Organizational Behavioral Movement

With the human relations movement strongly in place, theorists became

increasingly interested in exploring the individual employee and the nature of
work itself.
Remember, many employees at the time were left searching for some intrinsic
value in their work due to standardization of jobs. Because workers were
performing the same tasks day after day, their individual skills and capabilities
were not being challenged.
he behavioral movement worked to change all that by researching ways to help
employees find personal satisfaction in their jobs by providing meaningful work.
he behavioral theory of thought was based on the work of !braham "aslow,
#ouglas "c$regor, %rederick &erzberg, and #avid "c'lelland , all of whom
searched for ways to help motivate employees based on their personal needs.
Behavioral psychologists argued that we have a human desire to work towards
personal growth, accomplishment, and achievement.
"aslow(s hierarchy of needs
"otivation theory which suggests five interdependent levels of basic human
needs )motivators* that must be satisfied in a strict se+uence starting with the
lowest level.
"aslow wanted to understand what motivates people. &e believed that
individuals possess a set of motivation systems unrelated to rewards or
unconscious desires.
"aslow stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one
need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on.
"c$regor,s heory - and heory .
#ouglas "c$regor suggested that management could use either set of needs to
motivate employees, but better results would be gained by the use of heory ., rather
than heory -. hese two opposing perceptions theorized how people view human
behavior at work and organizational life/
Theor y X
With heory - assumptions, management(s role is to coerce and control
employees.
o People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it
whenever possible.
o People must be controlled, directed, or threatened with
punishment in order to get them to achieve the organizational
objectives.
o People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility, and
have little or no ambition.
o People seek security above all else.
Theor y Y
With heory . assumptions, management(s role is to develop the
potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards
common goals.
o Work is as natural as play and rest.
o People will exercise self-direction if they are committed to the
objectives they are !"# lazy$.
o %ommitment to objectives is a function of the rewards
associated with their achievement.
o People learn to accept and seek responsibility.
o %reativity, ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed
among the population. People are capable of using these
abilities to solve an organizational problem.
o People have potential.