Theory Z

Theory Z is a name for various theories of human <a href="/facts/Motivation/uqLMfLKq">motivation</a> built on <a href="/facts/Douglas_McGregor/a3Mkc3Ud">Douglas McGregor</a>'s <a href="/facts/Theory_X_and_Theory_Y/vE1LwbIT">Theory X and Theory Y</a>. Theories X, Y and various versions of Z have been used in human resource management, organizational behavior, organizational communication and organizational development.
McGregor's <a href="/facts/Theory_X_and_theory_Y/vE1LwbIT">Theory X</a> states that workers inherently dislike and avoid work and must be driven to it, in contrast to <a href="/facts/Theory_X_and_theory_Y/vE1LwbIT">Theory Y</a> which states that work is natural and can be a source of satisfaction when aimed at higher order human psychological needs.
One Theory Z was developed by <a href="/facts/Abraham_H._Maslow/nk2oukYf">Abraham H. Maslow</a> in his paper "Theory Z", which was published in 1969 in the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. A second theory is the 3D theory which was developed by <a href="/facts/William_James_Reddin/tuxa8GIR">W. J. Reddin</a> in his book Managerial Effectiveness (1970), and a third theory is <a href="/facts/William_Ouchi/5k10tzjm">William Ouchi</a>'s so-called "Japanese management" style, which was explained in his book <a href="/facts/Theory_Z:_How_American_Business_Can_Meet_the_Japanese_Challenge/Lg8Nv5vp">Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge</a> (1981) responding to the <a href="/facts/Economy_of_Asia/Y7qRhwS1">Asian economic boom</a> of the 1980s.
For Ouchi, Theory Z focused on increasing employee loyalty to the company by providing a job for life with a strong focus on the well-being of the employee, both on and off the job. According to Ouchi, Theory Z management tends to promote stable employment, high productivity, and high employee morale and satisfaction.

Theory Z open-in-new

Theory Z