Management's Task:The Conventional View
The conventional conception of management's task in harnessing human energy to organizational requirements can be stated broadly in terms of three propositions.In order to avoid the complications introduced by a label，let us call this set of propositions“Theory X”:
1.Management is responsible for organizing the elements of productive enterprise—money，materials，equipment，people—in the interest of economic ends.
2.With respect to people，this is a process of directing their efforts，motivating them，controlling their actions，modifying their behavior to fit the needs of the organization.
3.Without this active intervention by management，people would be passive—even resistant—to organizational needs.They must therefore be persuaded，rewarded，punished，controlled—their activities must be directed.This is management's task.We often sum it up by saying that management consists of getting things done through other people.
Behind this conventional theory there are several additional beliefs—less explicit，but widespread:
4.The average man is by nature indolent—he works as little as possible.
5.He lacks ambition，dislikes responsibility，prefers to be led.
6.He is inherently self-centered，indifferent to organizational needs.(https://www.daowen.com)
7.He is by nature resistant to change.
8.He is gullible，not very bright，the ready dupe of the charlatan and the demagogue.
The human side of economic enterprise today is fashioned from propositions and beliefs such as these.Conventional organization structures and managerial policies，practices，and programs reflect these assumptions.
In accomplishing its task—with these assumptions as guides—management has conceived of a range of possibilities.
At one extreme，management can be“hard”or“strong”.The methods for directing behavior involve coercion and threat(usually disguised)，close supervision，tight controls over behavior.At the other extreme，management can be“soft”or“weak”.The methods for directing behavior involve being permissive，satisfying people's demands，achieving harmony.Then they will be tractable，accept direction.
This range has been fairly completely explored during the past half century，and management has learned some things from the exploration.There are difficulties in the“hard”approach.Force breeds counterforces:restriction of output，antagonism，militant unionism，subtle but effective sabotage of management objectives.This“hard”approach is especially difficult during times of full employment.
There are also difficulties in the“soft”approach.It leads frequently to the abdication of management—to harmony，perhaps，but to indifferent performance.People take advantage of the soft approach.They continually expect more，but they give less and less.
Currently，the popular theme is“firm but fair”.This is an attempt to gain the advantages of both the hard and the soft approaches.It is reminiscent of Teddy Roosevelt's“speak softly and carry a big stick”.