Graded Homework

The theoretical base for managers’ views on how employees
perform was derived by Douglas McGregor in his book, The Human Side of
Enterprise, published in 1960. McGregor developed two opposing theories, X and
Y, about people’s behavior. These theories are described in your text on pages
8 and 9.

Access and complete the Theories X and Y Self-Assessment
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Access the textbook’s website (Links to an external site.)
and complete the “Assessing Your Flexibility” assessment.

Submit your answers and read the results.

Most of us want to improve our flexibility, so here are four
methods for improvement:

Make a deliberate change in your routines.

Be willing to accept a less than optimal standard for
completing a task or ordering “things” in your life.

Focus on the future instead of the past.

Take more risks.

Another way to improve your flexibility according to
Marshall Goldsmith, a well known executive coach, is to use the process of
“feedforward.” The feedback you received on your flexibility self
assessment is limited because it focuses on the past versus looking at all of
the possibilities that may occur in the future. Goldsmith prefers the process
of feedforward where managers may give their workers recommendations for the future.
Below are seven reasons for trying feedforward:

We can change the future, but not the past.

It is more productive to help people be “right” than to
prove they were “wrong.”

Feedforward is suited for successful people.

Feedforward may come from anyone familiar with the task. It
does not require personal experience with the individual.

People do not take feedforward as personal as feedback.

Feedback can reinforce stereotyping negative self-fulfilling
prophecies.

Most of us hate getting negative feedback, and we do not
like to give it.

Reference:

Goldsmith, M. (n.d.). Marshall Goldsmith Feedforward.
Retrieved from
http://www.marshallgoldsmithfeedforward.com/html/FeedForward-Tool.htm (Links to
an external site.)

Based on the results of these two self-assessments, answer
the following questions in a short essay:

Which theory, X or Y, represents how you manage your
employees? Was the assessment consistent with how you felt about your
management style?

Are you flexible or inflexible? Do you agree with the
assessment? Why or why not?

What are the pros and cons of your flexibility style?

After examining your management style and flexibility, what
changes do you want to make to improve both your management style and
flexibility?

How would feedforward help you in making these self
improvements?

Theory
X or Y Self Assessment

Read
the 16 statements below and select 8, only 8, of the 16 that best
represent your feelings about your management style:

1. I prefer to
   give people the information they need to know to do their jobs.

1. I am
   not surprised that people do not show much creativity on the job, because
   most people are not creative.

1. I believe
   people avoid work when the work is not meaningful.

1. I believe when
   people are given too much information they misuse it.

1. I
   believe people have to be punished for their mistakes. If not they will
   lower their standards.

1. I
   believe the more information people have about their jobs, the less
   supervision these people require.

1. I believe
   people naturally want to get away with doing as little as possible.

1. I
   believe employees have a limited perspective so it is a waste of time to
   ask for their ideas.

1. I believe if
   people find their work interesting, they do not worry about their pay.

1. I believe I
   lose prestige when I admit my subordinates were right and I was wrong.

1. I
   believe people are very creative, but do not show it, because they do not
   have the opportunity to show it.

1. I
   believe I have to closely supervise workers when they a lot of information
   about their jobs.

1. I
   believe if people are paid enough they do not care about being recognized
   for a job well done.

1. I believe I
   gain prestige when I admit my employees were right and I was wrong.

1. I
   believe when people are held accountable for their mistakes, they raise
   their standards.

1. I believe
   subordinates have useful ideas and will share them with me if I ask.

See the next page for scoring
directions.

To score your assessment:

1. Give
   yourself one point if you selected 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 13. Add the
   points together. This is your Theory X score.

1. Give
   yourself one point if you selected 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 15, and 16. Add the
   points together. This is your Theory Y score.

Reference: Greenberg, J. (1999). Managing behavior in
organizations. Prentice?Hall, Inc: Upper Saddle River, NJ. ISBN:0?13?922790?3