Theory X and Theory Y Management Styles

You have just been promoted to supervisor of a large department in your company. The previous supervisor was terminated because of low morale and performance of his department. You had been attending night school to earn your bachelor's degree in management and remember, from one of your courses, how important it is to listen to your employees. Before coming in and making wholesale changes, you have spent the first several weeks on the job meeting casually with each employee about his or her views on the company, the department, and his or her own work efforts. Although you receive a lot of varying feedback, one common thread of employee concern is the very autocratic approach that the former supervisor used when dealing with his employees. You know that this is sometimes referred to as a theory X approach, and you know that a more participative management approach is called theory Y. However, you have not taken the management course that covers these topics.

Using the library and Internet resources, you are to write a research paper that compares theory X to theory Y in terms of management styles. Specifically, you are to include the following requirements:

- Explain each theory.

- Create a chart that shows the pros and cons of each management style.

- Is one particular style best in all situations? Why, or why not? Give an example.

- Give your opinion on the difference between theory Y management and what might be considered to be democratic decision making.

- Why would a manager's understanding of these two theories be important to good leadership practices?