TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of leaders’ Theory X and Y managerial assumptions on subordinates’ attitudes and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach– Military leaders (n=50) completed a questionnaire with Theory X and Y scale and their subordinates (n=150) completed a questionnaire with the scales of satisfaction with leader, affective commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior. The paper used hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses. Findings– The results indicated that the Theory Y management style is significantly and positively associated with subordinates’ satisfaction with the leader, affective commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The Theory X management style had a significantly negative impact on subordinates’ satisfaction with the leader, but no significant impact on affective commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. The findings of the present study suggest that the Theory X and Y managerial assumptions are a worthwhile basis from which to examine several important organizational and individual outcomes. Research limitations/implications– The sample consisted of military personnel and were predominantly male. This may limit the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications– The findings of the present study suggest that the Theory X and Y managerial assumptions are a worthwhile basis from which to examine several important organizational and individual outcomes. Originality/value– Although McGregor's (1960) Theory X and Y have contributed to management and leadership thinking and practice for many years; empirical studies examining the Theory X and Y managerial assumptions in a work environment are very scarce. By examining the effect of leader's Theory X and Y managerial assumptions on follower's attitudes and behaviors, the study provides important insights for leadership literature. VL - 52 IS - 10 SN - 0025-1747 DO - 10.1108/MD-06-2013-0357 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-06-2013-0357 AU - Gürbüz Sait AU - Şahin Faruk AU - Köksal Onur PY - 2014 Y1 - 2014/01/01 TI - Revisiting of Theory X and Y: A multilevel analysis of the effects of leaders’ managerial assumptions on followers’ attitudes T2 - Management Decision PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 1888 EP - 1906 Y2 - 2024/04/18 ER -