Theory X

Conceptual Overview

McGregor was a psychologist and management theorist who was heavily influenced by the humanist school of philosophy that included Abraham Maslow and other humanist social psychologists. The humanists generally believed in the universal concept of an ideal world where all humanity lived in peace, prosperity, and psychological, physical, and spiritual health. McGregor and other humanists were primarily concerned with motivation, and how humans can progress toward a better future, defined in more humanistic terms. McGregor was increasingly disillusioned and critical of the dominant and mostly negative ideology concerning people and their relationship toward work. McGregor coined the term Theory X to capture this underlying philosophy to be found predominantly, but not solely, in the scientific management school.

McGregor argued that Theory X thinking is underpinned by the assumptions that subordinates (workers) dislike working and therefore must be tightly controlled, motivated, and punished through a range of management control systems in order to ensure conformance to management's performance expectations. Generally, subordinates shy away from responsibility and desire certainty in their working life. Theory X thinking assumes workers actually need management control in order to function in the workplace and that, by subordinating themselves to the will and control of management, workers will be coerced into enhanced performance. The benefits to workers of accepting this external control are proposed to be that they have certainty of employment, income, and low levels of risk and responsibility.

It should be stressed that McGregor did not intend that his idea of Theory X be used as a typology of employees, as he is often misunderstood to have meant. Rather, Theory X is a general orientation or way of thinking that typifies the view of management–subordinate relationships at work It is offered as one part of a binary view of management–subordinate relations, often referred to as “Theory X versus Theory Y.” Theory Y presents an opposite view to Theory X in that people are not viewed as lazy but rather that they crave stimulation, responsibility, and autonomy at work. Thus, both Theory X and Theory Y are offered as lenses for making sense of how management theory, research, and practitioners approach the topics of management–worker relationships, motivation, and the relationship between people and their work.

The Theory X view of the world is argued to be most evident in the scientific management literature. Scientific management originally maintained that there is “one best way” to manage. Inherent in the scientific management school of thought is the assumption that the relationship between management and subordinates should be clearly demarcated, reinforced, and accepted. That is, a worker should know his or her role, be well skilled in the task at hand, and be paid a base rate and a bonus for overachieving. The worker must, however, also subjugate himor herself to management. Management determines and controls all the aforementioned aspects of a person's work, and the entire system works as long as managers are clear about their role and the workers accept their subordinate position.

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