Douglas Mcgregor’s X and Y Theories

1811 Words8 Pages
Literature Review Assignment Douglas McGregor’s X and Y theories Introduction Douglas McGregor‘s book The Human Side of Enterprise (1960), best known for the comparison of X and Y theories, was the first to apply the behavioral science findings to the world of business and leadership. His assumptions about human behaviors challenged the management profession to reexamine the motivations employees bring to their jobs had revealed new roles for managers: inspiring, assisting, and motivating their subordinates in reaching their full potential, rather than commanding and controlling them as the major ideas of management theories before. The theories had become classic by the time The Human Side of Enterprise was republished in 1985. “This book, more than any other book on management, changed an entire concept of organizational man and replace it with a new potentials, emphasized human growth, and elevated the human role in industrial society” (Kopelman et al, 2008; Bennis; McGregor, 1985: iv) This literature review essay first provides a definition and detailed assumptions about Douglas’s Theory X and Y and its evolution as a management theory, then there are some critical discussions about the relevance and value of the theory for managers in the 21st century. Evolution of Theory X and Theory Y Theory X and Y had become a remarkable milestone in the long evolution of management theories, starting from the works of Frederick W. Taylor (1856-1915) in late 18th centuries. Being considered as the father of management though, Taylor had contributed greatly to the development of the global industry by defining the concept of scientific management. The study had focused on improving efficiency of work process by looking at the relationships between employees and their tasks (Waddell et al, 2008). However, since at his time, the majority of employees are workers in

More about Douglas Mcgregor’s X and Y Theories

Open Document