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Critical Evaluation of the Classical Management Style

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Questions: It has been said that the classical approach to organisational design and management is not appropriate for the need of modern- day organisations. • What arguments would you give in support of this statement?(35%)

• What arguments are there against this statement? (35%)

• What other approaches would be more suitable and why (30%)

Draw on relevant academic theories, concepts and ideas from the module as well as your own organisational examples to support your arguments.

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I will present theories that agree with the question, the classical approach is not appropriate today. In the second part I will examine some sectors where some elements of the classical approach …show more content…

(Mullins.2007.) If we take a look at modern day’s organisational designs, we will find that several different structures are in application (Functional structure, Matrix structure, Team structure etc.), and that the decision on which to follow is influenced by the very nature and the field of business the organization is doing. Scientific management was considered to be the one `best way` for optimizing organisational performance. Opposing this ideal, Joan Woodward had linked differences in organization to firm performance and suggested that certain organizational forms were appropriate for certain types of work technologies. (Joan Woodward, 1980) We have to keep in mind as well, that in those times when Taylor, Fayol and Weber set the roots for classical management, a lot of organisational activity, that is in operation today, had not existed, tourism for example. Taking into consideration the diversity of business that different organizations are engaging in, it is not possible to find a single design that would be applicable uniformly. The question of organizational design is ever since a topic of debate. “To what degree does an organization need to formally specify units and linkages, roles and authority lines, tasks and responsibilities to deal with complexity? Modern

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