Theory X and Theory Y Revisited: A Study of Police Administrative Practice in 15 Police Agencies

• In Event: The Development of Police Organizations and Administrative Practices

Abstract

More than a half century ago, Douglas McGregor (1960), postulated a dichotomous conception of management that fixed administrative practice somewhere on an axis between the directive, proscriptive and centralized approach of Theory X and the more participative, empowering, and decentralized approach of Theory Y. In the ensuing years since McGregor’s seminal work, the literature has generally assumed that American police administrative approaches have strongly favored Theory X, essentially limiting creative utilization of human resources. The present study set out to test this assumption by surveying 1891 police employees in fifteen mid-sized police agencies across ten states. An online questionnaire was administered to employees (both sworn and non-sworn) in order to measure perceptions of their own participation in organizational decision-making and level of influence over agency policy and operations. The data were then compared to studies of private enterprises by Weber and Associates (2008), as well as the Industrial Democracy in Europe studies (IDE 1981; 1993). Analysis revealed that police employee participation in organizational decision-making is generally far greater than previously assumed, suggesting that current police administrations in the United States may lean more toward Theory Y than Theory X. Positive implications for employee and community engagement are discussed.

Authors

• Todd C. Wuestewald, University of Oklahoma

• Mary I. Wuestewald, University of Arkansas - Fort Smith