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Assumption of Theory X and Theory Y?

Theory X
Theory X managers tend to take a pessimistic view of their people, and
assume that they are naturally unmotivated and dislike work. As a result, they
think that team members need to be prompted, rewarded or punished
constantly to make sure that they complete their tasks.
Work in organizations that are managed like this can be repetitive, and people
are often motivated with a "carrot and stick" approach.
Performance appraisals and remuneration are usually based on tangible
results, such as sales figures or product output, and are used to control staff
and "keep tabs" on them.
This style of management assumes that workers:

• Dislike their work.


• Avoid responsibility and need constant direction.
• Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to deliver work.
• Need to be supervised at every step.
• Have no incentive to work or ambition, and therefore need to be
enticed by rewards to achieve goals.
According to McGregor, organizations with a Theory X approach tend to have
several tiers of managers and supervisors to oversee and direct workers.
Authority is rarely delegated, and control remains firmly centralized. Managers
are more authoritarian and actively intervene to get things done.

Although Theory X management has largely fallen out of fashion in recent


times, big organizations may find that adopting it is unavoidable due to the
sheer number of people that they employ and the tight deadlines that they
have to meet.
Theory Y
Theory Y managers have an optimistic, positive opinion of their people, and
they use a decentralized, participative management style. This encourages a
more collaborative , trust-based relationship between managers and their
team members.
People have greater responsibility, and managers encourage them to develop
their skills and suggest improvements. Appraisals are regular but, unlike in
Theory X organizations, they are used to encourage open communication
rather than control staff.

Theory Y organizations also give employees frequent opportunities for


promotion.

This style of management assumes that workers are:

• Happy to work on their own initiative.


• More involved in decision making.
• Self-motivated to complete their tasks.
• Enjoy taking ownership of their work.
• Seek and accept responsibility, and need little direction.
• View work as fulfilling and challenging.
• Solve problems creatively and imaginatively.
Theory Y has become more popular among organizations. This reflects
workers' increasing desire for more meaningful careers that provide them
with more than just money.
It's also viewed by McGregor as superior to Theory X, which, he says,
reduces workers to "cogs in a machine," and likely demotivates people in the
long term.
The Three Component Model of
Commitment
Improving Commitment and Engagement

People who love their jobs are positively committed to their


organizations.
Have you ever thought about why people might become emotionally
committed to your organization?

Some people are committed to their jobs because they love what they do,
or because their goals align with those of the company. Others might stay
because they fear what they could lose if they leave. Still others might
stay because they feel obligated to the company, or to their manager.

Clearly, some of these types of commitment can have a negative effect on


a person's well-being, self-respect, and job satisfaction. So, how can you
avoid this, but still help team members feel committed to your team, or
organization, in a positive way?

In this article we'll explore three common types of commitment, and


we'll look at how you can make changes to improve team member
engagement and loyalty in an effective and positive way.

About the Model


John Meyer and Natalie Allen developed their Three Component Model of
Commitment and published it in the 1991 "Human Resource
Management Review." The model explains that commitment to an
organization is a psychological state, and that it has three distinct
components that affect how employees feel about the organization that
they work for.
The three components are:

1. Affection for your job ("affective commitment").


2. Fear of loss ("continuance commitment").
3. Sense of obligation to stay ("normative commitment").
You can use this model to increase commitment and engagement in your
team, while also helping people to experience a greater feeling of well-
being and job satisfaction.

Let's look at each of Meyer and Allen's three types of commitment in


greater detail.

Affection for Your Job (Affective Commitment)


Affection for your job occurs when you feel a strong emotional
attachment to your organization, and to the work that you do. You'll
most likely identify with the organization's goals and values, and you
genuinely want to be there.

If you're enjoying your work, you're likely to feel good, and be satisfied
with your job. In turn, this increased job satisfaction is likely to add to
your feeling of affective commitment.

Fear of Loss (Continuance Commitment)


This type of commitment occurs when you weigh up the pros and cons of
leaving your organization. You may feel that you need to stay at your
company, because the loss you'd experience by leaving it is greater than
the benefit you think you might gain in a new role.

These perceived losses, or "side bets," can be monetary (you'd lose


salary and benefits); professional (you might lose seniority or role-
related skills that you've spent years acquiring); or social (you'd lose
friendships or allies).
The severity of these "losses" often increases with age and experience.
You're more likely to experience continuance commitment if you're in an
established, successful role, or if you've had several promotions within
one organization.

Sense of Obligation to Stay (Normative


Commitment)
This type of commitment occurs when you feel a sense of obligation to
your organization, even if you're unhappy in your role, or even if you
want to pursue better opportunities. You feel that you should stay with
your organization, because it's the right thing to do.
According to McClelland, these motivators are learned (which is why this
theory is sometimes called the Learned Needs Theory).

McClelland says that, regardless of our gender, culture, or age, we all have
three motivating drivers, and one of these will be our dominant motivating
driver. This dominant motivator is largely dependent on our culture and life
experiences.

These characteristics are as follows:

Dominant
Characteristics of This Person
Motivator

• Has a strong need to set and accomplish


challenging goals.
• Takes calculated risks to accomplish their
goals.
• Likes to receive regular feedback on their
progress and achievements.

Achievement • Often likes to work alone.

• Wants to belong to the group.


• Wants to be liked, and will often go along with
whatever the rest of the group wants to do.
• Favors collaboration over competition.
• Doesn't like high risk or uncertainty.
Affiliation

• Wants to control and influence others.


• Likes to win arguments.
• Enjoys competition and winning.
• Enjoys status and recognition.
Power
Achievement
People motivated by achievement need challenging, but not impossible,
projects. They thrive on overcoming difficult problems or situations, so make
sure you keep them engaged this way. People motivated by achievement
work very effectively either alone or with other high achievers.

When providing feedback, give achievers a fair and balanced appraisal. They
want to know what they're doing right – and wrong – so that they can improve.

Affiliation
People motivated by affiliation work best in a group environment, so try to
integrate them with a team (versus working alone) whenever possible. They
also don't like uncertainty and risk. Therefore, when assigning projects or
tasks, save the risky ones for other people.

When providing feedback to these people, be personal. It's still important to


give balanced feedback, but if you start your appraisal by emphasizing their
good working relationship and your trust in them, they'll likely be more open to
what you say. Remember that these people often don't want to stand out, so it
might be best to praise them in private rather than in front of others.

Power
Those with a high need for power work best when they're in charge. Because
they enjoy competition, they do well with goal-oriented projects or tasks. They
may also be very effective in negotiations or in situations in which another
party must be convinced of an idea or goal.
When providing feedback, be direct with these team members. And keep
them motivated by helping them further their career goals .

Expectancy Theory of Motivation


Shoaib Chouhan March 06, 2016
The expectancy theory was proposed by Victor Vroom of Yale School of
Management in 1964. Vroom stresses and focuses on outcomes, and not on needs
unlike Maslow and Herzberg. The theory states that the intensity of a tendency to
perform in a particular manner is dependent on the intensity of an expectation that
the performance will be followed by a definite outcome and on the appeal of the
outcome to the individual.
This theory is meant to bring together many of the elements of previous theories. It
combines the perceptual aspects of equity theory with the behavioral aspects of the
other theories. Basically, it comes down to this "equation":
M = E*I*V
Or
Motivation = Expectancy * Instrumentality * Valence

M (motivation)= is the amount a person will be motivated by the situation they find
themselves in. It is a function of the following.

E (expectancy) = The person's perception that effort will result in performance. In


other words, the person's assessment of the degree to which effort actually
correlates with performance.
I (instrumentality) = The person's perception that performance will be
rewarded/punished. i.e., the person's assessment of how well the amount of reward
correlates with the quality of performance. (Note here that the model is phrased in
terms of extrinsic motivation, in that it asks 'what are the chances I'm going to get
rewarded if I do good job?'. But for intrinsic situations, we can think of this as asking
'how good will I feel if I can pull this off?').

V (valence) = The perceived strength of the reward or punishment that will result
from the performance. If the reward is small, the motivation will be small, even if
expectancy and instrumentality are both perfect (high).

Why should business student study OB with an example?


Participative Management and communication would allow employees to get involved in
decisions and make them feel less powerless.
Relaxation/ social possibilities and support would allow employees to make strong
relationships and discuss topics such as stress.
It is important for Business and Management students to learn about stress in
organizations as they can find out how to cope with it and how to avoid stress at work.
Stress is a major factor in organizations because it can affect the behavior of the workers
and managers greatly if it is not treated early.
Consequences of stress at work can be absenteeism and staff turnover which increases
the costs for an organization (e.g. covering vacancies). This would result in missed
deadlines, low productivity and a drop in staff morale.
Motivation is another important factor in the study of organizational behaviors. This can
help workers achieve the goals of the organization. Motivation is 'the extent to which
persistent effort is directed towards a goal.' There are theories of motivation to shape
employees' behaviors and continue that behavior.
Content theories are motivation theories which assume all workers are motivated by a set
of basic needs. The first content theory is Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory.

Subject Matter of Organizational Behaviour Notes:


OB includes core topics of motivation, leader behaviour and power, interpersonal
communication, group structure and process, learning, attitude development and
perception.

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