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
Henri Fayol, at the age of 19, began working as engineer at a large mining company in France which eventually led to him becoming a director. Through the years that led on to this Fayol then developed his 14 principles of management which he considered to be the most important. According to Fayol, these principles indicate how managers should organise and interact with their peers. Fayol’s analysis is considered to be one of the earliest theories of management that has been created and therefore
Henri Fayol was an Engineer and French industrialist. He recognizes the management principles rather than personal traits. Fayol was the first to identify management as a continuous process of evaluation. Fayol developed five management functions. These functions are roles performed by all managers which includes planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Additionally, he recognizes fourteen principles that should guide management of organizations.
Scientific Management was first described by Frederick Taylor in the late 19th century. Its relevance to modern day management is widely debated in academic circles. In this essay, I will address the question of whether Scientific Management has a place today, in a 21st Century Knowledge Economy, or whether it belongs to a ‘different time and place. I will argue that much of modern management practice is derived from Taylor’s theories and that in this sense his work is very relevant. Next, I will examine the context in which Taylor developed his principles and contrast this with the contemporary context. Then I will evaluate the relevance of each of Taylor’s 4 Principles to today, with help from a
Henri Fayol, was a French mining engineer by trade for a company called Commentry-Fourchamboult-Decazeville, before becoming a managing director at the same firm. He wrote a short publication ‘General and Industrial Management’ – which was translated by Constance Storrs and printed in 1949. Within this publication, Fayol laid out a rational outlook as to what management is; which entailed 5 fundamentals: to forecast and plan – to come up with a “plan of action”; to organise – arranging a task; to command – directing those involved with the
Now that the issues have been identified, it is time to take action; for this case study, we will be focusing in on Henri Fayol’s Theory of Classical Management. This theory is composed of five elements: Planning, Organization, Command, Coordination, and Control; which suggest what a manager,
Henri Fayol’s theory was almost a century old and was originally written in French. Further review on several journal articles has led to an overview background of Fayol’s working life which provided the foundation that conceptualized his theory. According to Wren (2001), Fayol was appointed as the Director in a mining company, Decazeville, where he succeeded to turnaround the company to become profitable. Fayol was the first person to classify the functions of a manager’s job. Fayol (1949; as cited in Wren, 2001) identified five key functions in managerial works.as planning, organising, command, coordination and control. Planning consists of any managerial work that involves setting goals and coordinating actions to
The hot issue about the ideas of classical theorists has been talked through centuries. Bureaucracy, scientific management and Fayolism are important parts of it. Those classical theories still relevant to management theories today. They promote scientific enterprise management and have certain theoretical and practical significance from some special perspective. This essay will argue that it is really the case that the ideas of classical theorists are relevant to work and organisation today, and they are possibly more beneficial for organisations if and only in a particular situation.
We will specifically look at the classical management theories especially Taylor’s principle of scientific management, as well as taking into account Weber’s ideal bureaucracy.
According tot the Administrative Management Theory, management is the process of getting certain tasks completed through the use of people. In this theory developed by Henri Fayol, he believes that it was very important to have the use of a multiplied of people instead of just relying on one person alone. Henri Fayol is known today as the “Father of Modern Management”, his theory has shaped what is know today as the Administrative Model, which relies on Fayols fourteen principles of management. These principles have been a significant influence on modern management; they have helped early 20th century manager learn how to organize and interact with their employees in a productive way. Fayols principles of management were the ground work in which his theory was formed. He believed highly in the division of work throughout a project and within the project he believed that the task at hand had to be done with a certain level of discipline in order for the division of work to be able to run smoothly without error.
Henri Fayol believed by targeting on managerial practices so that way he could decrease the misunderstandings and increase efficiency in organizations. He educated the managers about how to achieve their managerial duties and the practices in which they are engaged in. He created a management style that could be applied and used in all management situations. He also focused on Industrial Management, which molded modern industrial management in companies to this day. His theories are applicable and in doing so has shaped administrative management as much as the lower level
Early management theories adopted by such proponents as Henri Fayol, Mary Parker Follett and Max Weber are relevant in todays’ world. In this essay I am going to discuss about all three theorists and how their theories are still relevant for managers in the 21st century in meeting the challenges. In the classical approach to management there are three branches under it. They are, scientific management, administrative principles and bureaucratic organisation. Henry Fayol and Mary Parker Follett developed theories for administrative principles and Max Weber developed a theory for bureaucratic organisation (Schermerhorn et al. 2014, p.36). First we will be going through Henri Fayol and then Mary Parker Follett as they both made theories
The classical theory is probably the earliest management idea which involves a few general principles for businesses to apply towards their goals. It was born in the late 19th century due to the rise of the Industrial Revolution. The main aim was to increase organisations productivity and reduce cost (Russ, n.d.). Bureaucracy and scientific management were the constituents of the classical management theory. Although the ideas of classical theorists have been widespread all over the world in the 20th century, many people argue that they are sort of old fashioned currently and out of date. Some people believed the classical theories only have a slight relevance to work and organisations today since the society has moved from a Fordist to a Post-Fordist era because of the shift in technology (Jessop, 2013). However, there is still some evidence such as the “McDonaldization” of firms illustrates the validity of the classical theory. In this essay, I will investigate the situation of companies nowadays and examine whether bureaucracy and scientific management can be considered as outdated as well as has a little relevance to work and organisation today.
This paper describes on one of the famous management theorist Frederick Winslow Taylor, who introduced to society about the scientific management theories. This method was established a hundred years ago in 1911 early stage by Taylor in his work place. This article critically discusses about Taylor’s early stage, background, education, and his contribution to management theory, practice and society.
Fayol identified 14 principles of management which he wanted to be applied flexibly. Here are Fayol’s 14
Henri Fayol: Henri Fayol was administrative management’s most articulate spokesperson. A French industrialist, Fayol was unknown to U.S. managers and scholars until his most important work, General and Industrial Management, was translated into English in 1930. 16 Drawing on his own managerial experience, he attempted to systematize the practice of management to provide guidance and direction to other managers. Fayol also was the first to identify the specific managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. He believed that these functions accurately reflect the core of the management process. Most contemporary management books still use this framework, and practicing managers agree that these