McGregor's The Human Side of Enterprise

Class #5

For this class, we had to write a response paper on two chapters from "The Human Side of Enterprise" by Douglas McGregor (Wikepedia page). We also talked about McGregor and Weisbord--the textbook.

McGregor discusses what he calls "Theory X" and "Theory Y," which are the assumptions we have about people and work. When we follow Theory X, we assume for instance that people do not want to work because working is a punishment. This is the old style of thinking of work and workers.  I see it as a more paternalistic way. 

This is Theory X:

1.The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can.
2. Because of this human characteristic of dislike ofwork, most people must be coerced, controlled, directed, threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort toward the achievement of organizational objectives.
3. The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition, wants security above all.

While Theory Y refers to the assumption that people can be developed. Basically, McGregor is following Maslow and his ideas of self-actualization.  This is Theory Y:

1. The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest. The average human being does not inherently dislike work. Depending upon controllable conditions, work may be a source of satisfaction (and will be voluntarily performed) or a source of punishment (and will be avoided if possible).
2. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about effort toward organizational objectives. Man will exercise self-direction and self-control in the service of objectives to which he is committed.
3. Commitment to objectives is a function ofthe rewards associated with their achievement.' The most significant ofsuch rewards, e.g., the satisfaction ofego and self-actualization needs, can be direct products of effort directed toward organizational objectives.
4.The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility. Avoidance of responsibility, lack ofambition, and emphasis on security are generally consequences ofexperience, not inherent human characteristics .

5.The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree o/imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in the solution 0/organizational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.
6.Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities o/the average human being are only partially utilized.

 Reference: McGregor, D. (2006). The Human Side of Enterprise. (Annotated Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill.

When I read McGregor, I thought that I was kind of crazy because I felt that in some cases I was more Theory X than Y. Weisbord comments that most of us have some Theory X and some Theory Y inside. In the same way each one of us has inside a good and a bad person, we all have some Theory X and some Y inside. It is not a bad idea to accept that we have two faces like Janus, the two-faced Roman god.

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In this class, we also had a three guests who talked to us about HRD. It was great to hear them.