Theory Y Promises

I was introduced to the theories of Douglas McGregor when I was studying public administration. McGregor proposed a dichotomy of management actions that he termed Theory X and Theory Y. In a nutshell, Theory X describes authoritarian management behavior and Theory Y describes participative management behavior.

If you work for or with any organization you are bound to see these principles in play. The reality that I have observed is that management has a tendency to talk about Theory Y practices while approving Theory X actions. Even when implemented in earnest some Theory Y initiatives fail due to inertia or culture.

For all the discussion about participatory management the bottom line is typically the most important factor that goes into making decisions. Put bluntly, money is usually more important that people. I have labeled these ritualized discussions about collaboration, inclusion, and equity a sort of organizational Kabuki. This does serve as a partial explanation for the deteriorated state of organizations like unions. It also serves as an glaring indication of the pro-business mentality of our current political and economic leaders.

To me, it is plain to see that allowing more billionaires to rise in the world does not improve the lives of all citizens. Historically speaking, it seems to be the quickest path to fascism. Where this affects working people most directly is in their workplace. How this affects working people is in the management class’ proclivity to talk about Theory Y while they implement Theory X programs and policies. I surmise that this is done at the behest of management class overlords.

The choice to favor Theory X over Theory Y is a choice to value control over collaboration. Current workplace technology allows management to tighten control over workers in ways not even imagined in the days of Frederick Winslow Taylor. These choices are made while senior managers make allusions to the entire organization being a big family, or in talking about values that they do not practice.

The issue then becomes as control over workers is tightened, as wages decline and workplace rights wither, and as families suffer as a result, the blame is typically placed on the overlords that are known. In practical terms the devastated worker will blame the manager who denied a raise rather than the corporate overlords who denied all raises. It seems that the biggest losers in this race to the bottom of American wages will be the well-paid sycophants who will eventually realize that they are just workers too, albeit far too late to make any kind of decision that could have changed anything.

As workers, we suffer when we allow the organizational Kabuki to continue without protesting the obvious flaws and outright lies. We have to demand transparency and accountability; not just as a feel-good words but as real policy enforced by workers and staff. If we continue to keep taking our economic and political overlords at their words without challenging them we will truly end up with everything we deserve.