Biography of douglas murray mcgregor theory

Douglas McGregor spent the end of the 1950’s and the early 1960’s working on his motivation theory. Curiously titled Theory X Theory Y, his theory outlines two opposing views on human behavior in the workplace.

Each of the viewpoints addresses a different way of meeting each individual’s motivational needs. McGregor believed that a manager’s assumptions about their employees determined their leadership style in the workplace.

The first part of McGregor’s theory is Theory X.

Managers have many assumptions about their employees in Theory X:

• Workers dislike their jobs and they are inherently lazy.
• Workers have little motivation and prefer direction from their superiors.
• Workers need consistent rewards and punishments to ensure their task is completed.
• Workers do not have a desire to grow or achieve personal or professional goals.

Many of these assumptions are based on basic physical needs.

Businesses who utilize a Theory X approach often have multiple levels of manage