The Human Side of Enterprise: 25th Anniversary Printing
Author: Douglas McGregor, Warren G. Bennis
List Price: $75.45
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ISBN: 0070450986
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin (01 August, 1985)
Sales Rank: 48,371
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Classic!
This book is a classic. A "must read" for anybody in management. This wisdom is timeless!Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"
Rating: 5 out of 5
You have to "hear" it from the horse's mouth.
If you're journeying through management literature of the present day, you're bound to come across the two theories proposed by Douglas McGregor back in the '50s and early '60's: Theory X and Theory Y. In fact, you'll probably find that some of the more modern theories and human behavior models are based on this work by McGregor.This is what makes reading this book so valuable. Reading the attributes and studies about Theory X and Theory Y management styles in McGregor's own words, instead of a one or two line sentence concerning his theories in another book, is well worth the price of this book.
The book was compelling because many of the attributes of today's managers, and organizations in general, can STILL be applied to either Theory X or Theory Y management types! In fact, much of the literature today suggests that companies with a Theory Y mindset are surviving better today than Theory X companies. The supporting information McGregor provides to each theory suggests, again even today, that these two themes will be prevalent in society for years to come.
Having this book in your professional library will provide you with some good insight and historical reference to modern day theories. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 5 out of 5
True management classic which will remain influential
This book, written in 1960, is one of the true management classics, one of the greatest and most influential management books of the past century. McGregor describes Theory X and Theory Y, two fundamentally different ways managers view their employees. McGregor describes Theory X as the dominant view: people ar seem as lazy, not very capable, unwilling to work (unless you make them work), opportunistic and prepared to deceive (providing they think they won't be caught). Theory Y views people in a much more positive way: they are seen as intrinsically motivated, willing to work and basically honest. Now the essential point: the way you view people determines the way you treat them and the way you interpret their behavior, which determines the way they will respond to you, which in turn will reinforce the way you view(ed) them. In other words: both Theory X and Theory Y are true because they create their own reality! They are self-fulfilling prophecies. If you have a choice, what do you choose? This book, written many years ago, is still an interesting read and I think you can still read it in 2060 and find it relevant and interesting. Similar Products
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Book Index