Theory X Theory Y (McGregor)
Theory Z (Ouchi)

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Hard or Soft Management? Explanation of Theory X Theory Y of McGregor. ('60). Explanation of Theory Z by William Ouchi. ('81)

All about Theory X Theory Y Theory Z

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What is Theory X and Y? Description

Douglas McGregor, an American social psychologist, proposed his famous Theory X and Theory Y models in his book 'The Human Side Of Enterprise' (1960).

	Theory X	Theory Y
Assumptions	Humans inherently dislike working and will try to avoid it if they can.	People view work as being as natural as play and rest. Humans expend the same amount of physical and mental effort in their work as in their private lives.
	Because people dislike work they have to be coerced or controlled by management and threatened so they work hard enough.	Provided people are motivated, they will be self-directing to the aims of the organization. Control and punishment are not the only mechanisms to let people perform.
	Average employees want to be directed.	Job satisfaction is key to engaging employees and ensuring their commitment.
	People don't like responsibility.	People learn to accept responsibility and seek responsibility. Average humans, under the proper conditions, will not only accept, but even naturally seek responsibility.
	Average humans are clear and unambiguous and want to feel secure at work.	People are imaginative and creative. Their ingenuity should be used to solve problems at work.
Application	Shop Floor, Mass Manufacturing. Production workers.	Professional Services, Knowledge Workers. Managers and Professionals.
Conducive to	Large scale efficient operations.	Management of Professionals, Participative Complex Problem Solving.
Management Style	Authoritarian, Hard Management.	Participative, Soft Management.

McGregor sees Theory Y as the preferable model and management method, however he thought Theory Y was difficult to use in large-scale operations.

Theory Z - Ouchi

In 1981, William Ouchi came up with a variant that combined American and Japanese management practices together to form Theory Z, having the following characteristics: long-term employment - collective decision-making - individual responsibility - slow evaluation & promotion - implicit, informal control with explicit, formalized measures - moderately specialized career paths - and a holistic concern for the employee, including family.

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Discussions about Theory X Theory Y Theory Z.

	Decision-making Method in Complex / Conflict Situations Game theory is the decision making skills in conflict situations.I think that it is the best way o (...)

	Theory Z is Rare but Growing Spiral Dynamics & Personal & Corporate Values Journey research indicates that Z would be a 'yellow' (...)

	Theory X and Theory Y In 9 out of 10 cases, the employer or leader determines the way workers behave. Workers who are tre (...)

	Work Ethic: Most employees want to work I believe that most employees want to work. There will always be a small percentage that will go aga (...)

	Influence of Culture on Theory X & Y I think application of theory x and y also depends on the cultural backround of the enterprise. In f (...)

	Growing from Theory X to Z to Y - Theory X naturally comes to play at the inception of almost every business undertaking. - In the (...)

	Theory X and Theory Y: Administration vs. Management From what can be seen in the summary, in my opinion we can make a clear distinction between administ (...)

	Theory Y is a Farce in Practice I personally do not have much faith that theory Y is real in practice. May be happening in highly pr (...)

	Theory Z Explanation Explain the Theory Z in brief as by little explanation its difficult to judge. Moreover, it is a mor (...)

	Theory X will Always Prevail Cecause it is Innate in Man As long as an individual or group of individuals exists, Theory X will prevail because we cannot upr (...)

	Job Requirements Influence X or Y Theory X and Y are dependent on the job requirements also. One can't be participative on all situat (...)

	Contribution for Today? What is the relevance of theory X and Y theory Z to modern management for today? (...)

	Why Participative Management is Needed in Today's High Tech World Managing in today's organization is very complex due to the rapid change in technology. In order to (...)

	It's Time for Theory Z Long term employment may be seen as security of tenure. Several years ago, I carried out a study in (...)

	In Practice you Need to Combine Theories It is not possible to put just one theory into practise without borrowing few elements from another. (...)

	The Role of Favoritism in Recruitment Theory X and Theory Y are dependent too on recruitment and selection processes. When favoritism play (...)

	Individual Backgrounds Theory Y states an ideal way on how people should work and interact. In theory X, it is when their w (...)

	The Role of Empowerment We will always have X & Y type of people. What can make an X turn into an Y and vice a versa is EMPO (...)

	Contigency Management Principle Theory Y and theory X metamorphose into the . There is no particular best style of management, but t (...)

	McGregor's XY Model is not a Model For Action The real Theory Z is that people don't understand that this XY model is not a model for action. It h (...)

	Dress Code, Bold Voice, Self Confidence and Motivation Power Whenever you try to guide someone, following three leadership factors affect your mission to leaders (...)

	Theory U: The origin of leadership is irrelevant Individuals at the top, middle, and bottom of the organization could informally personify leadership (...)

	Applying Theory Z in Practice People with enough motivation and empowerment do not need to be coerced to work. The trick is to lay (...)

	Role of Perception and Turbulence Theory X, Theory Y and Theory Z bring to mind the role of perception and judgmental attributions of (...)

	Theory X and Y in Nigeria What are real life situations or applications of theory X and Y in Nigerian leadership today (APC)? (...)

	Theory X, Y and Z in Government Organizations HI. I'd like to know your thoughts on Theories X, Y and Z (McGregor and Ouchi) in governmental organ (...)

	Threatening Workers does not Work Workers are suppose to be motivated and not be threatened like in theory X because if you threaten t (...)

	No Prototypical Behavior I personally do not believe in prototypical behavior. This means that people act the way they act ba (...)

Best Practices - Theory X Theory Y Theory Z

Here you find the most valuable discussions from the past.

	Applying Theory XY in Practice These motivational theories are excellent. However, how can we motivate the practicing administrato (...)

Expert Tips - Theory X Theory Y Theory Z

Here you will find advices by experts.

	Self-fulfilling Prophesies Further information (...)

	LEADER: Best Practices for Effective Leadership Behavior Leadership Behavior, Leadership Effectiveness, Leadership Style (...)

	Differences in Organizational Commitment Between Paid Workers and Volunteers Organizational Commitment, Employee Motivation, Non-profit Organizations (...)

	Theory X problem Leadership (...)

Resources - Theory X Theory Y Theory Z

Here you find powerpoint presentations, micro-learning videos and further information sources.

	How to Become a Master Manager? Introduction to Managing People. Know Thyself (...)

	Human Motivation Motivating Employees (...)

	Theory X Management Style Introduction to Motivation, Workshops, Trainings (...)

	Young Steve Jobs on the Role of Managers Management, Leadership, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Talent Development (...)

	The X Model of Employee Engagement Employee Engagement, Organizational Commitment, Amployee Attitude (...)

	How to Achieve Employee Engagement Employee Empowerment, Employee Participation, Participative Management, Participative Leadership (...)

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Theory X Theory Y (McGregor) Theory Z (Ouchi)

Hard or Soft Management? Explanation of Theory X Theory Y of McGregor. ('60). Explanation of Theory Z by William Ouchi. ('81)

What is Theory X and Y? Description

Theory X

Theory Y

Assumptions

Application

Conducive to

Management Style

Theory Z - Ouchi

Theory X Theory Y (McGregor)
Theory Z (Ouchi)