世纪商务英语阅读教程（专业篇Ⅱ）

Human Resources Management

( I )

Lead-in Effective Human resources management is essential for the

success of organizations. For the whole 20th century, people

had been studying ways to improve management. A number of

theories were put forth at that time among which Maslow’s and

McGregor’s theories were greatly grounded in modern human

resources management.

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

◇ Understand Maslow’s and McGregor’s theories. ◇ Discuss the relationship between human needs and human resources

management.◇ Explain why McGregor’s Y Theory is still stressed by modern organizations.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 1. Abraham Maslow

2. Human Needs

3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

4. Maslow’s Points

5. Exceptions out of Maslow’s Theory

6. Maslow’s Notice

7. What do managers learn from Maslow’s theory?

8. Managers’ Goals

Abraham Maslow

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow was born in 1908 and died in1970. He was a

famous American psychologist. His famous theory --- Hierarchy of

Human Needs --- has contributed much to understanding human

relations and management.

Human NeedsAccording to Maslow, human needs are of two aspects:

1. basic needs

a. physiological satisfaction, such as food, water, and sleep; and

b. psychological satisfaction such as love, safety, and self-esteem.

2. higher needs

also called meta needs or being needs (i.e. growth needs )

which consist of fairness, kindness, beauty, order, and unity.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

1. Physiological needs – wishing for food, water, housing, sleep, etc.

2. Safety – feeling free from immediate danger.

3. Love – expecting for love and being loved.

4. Self-esteem – taking pride of oneself with self-respect.

5. Self-actualization – understanding and fulfilling oneself.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Points

1. A person would want and be forever struggling to meet various

needs.

2. Lower level needs are more direct and important. If they are not

satisfied, they will come to play as the source and direction of a

person’s goals.

3. A need higher in the hierarchy will likely become the purpose of

one’s behavior.

4. Knowing what level a person is located on helps him settle on a

clear motivation.

Exceptions out of Maslow’s Theory

Some artists, religious leaders, and creative people seek to

satisfy higher-level needs without first fulfilling lower-level

needs. These people work hard despite lack of enough

housing, safety, or social life.

Maslow’s Notice Almost no one stays in one particular hierarchy for a long

time. People always try to move up.

What do managers learn from Maslow’s theory?

People will be motivated to contribute to organizational goals

only when they are first able to satisfy their physiological, safety

and social needs through their work.

Managers’ Goals1. Help employees obtain the skills and knowledge that will push

them up the hierarchy on the constant basis.

2. Make the employees concentrate on fulfilling the targets put forth

to them instead of keeping on struggling for their life.

Theory X and Theory Y 1. Douglas McGregor

2. Theory X and Theory Y

3. Theory X’s Principles

4. McGregor’s Remarks on Theory X

5. Theory Y’s Principles

6. McGregor’s Remarks on Theory Y

7. McGregor’s Suggestions to Perform Theory Y

Douglas McGregor

Theory X and Theory Y

In 1957, Douglas McGregor (1906-1964), a famous American psychologist, published his article "The Human Side of Enterprise" in which he introduced what came to be called the new humanism, Theory X and Theory Y.

Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y are two sets of assumptions about human

nature and behavior that are related to the practice of management.

Theory X

Representing a negative view of human nature that assumes people

generally are naturally irresponsible for their work and require close

supervision to do jobs.

Theory Y

Indicating a positive view of human nature that assumes people are

generally hard-working, creative and responsible for exercising self-control

over their jobs.

Theory X’s PrinciplesTheory X and Theory Y

1. Management is responsible for organizing the elements of

enterprise including production, capital, materials, facilities and

employees.

2. In terms of employees, management is a process of directing their

efforts, motivating them, controlling their actions, and modifying

their behavior to fit the needs of the organization.

3. Without effective management, employees would be passive –

even resistant – to organizational needs. Hence, they must be

advised, rewarded, punished, and controlled. Their activities must

be directed.

McGregor’s Remarks on Theory X

Theory X and Theory Y

It is of "hard" management whose methods involve close supervision,

rigid control and compulsion. It would lead to restriction of output, mutual

distrust and even sabotage.

Theory Y’s PrinciplesTheory X and Theory Y

1. Employees are not by nature passive or resistant to organizational

needs. They have become so as a result of experience in

organizations.

2. Employees, by nature, have the motivation, potential for development

and capacity for assuming responsibility and readiness to direct

behavior toward organizational goals. It is the responsibility of

management to make it possible for employees to recognize and

develop these human characteristics for themselves.

3. The essential task of management is to arrange organizational

conditions and methods of operation so that employees can achieve

their own goals by directing their efforts toward organizational

objectives.

McGregor’s Remarks on Theory YTheory X and Theory Y

It is of "soft" management whose methods as tolerance and need

satisfaction. It can lead to more effective management of employees in

the organization.

McGregor’s Suggestions to Perform Theory Y

1. Management should have employees’ higher level needs met in the

workplace.

2. Close supervision and the threat of punishment are not the proper

means for encouraging employees to exercise productive efforts.

3. Some opportunities should be provided such as allowing employees

to make decisions, redesigning jobs to make them more

challenging or emphasizing on good working relations.

Theory X and Theory Y

Practice of Theory X and Theory Y

1. Significance of Theory X and Theory Y

2. Arguments: Which is More Effective, Theory X or Theory Y?

4. Criticism of Theory Y

5. Theory X and Theory Y in the 21st Century

3. Effects on Management

Significance of Theory X and Theory Y

Practice of Theory X and Theory Y

In the late 20th century, Theory X & Theory Y was considered as

the basis for management style and employees’ motivation. When it

comes to the 21st century, Theory X & Theory Y is still studied as to

develop greater understanding of modern management ideology such

as job enrichment, job-characteristics model and self-managed work

teams.

Arguments: Which is More Effective, Theory X or Theory Y?

Arguments:

1. Organizations putting Theory Y into practice tend to go back to

Theory X in hard economic times.

2. Theory Y is not always more effective than Theory X.

3. Unforeseen events of each managerial situation determine whether

Theory X or Theory Y was proper.

Effects on Management Theory X:

1. Managers’ leadership styles are autocratic and the communication

flow is downward from managers to the employees. This may cause

resistance from employees.

2. The upper setting of objectives gets little or no participation from

employees.

3. It results in outside, control, with the manager acting as a

performance judge who focuses generally on the past.

Effects on Management

Theory Y:

1. It may lead to cooperative objectives designed with input from both

employees and managers, resulting in a stronger responsibility by

employees for accomplishing the shared objectives.

2. It encourages leadership styles to be more participative and allows

employees to seek responsibility for achievement of goals. Theory

Y’s leadership is likely to improve communication flow, especially in

the upward direction.

3. It leads to control processes based on employees’ self-control. The

manager is more likely to act as an instructor rather than a judge

who focuses on how performance can be improved in the future

rather than on who is responsible for past performance.

Criticism of Theory Y

1. Rather than concern for employees, Theory Y style managers are

simply engaged in an attractive form of management.

2. Sometimes, managers better match work tasks to basic human

motivation through participative management, job enlargement and

other programs based on Theory Y.

3. Actually, managers still focused on measures of productivity rather

than employees’ interests.

4. It is a patronizing plan for bringing increased productivity from

employees. Unless employees shared in the economic benefits of

their increased productivity, they are just fooled into working harder

for the same pay.

Theory X and Theory Y in the 21st Century

1. McGregor’s works on Theory X and Theory Y have had a great

impact on management ideology and practice. They have been

included in most basic management books. These books are still

facing people of management today.

2. As for the practice of management, the workplace of the 21st

century, which emphasizes on self-managed work teams and other

forms of worker involvement programs, generally goes with the

principles of Theory Y.