emotional intelligence (EQ)
Emotional Intelligence Theory
Theory X and Theory Y are theories of human motivation
created and developed by Douglas McGregor at the MIT Sloan
School of Management in the 1960s that have been used in human
resource management, organizational behavior, organizational
communication and organizational development. They describe two
contrasting models of workforce motivation.
Theory X
In this theory, which has been proven counter-effective in most
modern practice, management assumes employees are inherently
lazy and will avoid work if they can and that they inherently
dislike work. As a result of this, management believes that
workers need to be closely supervised and comprehensive systems
of controls developed. A hierarchical structure is needed with
narrow span of control at each and every level. According to
this theory, employees will show little ambition without an
enticing incentive program and will avoid responsibility
whenever they can. According to Michael J. Papa, if the
organizational goals are to be met, theory X managers rely
heavily on threat and coercion to gain their employees'
compliance. Beliefs of this theory lead to mistrust, highly
restrictive supervision, and a punitive atmosphere. The Theory X
manager tends to believe that everything must end in blaming
someone. He or she thinks all prospective employees are only out
for themselves. Usually these managers feel the sole purpose of
the employee's interest in the job is money. They will blame the
person first in most situations, without questioning whether it
may be the system, policy, or lack of training that deserves the
blame. A Theory X manager believes that his or her employees do
not really want to work, that they would rather avoid
responsibility and that it is the manager's job to structure the
work and energize the employee. One major flaw of this
management style is it is much more likely to cause diseconomies
of scale in large businesses.
Theory Y
In this theory, management assumes employees may be ambitious
and self-motivated and exercise self-control. It is believed
that employees enjoy their mental and physical work duties.
According to Papa, to them work is as natural as play[1]. They
possess the ability for creative problem solving, but their
talents are underused in most organizations. Given the proper
conditions, theory Y managers believe that employees will learn
to seek out and accept responsibility and to exercise
self-control and self-direction in accomplishing objectives to
which they are committed. A Theory Y manager believes that,
given the right conditions, most people will want to do well at
work. They believe that the satisfaction of doing a good job is
a strong motivation. Many people interpret Theory Y as a
positive set of beliefs about workers. A close reading of The
Human Side of Enterprise reveals that McGregor simply argues for
managers to be open to a more positive view of workers and the
possibilities that this creates. He thinks that Theory Y
managers are more likely than Theory X managers to develop the
climate of trust with employees that is required for human
resource development. It's human resource development that is a
crucial aspect of any organization. This would include managers
communicating openly with subordinates, minimizing the
difference between superior-subordinate relationships, creating
a comfortable environment in which subordinates can develop and
use their abilities. This climate would include the sharing of
decision making so that subordinates have say in decisions that
influence them.
Theory X and Theory Y combined
For McGregor, Theory X and Y are not different ends of the same
continuum. Rather they are two different continua in themselves.
source: wikipedia.com
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