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Theory Y, which McGregor preferred, is the The servant leader–style staff manager believes
opposite viewpoint. Theory Y managers believe that people have value as people, not just as workers
that the work itself can be motivating and that peo- (Spears & Lawrence,2004).The manager is commit-
ple will work hard if their managers provide a sup- ted to improving the way each employee is treated at
portive environment. A Theory Y manager empha- work. The attitude is “employee first,” not “manager
sizes guidance rather than control, development first.”So the manager sees himself or herself as being
rather than close supervision, and reward rather there for the employee. Here is an example:
than punishment (Fig. 2.1). A Theory Y nurse
Hope Marshall is a relatively new staff nurse at
manager is concerned with keeping employee
Jefferson County Hospital. When she was invited to
morale as high as possible, assuming that satisfied,
be the staff nurse representative on the search com-
motivated employees will do the best work.
mittee for a new vice-president for nursing, she was
Employees’ attitudes, opinions, hopes, and fears
very excited about being on a committee with so
are important to this type of nurse manager.
many managerial and administrative people. As the
Considerable effort is expended to work out con-
interviews of candidates began, she focused on what
flicts and promote mutual understanding to pro-
they had to say. They had very impressive résumés
vide an environment in which people can do their
and spoke confidently about their accomplishments.
best work.
Hope was impressed but did not yet prefer one over
Servant Leadership the other.Then the final candidate spoke to the com-
mittee. “My primary job,” he said, “is to make it pos-
The emphasis on people and interpersonal rela-
sible for each nurse to do the very best job he or she
tionships is taken one step further by Greenleaf
can do. I am here to make their work easier, to
(2004), who wrote an essay in 1970 that began the
remove barriers, and to provide them with whatev-
servant leadership movement. Like transforma-
er they need to provide the best patient care possible.”
tional leadership, servant leadership has a special
Hope had never heard the term servant leadership,
appeal to nurses and other health-care profession-
but she knew immediately that this candidate, who
als. Despite its name, servant leadership applies
articulated the essence of servant leadership, was the
more to people in supervisory or administrative
one she would support for this important position.
positions than to people in staff positions.
QUALITIES OF AN EFFECTIVE
MANAGER
THEORY X Two-thirds of people who leave their jobs say the
main reason was an ineffective or incompetent
manager (Hunter, 2004). A survey of 3266 newly
Work is something to be avoided
licensed nurses found that lack of support from
People want to do as little as possible their manager was the primary reason for leaving
Use control-supervision-punishment their position, followed by a stressful work environ-
ment as the second reason. Following are some of
the indicators of their stressful work environment:
■ 25% reported at least one needle stick in their
THEORY Y first year.
■ 39% reported at least one strain or sprain.
■ 62% reported experiencing verbal abuse.
The work itself can be motivating ■ 25% reported a shortage of supplies needed to

People really want to do their job well do their work.
Use guidance-development-reward These results underscore the importance of having
effective nurse managers who can create an envi-
ronment in which new nurses thrive (Kovner,
Figure 2.1 Theory X versus Theory Y. Brewer, Fairchild, et al., 2007)