Motivation through Theory X&Y from a Project Management perspective

Developed by Marie Elly Ulricke Kristensen

Abstract

A project manager may have the necessary skills to guide a project team through various project stages and project life cycles, but team motivation is an essential element of a successful project . Through literature, it has been emphasised that the interpersonal skills needed to motivate a project team are one of the project manager’s most important assets .

The idea that a manager’s attitude has an impact on employee motivation was initially suggested by Douglas McGregor (1906-1964), Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the late 1930’s and 1940’s . In 1960, McGregor released the book, The Human Side of Enterprise, which proposed two theories by which mangers perceive and address employee motivation . The two antagonistic motivational methods are referred to as Theory X and Theory Y management, each of which assumes the manager’s role to focus on organising resources, including people, to best benefit the company. However, beyond this commonality, the two theories split corporate thinking into two camps in their embodiment of attitudes and assumptions.

Through analysis of Theory X&Y, main advantages and limitations to the management aspects are found and discussed according to the project manager’s role and goals throughout the project life cycle.

Main findings in this article:

• Theory X management approach hinders the satisfaction of higher-level needs because it does not acknowledge that those needs are relevant in the workplace.

• The workplace of the early twenty-first century, with its prominence of self-managed work teams and employee involvement programs, is essentially consonant with the perceptions of Theory Y.

• Criticism suggests that Theory Y style managers are engaged in a seductive form of manipulation, as the managers are still focusing on measures of productivity and the benefits to the company rather than measures of employee well-being.