Assembly Lines

Week Two

 It’s fairly safe to say that most people, including McGregor, thought Theory Y was the best management style; but that doesn’t mean there is no place for Theory X, right?

According to Rich Bayer, there can be a place for both theories. For example, Theory X would work well for a company that uses assembly lines. “For these types of jobs, there’s a need to set quotas and have fairly strict guidelines with little margin for error” (Bayer 1). They also just need repetition and not a constant change of work methods.

Then there are jobs that need the employees to be creative and problem solving sills like in research and advertising. Because these employees need more room to think and thrive, the more flexible Theory Y would work well for them (Bayer 2).

But there is some evidence that from the view of psychological health, the Y Theory approach could benefit all employees and many different job settings. (Bayer 2)

According to Bayer:

“Theory Y managers boost job satisfaction by treating employees with dignity and respect. A Theory Y manager can even boost job satisfaction among employees whose jobs are routine and do not present a high degree of mental challenge. With such employees, a manager can improve satisfaction by giving them additional responsibilities that make the work more challenging or by helping them understand how their personal goals actually match company goals” (2).

We could use Ford as an example of an assembly line company that flourished from the Y Theory. For 17 years before the lat 1990s, Ford Motor Company used the slogan, “Quality is job one” (Bayer 2). This slogan didn’t only help boost sales against the foreign automobile market, but also boosted the morale of the employees. “It gave Ford employees a company goal that could match their personal goals” (Bayer 2). This change I management lead to the improvement of Ford cars and trucks for many years to come.

Work Cited:

Bayer, Rich. "Employee Management: Are You X or Are You Y." Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, Inc. (2004): 1-2. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.upperbay.org/DO%20NOT%20TOUCH%20-%20WEBSITE/articles/employee%20management.pdf>.