Are you a boss or a leader ?

Douglas McGregor (1957) developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y — two opposing perceptions about how people view human behaviour at work and organizational life. McGregor felt that organizations and the managers within them followed either one or the other approach

Brief video describing Theory X and Y 

Category	Type	Reality	Manager perception
X	I	Employees lazy	Manager thinks employees are lazy
X	II	Great employees	Manager thinks employees are lazy
Y	III	Lazy employees	Manager thinks employees are great
Y	IV	Great employees	Manager thinks employees are lazy

Theory X

• People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible.
• People must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment in order to get them to achieve the organizational objectives.
• People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility, and have little or no ambition.
• People seek security above all else.

In an organization with Theory X assumptions, management's role is to coerce and control employees.

An example is the time clock. You have to clock in partly because the management thinks you'll arrive late and leave early if you don't.

Theory Y

• Work is as natural as play and rest.
• People will exercise self-direction if they are committed to the objectives (they are NOT lazy).
• Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.
• People learn to accept and seek responsibility.
• Creativity, ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed among the population. People are capable of using these abilities to solve an organizational problem.
• People have potential.

An example is an artist on contract to produce art. You tell the artist what you want done but you leave it to him/her when and how to do it as long as they produce what you want within your timeline. She can paint at 2AM for all you care - as long as you get art by the deadline.

There are many examples wherein such a team has delivered outstanding results. Luckily the company where I used to work earlier the leader had few outstanding qualities. Our sales head used to show complete faith on us in form of the freedom to take decision and better accountability, the only thing he expected in return was result under deadline dates. I felt such an environment did boast me to work freely and in pursuit of better exposure I used to engage myself in other activities too. Also I have worked in environment where my boss was sceptical to share better responsiblity.

We also learnt to evaluate managerial abilities in compairing potential and performance. Expectation out of a manager is always that the actual performance to exceed the potential. For this to happen manager must identify the strength of his employees. Proper evaluation and improvement action plan must be rolled out by the manager during employee’s appraisal. A goal must be set after identifying the potential of an employee and he must be driven in ways that he can maximize his performance.

How to apply theory Y to your own leadership style

This work was groundbreaking when it was first published in the 1960's, and probably sounds more obvious now. Management and the culture within organizations have progressed so much since then. However, it is always good to take a look at ourselves and the way we deal with our co-workers and 'sub-ordinates' ( as the management texts refer to those we manage).

Are you a boss or a leader ?

Are you a policeman or a mentor ?

Create an environment in which sub-ordinates can develop and use their abilities. Promote further education, and ongoing professional development, both formally and informally. Encourage open communication within the team. Share decision making, where sub-ordinates have a say in decisions that affect them. Have team meetings, and listen. Create opportunities for others, and encourage growth. Lead by example- through your enthusiasm for your work, by making decisions when needed, and taking responsibility for the outcome.

Think positively, act positively, Inspire.