The Theory X management style is based on a pessimistic view of human nature and assumes the following: The average person dislikes work and will avoid it if possible. Because people don’t like to work, they must be controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment to get them to make an effort.

Theory X managers are likely to believe that employees are lazy, fear-motivated, and in need of constant direction. These managers tend to be more present in entry-level jobs where productivity and process are favored over independence or innovation, but they may show up at any company level and in any industry.

This style of management assumes that workers:

1. Dislike their work.
2. Avoid responsibility and need constant direction.
3. Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to deliver work.
4. Need to be supervised at every step.
5. Have no incentive to work or ambition, and therefore need to be enticed by rewards to achieve goals.

Instrumentality is a personality trait associated with the ability to be focused in a competetive way, objective and to make decisions easily.

Instrumentalities. An instrumentality is an organization created by or pursuant to state statute and operated for public purposes. Whether it is used for a governmental purpose and performs a governmental function. Whether performance of its function is on behalf of one or more states or political subdivisions.

A theory of motivation stating that the level of effort individuals will exert in any task can be computed from three variables: expectancy, or the belief that action or effort will lead to a successful outcome; instrumentality, or the belief that success will bring rewards; and valence, or the desirability of the …

Valence refers to the emotional orientations people hold with respect to outcomes [rewards]. The depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic [money, promotion, time-off, benefits] or intrinsic [satisfaction] rewards). Management must discover what employees value.

To summarize expectancy theory, consider this formula: Expectancy + Instrumentality + Valence = Motivation. When all three are high your motivation is at the maximum level to achieve your goals.

Those people who low instrumentalities even though they know that their managers distribute outcomes based on performance may just have a bad attitude to their work. They may don’t like their work or having a hard time in life. So the outcomes does not affect them at all.

Socrates Quote: “How many things I can do without!”

“What a lot of things there are a man can do without.” “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” “Slanderers do not hurt me because they do not hit me.”