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Managing People Assessment : Classical Management Theory

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Managing People Assessment
Classical Management theory and how it applies to Modern Day Organisations
Classical management theory or scientific management came to prominence in the early 1900 hundreds and Fredrick Taylor’s work was pioneering in this area of management theory (Taneja, 2011). One definition of scientific management that Taylor endorsed was that it is “a system devised by industrial engineers for the purpose of serving the common interests of employers, workmen and society at large through the elimination of avoidable wastes, the general improvement of the processes and methods of production, and the just and scientific distribution of the product” (Hoxie, 1915:140). Delving deeper into classical management theory, this paper looks at two more recent proponents of management theory, namely Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg. Both had their theories on classical management theories which will be critically analysed. It will also be shown how these theories apply to modern day organisations.
Henri Fayol was acknowledged as one of the founders of contemporary management practices. His theories were the cornerstone of management as a discipline and a field (Mildred et al, 2010). Fayol advocated 14 management principles which were to be used as a guide to make a successful manager (Wren, 1995). These principles were: division of duties, authority, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of self-interest, remuneration, centralisation, line of

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