Douglas McGregor & Origins
This psychologist developed Theory X and Theory Y in the 1950s.
Who is Douglas McGregor?
Theory X assumes employees are naturally this.
What is lazy or unmotivated?
Theory Y assumes employees are naturally this.
What is self-motivated?
Theory X focuses on external pressure; Theory Y focuses on this.
What is internal motivation or empowerment?
Theory X managers rely on control; Theory Y managers rely on this.
What is empowerment?
McGregor’s ideas emerged from his work at this prestigious university.
What is MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)?
Managers under Theory X rely heavily on these two control mechanisms.
What are rewards and punishments?
Instead of control, Theory Y managers emphasize this to empower employees.
What is trust or delegation?
Under Theory X, employees experience this emotional consequence.
What are frustration and conflict?
In McGregor’s framework, Theory X management leads to this kind of environment.
What is a tense or unmotivated workplace?
McGregor’s theories focused on understanding these two aspects of workplace behavior.
What are management and motivation?
Because Theory X managers believe employees dislike work, they use this leadership style.
What is authoritarian or controlling management?
Theory Y assumes that employees actually enjoy doing this.
What is their work (or contributing to goals)?
A Theory Y environment leads to better performance because of this workplace factor.
What is trust and communication?
Theory Y leadership promotes creativity and this key element of teamwork.
What is collaboration?
The decade when McGregor first introduced his contrasting management styles.
What are the 1950s?
Theory X managers focus on this type of control over their workers.
What is close supervision or strict control?
Theory Y leaders often encourage this type of environment where collaboration thrives.
What is a participative or creative environment?
Theory X blames the worker; Theory Y blames this instead.
What is the leader or management approach?
The shift from Theory X to Theory Y demonstrates how leadership can directly impact this.
What is employee attitude and performance?
McGregor’s theories challenged traditional managerial assumptions by asking this key question:
What assumptions are managers making about their employees?
A Theory X manager might ask, “What is wrong with them?” when productivity drops, but according to McGregor, they should really be asking this instead.
What assumption am I making that is forcing them to fail?
A Theory Y manager believes motivation comes from within, also known as this kind of motivation.
What is intrinsic motivation?
This phrase captures how leadership style shapes workplace culture:
What is “The management style you choose is the legacy you build”?
McGregor’s philosophy suggests that effective leadership begins not with controlling others but with this kind of reflection.
What is self-awareness or questioning one’s assumptions?