Theory Y is the term used in the context of management and motivation, according to the theory Y employees have come into the company because they are self-motivated, enjoy doing challenging work, and do not need strict supervision. In order to get a better idea about this theory, one should look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of theory Y –
Advantages of Theory Y
Freedom to Employees
The first and foremost advantage of theory Y is that it gives freedom to employees because humans are not machines that can be strictly controlled and hence the company should treat humans like humans and not machines which is exactly what theory Y does. In simple words just like elastic rubber cannot be stretched too much and if stretched more than it breaks in the same way if employees are controlled too much then they will rebel and it is necessary to give them some freedom at the workplace so that they can perform to their true potential.
Positive Working Environment
The fact that company provides a feel-good environment for working of the employee by giving them freedom and scope for career progression it results in the overall positive work environment in the company which in turn will not benefit only the employees but also the company as positive work environment results in an increase in the efficiency and productivity of the workers which in turn benefits the company as a whole.
Influx of Talent
Another benefit of this theory is that once a company provides a friendly and career progressing environment than it not only improves the morale of the people working in the company but it also attracts talented individuals towards the company as they also want to be part of that organization where people are not treated like machines but treated like human beings.
Disadvantages of Theory Y
Too much Lenient
The biggest drawback of theory Y is that it may prove to be too employee-friendly and lenient which can result in employees taking the company for granted because just like all our fingers are not equal in the same way all employees working in the company are not equal and some of them are lazy, demotivated and not energetic and that is the reason why they are required to be treated with strict supervision and control.
Simplistic Assumptions
Some of the assumptions of theory Y like all employees viewing work as challenging, acceptance of responsibility, and are always self-motivated are too simplistic as we all know that only a few employees are like that while the rest of the employees if given an option will not like to work too hard and own the responsibility related to work which raises some doubt over the applicability of this theory into the actual working of the company.
Management Ability
Human beings are not the same and in the case of employees the same thing applies as not all employees are good managers and since according to this theory employees can themselves work and take decision with regards to the work the fact that not all employees can be good managers will be a big negative point as workers need supervision and leadership from top level and that is the reason why supervision cannot be avoided altogether.
As one can see from the pros and cons of theory Y that this theory cannot be used in all companies or at all levels of management within the company and that is the reason why any company thinking of applying this theory to their company should carefully read above points and then only should take any decision regarding implementation of this theory into the company.