INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT

CODE: MGT103

LECTURE: MS PHAN HOANG HA

SEMESTER: SUMMER 2022

FULL NAME: LE HA NHAT PHUONG

STUDENT ID: SS170357

CLASS: MKT1702

EMAIL: phuongLHNSS170357@fpt.edu.vn

DATE OF SUBMISSION: JUNE 10 2022

Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................3

1. Purpose of this assignment..............................................................................................................3

II. REFLECT THEORY X AND THEORY Y.........................................................................................3

1. Define theory X and theory Y..........................................................................................................3

2. Theory X in real life........................................................................................................................3

3. Theory Y in real life........................................................................................................................4

4. Identify and analyze success/failure regarding experience..............................................................5

III. Understanding of manager and employee behavior in workplace/ organizational settings..............5

IV. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6

V. Reference.............................................................................................................................................6
I. INTRODUCTION

1. Purpose of this assignment

This assignment is written for the purpose of discussing and analyzing my own life experiences.

Those experiences mirror Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. After analyzing them, I

understand and come to the conclusion of the and application of Theory X and Theory Y in my life,

especially in the field of management, in order to achieve success.

II. REFLECT THEORY X AND THEORY Y

1. Define theory X and theory Y

In the 1960s, McGregor came up with Theory X and Theory Y, theories of motivation. These theories

are built on the premise that management will have to bring together all the factors of production,

including people, to get the job done. “According to McGregor, Theory X and Theory Y reflect two

extreme belief sets that different managers have about their workers. Theory X is a relatively

pessimistic and negative view of workers and is consistent with the views of scientific management.

Theory Y is more positive and represents the assumptions made by human relations advocates.”

(Griffin 2016).

2. Theory X in real life

According to Mr. Douglas McGregor, the Theory X management style assumes employees are

"people who do not like work and try to avoid it, so managers have to control, direct, coerce and

threaten employees to get them to work toward organizational goals” (Griffin 2016).

Theory X reflects a lot in life, for me, it is teamwork in the learning process. I usually take on the role

of the group leader, so it is my responsibility to direct the group members to do the exercises to meet

the deadlines set by the teacher. Most members are not actively working but need to be reminded to

do the work. That quite affects the working process. Of course, there are still cases where members
are hard-working and proactive in the process of working, but in my practical experience, not many.

For cases where a team member has such procrastination, I will use theory X. Because those members

always operate under the mindset of only working when being forced to do and they only do enough

of the task. Therefore, they do not have any ambition or motivation to complete the duty. That is why

I always set time limits and remind them constantly, and if they are lazy, they will receive low

evaluation points from the leader. In management, there is a term similar to how I apply Theory X,

which is "carrot and stick", meanings to refer to two motivational concepts: rewards and punishments.

“Carrots designate the financial and non-financial paybacks offered by managers to employees as

inducements to achieve required tasks. On the other hand, sticks refer to the fear of being punished or

blamed which is an effective stimulus in certain situations” (Frangieh & Rusu 2021). The application

of this term can be understood as a reward and punishment policy to put pressure on its employees

and motivate them to. work better.

3. Theory Y in real life

According to Mr. Douglas McGregor, the Theory Y management style assumes workers are “people

who do not naturally like to work, work is a natural part of their lives. People will both seek and take

responsibility in their lives favorable conditions” (Grifin 2016).

An example of my practical experience of theory Y is that I used to do part-time work in a coffee

shop. According to my personal observation, all employees work with the spirit of learning, trying,

and taking responsibility for their own behavior. The staff on the same shift as me are always warm-

hearted and happy with customers and colleagues. They themselves learn and practice new drink

recipes. The employees work on the spirit of self-discipline, not being forced by the manager.

Because of the mutual trust between the owner and the staff, the theory Y is effectively applied.
4. Identify and analyze success/failure regarding experience.

In fact, theory X and theory Y are both effective management styles for managers. They need to be

applied to the right people and working environments. However, every theory has certain risks. With

my theory X example, although theory X was applied, not all students worked voluntarily. So, the rest

are the ones who receive reminders from their leader, but they still don't cooperate or work

superficially because they feel controlled and demoralized. In terms of results, however, the

application of theory X is, in this case, still a success. Because without deadlines and reminders from

the team leader, members may not even be able to complete the group's work.

Similarly, Theory Y in the above example is also successfully applied, but there are also some risks

that we need to be aware of. When applying Theory Y, a manager must understand its essence to

avoid situations that lead to conflicts such as an employee has too much power, it can be difficult for

the team to reach mutual agreement. That results in bad relationships between employees and

employees, or boss and employees.

III. Understanding of manager and employee behavior in

workplace/ organizational settings

The Theory X management style is applicable to new hires who need clear direction and close

supervision. In addition, managers should not apply this style to situations where the organization

needs to work freely on their own initiative, without being stereotyped. When applying this style,

managers will closely monitor their employees and give rewards and punishments. After all, this is

the style that should be applied to employees who are lazy and avoid working to motivate them to

achieve good work results.

In contrast, the Theory Y management style is softer. The organization will be operated in a

decentralized manner, which means that all activities involve the participation of everyone. By that,
employees will develop their own abilities, which motivates them to give opinions, and take

responsibility for their own actions.

IV. Conclusion

In my opinion, different managers will have different management styles, which can affect employee

performance. In fact, it is advisable to rely on the employee's attitude to give the best management. A

good manager needs to understand the pros and cons of these two styles in order to use them most

effectively.

V. Reference

Frangieh, M., & Rusu, D. (2021). The effect of the carrot and stick transactional leadership style in

motivating employees in SMEs. Revista de Management Comparat International, 22(2), 242-252.

< http://www.rmci.ase.ro/no22vol2/10.pdf >

Griffin, R. W. (2016). Fundamentals of management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.