Ein Dialog zwischen Managementlehre und Alttestamenlicher Theologie: McGregors Theorien X und Y zur Führung im lichte alttestamentlicher Anthropologie

Abstract

This dissertation is a contribution to cybernetics, a sub-discipline ofPractical Theology. It is a dialogue between theology and management science. The first part discusses whether such a dialogue is reasonable at all. There are a lot of parallels between wisdom theology in the Old Testament and modern management theory. We discuss the benefits and the limitations of wisdom, and the way Israel took advantage of wisdom knowledge of the surrounding peoples. Finally, we draw conclusions for the way how church leadership could integrate knowledge from management theory. The main part of this dissertation is on anthropology and leadership. McGregor invented 1957/60 the so-called theories X andY. He demonstrated that leadership styles of managers are affected by the way they look at their subordinates. Leaders who regard people as lazy (theory X) will try to movitate people by extrinsic factors. Theory Y assumes that human beings have intrinsic motives to work. This assumption is an implicit basis of modem leadership concepts. The background and influence of these theories are explained. Especially, we follow the way from the anthropology of the reformators to theory X and from theory X (Taylorism) to theory Y. Limitations of theory Y are also discussed. In the next step we describe various facets of Old Testament anthropology dealing with man's willingness and capacity to work. The significance of the imago dei in this context is discussed by and large. Finally, we compare these facets with the theories X and Y. Result: The reformators emphasized one-sidedly the undignity of human beings implying that many Protestants consider theory Y as too positive, too humanistic. Old Testament portrays both the dignity and the undignity of human beings. Old Testament anthropology correlates better with theory Y. Thus theory Y is not an antibiblical theory.