talk about how Maslow’s theory motivates and how we use it in our careers. Lastly, I will bring up how this theory fits into the fire service. I will also show how to use it as a motivational tool as a manager. In my conclusion I will discuss the differences we can make just by fallowing this platform of motivation to create the most motivated firefighters.
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Maslow’s theory cultivated as a “general theory of human motivation,” but this theory is “extensively” applied to organizational behavior (Miller, 2012: 40). In this theory, Maslow proposes that five types of basic needs motivate people: physiological, safety, affiliation, esteem, and self-actualization. These needs are arranged in a “hierarchy of prepotency,” where lower-level needs must be satisfied before achieving higher-level needs (Miller, 2012; 42). The lower-level needs are the first three basic needs in the hierarchy: physiological, safety, and affiliation. The first need is physiological. It refers to the needs of the human body, such as food, water, sleep and sensory pleasure. An organization fulfills these needs by providing a “living wage” that allows individuals to acquire these necessities and creating “physical work conditions that do not violate the physical requirements of the human body” (Miller, 2012: 41). From the physiological needs, humans move to the second basic need—safety. These needs include “the desire to be free from danger and environmental threats” (Miller, 2012: 41). Once again, an organization fulfills these needs by providing wages which allow employees the ability to acquire the necessary tools to ensure safety. In addition, the provision of physically adequate work conditions within an organization fulfills these safety needs. After physiological and safety needs are attained, humans aspire for belonging and love. This third basic need is affiliation. Affiliation needs refer to “the necessity of giving and receiving human affection and regard” (Miller, 2012: 41). This need highlights one of the key findings of the Hawthorne studies-the importance of social factors within an organization. The social relationships between coworkers and managers within an organization satisfies this need for
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This essay will then evaluate the key studies within these two models and explain the strengths and weaknesses of the main theories.
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
Motivation is defined as individual internal process that energizes, directs and sustains behavior. Motivation depends on how much the person wants something and how likely they think they will get it. Managers struggle to improve motivation in the workplace, but with the right tools they can become successful. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a pyramid of personal satisfaction that need to be met so a person can reach their full potential and be happy. Each level of the pyramid is stratified from the bottom up. A person cannot move up the pyramid until the bottom needs are met. Maslow’s hierarchy is usually a personal tool used to assess how an individual is doing, but businesses adapted this tool to use in the workplace and improve morale.
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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 article entitled “The Human Side of Enterprise” by Douglas Murray McGregor , McGregor stated that industry has fundamental know how to utilize physical and technology science. The conventional view of management consisted of three propositions which are called Theory X (Shafritz & Hyde,2012).
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Since the end of the 19th century, when factory manufacturing became widespread and the size of organisations increased, people have been looking for ways to motivate employees and improve productivity. A need for management ideas arise which lead to classical contributors such as Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol generating management theories such as Taylor’ Scientific Management and Fayol’s Administrative Management. In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the Hawthorne studies were conducted where Elton Mayo was the predominate figure and contributed to the Behavioural viewpoint. This brought about a Human Relations Movement which included Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y approach. Similarities and differences can be found between the theories due to the relevant time period they were implemented, the motives or goal of the theory and how they view organisations. However the use of contingency theory can help negate the dissimilarities which occur as it allows the relevant elements from each theory to be applied to specific situations.