You’ve probably worked for leaders with varying styles. Some can be as different as night and day. One explanation for this is McGregor’s X Y Theory of Management.

Theory X is an “Authoritarian Managment” Style

• The average person dislikes work and will avoid it if he/she can.
• Therefore most people must be forced with the threat of punishment to work towards organizational objectives.
• The average person prefers to be directed; to avoid responsibility; is relatively unambitious, and wants security above all else.

Theory Y is a ‘Participative Management’ Style

• People will apply self-control and self-direction in the pursuit of organizational objectives, without external control or the threat of punishment.
• Commitment to objectives is a function of rewards associated with their achievement.
• People usually accept and often seek responsibility.
• The capacity to use a high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in solving organizational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.
• In industry, the intellectual potential of the average person is only partly utilized.

As we – at least temporarily – are shifting to more remote workforces while practicing social distancing, X Theory managers may find it difficult to maintain that sense of authority and control.

This will require a shift in their approach:

• Place greater emphasis on the results team members achieve rather than measuring hours worked.
• Draw the connection between the work individuals are performing and the success of the team and/or organization.
• Ask those on your team about the road blocks their encountering and help them develop solutions to overcome those issues.
• Acknowledge and reward individuals who take initiative and empower them to make decisions with being micromanaged.

Even when teams go back to being collocated, these management skills will prove useful. Be observant of the adjustments being made while working remote and note how they can be used while side-by-side with your team.