Douglas McGregor, born in 1906, is considered to be “one of the most popular management writer of all time”( Economist, 2008, para. 3). His best known composition focused on a simple question: “What are your assumptions (implicit as well as explicit) about the most effective way to manage people?” which has resonated throughout management schools around the world. In his composition, The Human Side of Enterprise, McGregor revolutionized Theory X and Theory Y, which was greatly influenced by working along transient laborers at his grandfather’s business in Detroit, MI. Theory X management style, considered “soft” and always prone to failure, speculates people are lazy and irresponsible by nature, gullible, resistant to change, and lacks ambition. Therefore, Theory X manager must be authoritarian, responsible for organizing elements of productive enterprises – money, materials, equipment, people, - providing only the minimum level of human psychology, ego, social, and physical needs to get . In contrast, McGregor’s Theory Y is a libertarian manager, focusing on finding new methods of motivation and innovation though the goals are impossible to reach. By doing this, only then will people reach full potential (PSGoodrich, n.d., p. 24). McGregor’s Theory Y was criticized by other leaders, especially Abraham Maslow, who believed Theory Y is being “too tough on the weaker members of society” (Economist, 2008, para. 8).
Abraham H. Maslow, born 1908, is the most profound founder father of humanistic psychology. In 1943 Maslow introduced us to the Hierarchy of Needs emphasizing five key points to a better understanding what motivates people. The basic and growth needs are (from lowest to highest level): psychological (air, food, drink, se...
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McLeod, S. (2014). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Mee, J. F. (n.d.). Frederick W. Taylor (American inventor and engineer). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/584820/Frederick-W-Taylor PSGoodrich.com (n.d.). The Human Side of Enterprise. Retrieved from http://www.psgoodrich.com/pc/docs/ARTICLES/HumanSideOfEnterprise.PDF Steers, R. M., Mowday, R. T., & Shapiro, D. L. (2004). THE FUTURE OF WORK MOTIVATION
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Maslow believed that there was a hierarchy of five innate needs that influence people’s behaviors (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.246-247). In a pyramid fashion, at the base are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, then belonginess and love needs, succeeded by esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. Maslow claimed that lower order needs must be at least partially satisfied before higher level needs are addressed. Furthermore, behavior is dominated by solely one need
In order to understand McGregor’s proposed theory to management that incorporates the social sciences, called Theory Y, it is imperative to understand what he refers to as the conventional view, or “Theory X”. McGregor explained that Theory X’s conventional managerial assumptions are that employees are lazy, incapable of self-direction and autonomous wo...
Psychologist Abraham Maslow created the hierarchy of needs, outlining and suggesting what a person need to reach self-actualization and reveal the true potential of themselves. In the model, Maslow propose that a person has to meet basic needs in order to reach the true potential of themselves. Biological/physiological needs, safety needs, love/belonging need, esteem needs according to Maslow is the fundamental frame for reaching the peak of self. The last need to be met on the scale
People have long considered general theories of motivation, and the question regarding the specific motives that direct and energize our human behavior has undergone tremendous speculation. To this day the question still stands: what is it that humans seek most in life? In an effort to answer this question, Abraham Maslow proposed what he called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow theorizes that human beings are motivated to fulfill this hierarchy, which consists of needs ranging from those that are basic for survival up to those that promote growth and self-enhancement (Kassin 300).
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Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on. The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow's (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
Latham G.P and Pinder C.C. (2005). Work Motivation Theory and Research at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century. Annual Review of Psychology 56.
Unlike many of his colleagues at the time who were focusing on psychopathology, or what is wrong with individuals, he focused on how individuals are motivated to fulfill their potential and what needs govern their respective behaviors (McLeod)). Maslow developed the hierarchy over time, adjusting from a rigid structure where needs must be met before being able to achieve a higher level, to where the individuals can experience and behave in ways across the hierarchy multiple times daily depending on their needs. The hierarchy is comprised of 5 levels; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. The bottom two levels are considered basic needs, or deficiency needs because once the needs are met they cease to be a driving factor, unlike psychological needs. Loving and Belonging and Esteem needs are considered psychological needs, and are different from basic needs because they don’t stem from a lack of something, but rather the desire to grow. Maslow theorizes that individual’s decisions and behavior are determined based on their current level of needs, and the ideal level to achieve full potential culminates in self-actualization; however, operating on this level cannot be achieved until the preceding levels of needs have been
McGregor - but I saw little to distinguish McGregor’s work in 1960 [McGregor, D. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York, 21, 166.] from Maslow 's earlier work in terms of what motivates humans. McGregor 's structure of human needs incorporated basic physiological needs such as food and shelter and then safety needs, followed by social interaction, self-confidence, independence, and status and praise/recognition - mirroring Maslow in all respects. McGregor believes that management is inherently afraid of workers reaching fulfillment in the areas of social and self-esteem needs because fulfillment of those needs threatens organizations. McGregor asserts, conversely, that attaining these basic needs is not a threat but, rather, beneficial to the organisation. If anything, knowing the type of worker with whom the managers are dealing is what helps the organisation, mcgregor believes. If a worker is of the "Theory X" variety, ie, one who is ambitionless and attempts to avoid work and therefore must be controlled and threatened with punishment in order to give a minimal amount of effort; or the "Theory Y" type that is responsible, self-directed and committed to achieving his objectives then the approach used to manage those workers can be tailored to benefit both worker and organisation. Here lies a point of distinction, but it is between the views of McGregor and Taylor. whereas Taylor 's beliefs
Steers, Richard M., Richard T. Mowday, and Debra L. Shapiro. "Introduction to Special Topic Forum: The Future of Work Motivation Theory." The Academy of Management Review 29.3 (2004): 379. Print.
Abraham Maslow did studies of the basic needs of human beings. He put these needs into a hierarchical order. This means that until the need before it has been satisfied, the following need can not be met (Encyclopedia, 2000). For example, if someone is hungry they are not thinking too much about socializing. In the order from lowest to highest the needs are psychological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. The first three are classified as lower order needs and the last two are higher order (Hierarchy, 2000). Without meeting these needs workers are not going to be as productive as they could otherwise. The first three are considered to be essential to all humans at all times. The last two have been argued but are mostly considered to be very important as well.
Abraham Maslow created the hierarchy of needs that has better suited and helped people live better and more successfully. His theory that individuals need to reach self- actualization to live a better more successful life has influenced and change many outlooks on life and how and what we need to do to become successful. His theory is still taught in class rooms all over the world today.
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was not satisfied with the way things had always been done and he did not like the way other psychologists viewed people. He believed that individuals have great potential and thought that there had to be more to humans than simply rewards, punishments, and subconscious urges. To Maslow, people were full of positive potential. He developed humanistic psychology, which focuses on the potential of people to become all that they can be. Other psychologists helped develop different elements in humanistic psychology, but Maslow is largely considered to be the father of the humanist movement in psychology. Weiten (2013) mentioned that Maslow argued that humans have an innate drive towards personal growth that is, evolution toward a higher state of being (p. 377). Maslow wanted to understand what motivates an individual, believing that individuals possess a motivational system unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires. Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to attain certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, an individual seeks to fulfill the next one. Maslow 's greatest
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Latham, G. 2007, Work motivation: history, theory, research and practice, Thousand Oaks, Sage, viewed 07 April 2014, ISBN: 9780761920182.