Newly annotated edition of the management classic that proposed Theory Y – that individuals are self-motivated – as an alternative to Theory X – that employees must be commanded and controlled
"What are your assumptions (implicit as well as explicit) about the most effective way to manage people?"
So began Douglas McGregor in this 1960 management classic. It was a seemingly simple question he asked, yet it led to a fundamental revolution in management. Today, with the rise of the global economy, the information revolution, and the growth of knowledge-driven work, McGregor's simple but provocative question continues to resonate – perhaps more powerfully than ever before.
Heralded as one of the most important pieces of management literature ever written, a touchstone for scholars and a handbook for practitioners, The Human Side of Enterprise continues to receive the highest accoldates nearly half a century after its initial publication. Influencing such major management gurus as Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, McGregor's revolutionary Theory Y – which contends that individuals are self-motivated and self-directed – and Theory X – in which employees must be commanded and controlled – has been widely taught in business schools, industrial relations schools, psychology departments, and professional development seminars for over four decades.
In this special annotated edition of the worldwide management classic, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Senior Research Scientist in MIT"s Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division, shows us how today's leaders have successfully incorporated McGregor's methods into modern management styles and practices. The added quotes and commentary bring the content right into today's debates and business models.
Now more than ever, the timeless wisdom of Douglas McGregor can light the path toward a management style that nurtures leadership capability, creates effective teams, ensures internal alignment, achieves high performance, and cultivates an authentic, value-driven workplace – lessons we all need as we make our way in this brave new world of the 21st century.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Douglas McGregor is one of the most influential management thinkers of all time. He was a founding faculty member of MIT's Sloan School of Management and served as president of Antioch College.
Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld is a Program on Negotiation faculty affiliate and Senior Research Scientist in MIT's Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems division, where his scholarship centers on underlying values and assumptions about people at work, in organizations, in complex systems, and across societies.
Human Side of Enterprise Attributes
Author: | Douglas McGregor, updated and with new commentary by Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld |
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Publisher: | McGraw-Hill (2006) |