Theory X is a managerial assumption that employees
dislike work, responsibility, and accountability and must be closely directed
and controlled to be motivated to perform.
Theory X managers are assumed to view the
average employee as:
- Disliking
work and finding ways to avoid it as much as possible.
- Responding
to threats of punishment or control because of the dislike of work.
- Avoiding
responsibility because of lack of ambition.
- Wanting
to be directed and have security.
Theory
Y is a managerial assumption that employees
want to be challenged, like to display creativity, and can be highly motivated
to perform well if given some freedom to direct to manage their own behavior.
The
Theory Y manager assumes that the average employee:
- Enjoys
work and does not want to avoid it
- Wants
to achieve organizational goals through self-directed behavior
- Response
to rewards associated with accomplishing goals.
- Will
accept responsibility
- Has
initiative and can be creative in solving organizational problems
- Is
intellectually underutilized