The Classical/Modernist Approach Was Appropriate to the Time in Which It Was Developed but It Is No Longer Suitable to the Needs of Contemporary Organisations and Change

In society, there are groups that interact with each other. They may be families, churches, government agencies, or anything in between. Those groups can be defined as systems, and in the systems perspective that is what they are referred to (Hutchison, 2017). In the 1960s, Ludwig von Bertalanffy developed the general systems theory in relation to biology, but it was widely publicized and used for various subjects (Hutchison, 2017). Hutchison (2017) summarized Bertalanffy’s theory by saying, “any element is best understood by considering its interactions with its constituent parts as well as its interactions with larger systems of which it is a part.” (p.

Maddern, J., Courtney, M., Montgomery, J., & Nash, R. (2006). Traditional and emerging organisational designs (2nd ed.). Marrickville, Australia: Elsevier Australia.

During and following World War II, society and technology began to grow and challenges arose concerning traditional management methodologies (Von Bertalanffy, 1972). Von Bertalanffy (1972), a biologist, constructed the general systems theory in conjunction with others such as Boulding (1956) and Parsons (1956). The general systems theory was a collective venture through the efforts of different disciplines (Von Bertalanffy, 1972) to address these challenges and rapid growth in society and technology.

In order for any organization to be successful, they must find effective ways to change systems and policies that are ineffective in creating a successful environment. A system consists of four things, elements, attributes, internal relationships, and the system environment. The systems theory is transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena, independent of their substance, type, or spatial or temporal scale of existence (Heylighen & Joslyn, 1992). The study investigates all the principals common to all complex bodies, and the models which can be used to describe them. Von Bertalanffy (1971) was the creator of the “system” concept, he developed this idea as an answer to the limitations of individual disciplines in addressing complex social issues (Mitchell, 2005). The underlining principal of this theory is that an organization consists of multiple, interdependent parts that collectively form more than the sum of their parts. Developed from the systems theory, are three separate theories with the basis of each being the systems theory. The activity theory considers the entire program versus just one single sector, it sees the operation as a whole instead of sub departments, it combines both micro and macro elements of the organization. The chaos theory does not mean a chaotic hectic situation, rather a situation where there appears to be little to no order, there really is a hidden underlying order. The complexity theory is

In the beginning of the twenty century, classical management theory was proposed. This classical management theory maintains labours’ high level specialization, centralized decision making, as well as maximize profit. (www.businessdictioary.com ) The main two thoughts of classical theory are bureaucracy and scientific management. Nowadays some people argue that the classical management theory is no longer suitable for modern world and they are outmoded because of the business environment has changed. This management theory is not that feasible since it is inflexible and dehumanized which should be modified. However, there is another voice that classical management theory is the foundation of numerous modern management methods, so it is not out of date and it just need some improvement. The aim of this essay is to discuss two kinds of classical theory bureaucracy and scientific management theory and demonstrate that they are not out of date and they develop into the cornerstone of some modern management theories.

This theory focuses on following values instead of efficiency. We see this theory in police theory today, but still it comes with many issues. Transmission of institutional expectations has different pressures like mimetic pressure where strategies are adopted from other organizations, normative pressure with training and education to conform to institutional standards, and coercive pressures to conform to surrounding environments. Another is the debate on institutional versus contingency in practical uses and organizational. Postmodernism can be considered philosophical time periods as well as rejection of modernism.

My name is Jamie Federoff and I am currently studying at the University Of Southern Queensland (USQ) and hoping to get my degree in creative arts majoring in theatre. Systems theory is an important theory proposed by biologist Ludwig Von Bertalanffy in the 1940’s and later developed by Ross Ashby in 1964. It is a theory that explores a set of theoretical concepts used to describe a variety of things in terms of a system. There are three content influences in the system theory.

The General Systems Theory (GST) came about as an effort to describe the systems approach, born from the biological concept of the organism developed in the first part of the 20th century (Von Bertalanffy, 1972). In contrast to the mechanistic systems which are closed and have a direct relationship between a cause and its effect, a biological or social system is open, operating on a principle of equifinality, where regardless of the starting point, the objective can be achieved (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972). Any system will achieve equilibrium, but an open system can reach a steady state by accessing resources from outside itself (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972). The underlying assumptions of GST rely on the organization of a company resembling the inner workings of an organism. However, subgroups within organizations can act independently of the the whole, in

The classical or traditional approach to management was generally concerned with the structure and the activities of formal organization. The utmost importance in the achievement of an effective organization were seen to be the issues such as the establishment of a hierarchy of authority, the division of work, and the span of control.

The ideas of the classical theorists, particularly those of bureaucracy and scientific management, are generally considered as rather old fashioned and out of date, and of little relevance to work and organisation today.

This unit mentioned systems dynamics mostly, but I thought it was interesting to see the different perspectives when talking about holism versus reductionism, as well as The Scientific Method versus The Scientist’s Toolbox. Systems dynamics is an important part of this unit, but I also think that comparing different

The foundational concept of systems theory is as old as Aristotle's statement that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But when the biologist Ludwig Von Bertalanffy created the concept of general systems theory (GST), he was reacting against a powerful contemporary emphasis within his field which stressed reductionism rather than a holistic perspective. "He fathered an organismic approach to biology as a reaction to the vitalism-reductionism arguments that were rampant in his day," which focused upon components of organisms instead and the notion that living systems were innately different than non-living systems (Provost 2011). Von Bertalanffy instead stressed that all systems shared similar properties, regardless of their nature. First and foremost, the components of every system from a cell to a human being, to a society of human beings must be understood in consort, not in isolation This signified "a unity of the observed universe and hence of science" (Provost 2011).

Neo-classical is classical with a twist. this style includes the needs of the employees to some extent. neo-classical understands the importance employees play in an organizations success and adds some components to address the needs of the staff. Neo-classical focuses on the human aspect of management and organizational culture.

According to Modern Management Concepts & Skills, Classical Approach defined as management approach that emphasizes organizational efficiency to increase organizational success (Certo, P. 509). The approach broken into two areas: The Lower Management Analysis focused on “One Best Way” of do a job. The second area, Comprehensive Analysis of the management concern focused on a universal process including principal of management. Classical management approach theory developed around nineteenth century. Given the period “The Rise of Industrial America”, “the relatively high wages for skilled workers led employers to seek ways to replace skilled with unskilled or semi-skilled workers”. (White, Richard) The theory originally designed to fix the inefficiency of the factories during that time. As a result, the classical approach theory gravitated toward economic and physical efficiently rather than human factors.

Along with the development of organizations and corporations over the past 200 years, organizational behaviour and the associated concepts have undergone revolutionary changes. From Adam Smith (1776) to Peter Ferdinand Drucker in the 21st Century, numerous experts have proposed and advocated various concepts and ideas on organisational behaviour and associated practices. For example, in the pre-history era, Adam Smith（1776） has noted that the division of labour, this method and idea has been accepted and adopted in different kinds of organization. And the same era, the Principles of Scientific Management was proposed by Frederick Winslow Taylor in 1911, which has focused on how to work to maximize the benefits to staff, mangers and society, moreover, it also developed some methods of supervision, uniform and work standard. Actually, no matter the scientific management by Taylor or Weber’s management of Bureaucracy, these theories are provide the foundation for Modernism. Gradually, it can be distinguished by three different types of organization theories in different areas, including Modernism, symbolic-Interpretive and Postmodernism. These three theoretical perspectives can be analyzed and discussed by several parts, such as environment, social structure, technology and organizational culture. In the Modernist perspective, there have three main organization theories, including general system theory, social-technical systems theory and contingency theory. However,