HCM 433 MANGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR.pdf

Theory X
Theory Y
1. people are lazy 1. People are energetic
2. People lack ambition and 2. People are ambitious and
Dislike responsibility.
Seek responsibility
3. People are self-centred 3. People can be selfless
4. People result change 4. People want to contribute to
Business growth and change
5. People are gullible and 5. People are intelligent
Not very bright.
Table 1: Theory X `and Theory Y
Managers who subscribe to theory X tend to believe that people are naturally lazy and
uncooperative and must therefore be either punished or rewarded to be made productive. Thus if
Theory X view is adopted, the clear implication is that Management must direct, persuade, punish
and control activities of people and management must seek to coerce and modify people’s
behaviour to fit the needs of the organization.
The assumptions of Theory Y are close to
Maslow’s “self actualizing man” and if these views are adopted; it will considerably alter
management’s priorities and tasks.
Management’s essential task becomes to harness the inherent qualities of people by arranging
conditions and methods of operations so that people can achieve their own goals best by directing
their own efforts towards organizational objectives. Cooperation rather than coercion is required
Although Theory X and Theory Y distinctions have been criticized for been too simplistic and for
offering little concrete basis for action. Their value lies primarily in their ability to highlight and
classify the behaviour of managers in light of their attitudes toward employees.
ii)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
One of the most widely mentioned theories of motivation is the hierarchy of need theory put for
the by psychologist Abraham Maslow (1954). Maslow, according to Koontz and Weirich (1993)
saw human needs in the form of a hierarchy ascending from the lowest to the highest, and he
concluded that when one set of needs is satisfied this kind ceases to be a motivator. Maslow
classified these needs into five basic types and suggested that they are arranged in the order or
hierarchy of importance shown in figure 9.
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