2 | Classic Management Theories Flashcards
Taylor’s principles of Scientific Management (1911)
- industrial economy was defined by factories that massively increased the rate of production of all kinds of goods
- Taylor would conduct “experiements” to show hhow specific interventions correlated to improved outcomes
What was the problem? What was Taylor’s hyp?
Problems: Dangerous Workplaces, Injured Workers, Low Productivity
H: Problems caused by non systematic approach to work
What did Taylor observe in his Bethlehem Steel Exps (1898-1901)?
workers shovelled pig iron at their own rate, with identical shovels
paid the same regardless of their output
injuries due to physical strain of the labour required of them
Taylor’s resolution was Time-and-Motion studies, what were these?
they determine how much time each task would require and plan tasks accordingly to ensure maximum efficiency
manager’s were to study the work being done in great detail, answer questions through observation - these qs related to time intervals:
e.g.
- what was the optimal rate of shovelling per unit of time?
- how many breaks should be taken per unit of time?
- what was the optimal sequence of motions?
What is piece-rate pay?
SM (scientific mangement) adovates for linking pay to output - instead of paying by the hour
What was the outcome of the time and motion studies?
Job specialisation
- Each job would be carefully planned by managers through close observation of the work process
- Employees would be trained and paid to perform the tasks in the
way specified by management.
Positives of scientific management
- Provides an analytical framework for looking at work
- Makes it easier to train workers
- Centralizes control
- Gives more jobs to less educated people
- Increases pay and profits
- Jobs are safer and healthier (takes into account physiological limits)
Negatives of SM
- Doesn’t acknowledge workers’ knowledge or capacity to innovate
- Piece-rate system can lead to exploitation, or to self-interested behavior
- Workers can get bored by repetition
- Sets up class system (managers vs. laborers)
Job specialisation definition
Breaking down jobs into their simplest components and assigning them to employees so that each person would perform a select number of tasks in a repetitive manner
Job rotation def
It involves moving employees from job to job at regular intervals
(alternative to job specilisation)
Job enlargement def
expanding tasks performed by employees to add more variety
Job enrichment def
a job redesign technique that allows workers more control over how they perform tasks
What is the Job Characteristics Model (JCM)
- Proposed by Hackman and Oldham (1975)
- the model describes five core job dimensions leading to three critical psychological states, resulting in work-related outcomes.
(JCM) Define skill variety
the extent to which the job requires a person to utilize multiple high-level skills
Task identity def
the degree to which a person is in charge of completing an identifiable piece of work from start to finish
Task significance
How much a person’s job substantially affects other people’s work, health or well being
Autonomy
freedom to decide how to perform tasks
Feedback
The degree to which people learn how effective they are being at work.
Feedback at work may come from other people, such as supervisors, peers, subordinates, and customers, or it may come from the job itself.
What is the first step of giving feedback?
‘MICRO-YES’ QUESTION
- ask a q that is short but important
e.g. “do u have 5mins to talk about how that last conversation went?”
- it’s a pacing tool - let’s the other person know that feedback is about to give feedback
What is the second step of giving feedback?
DATA POINT
- name specifically what you saw or heard –> e.g. “I asked you to send me that email at 11am and I still not recieved it yet.”
- eliminate blur words which are not specific
What is the third step of giving feedback?
IMPACT STATEMENT
- name exactly how that data point impacted you –> e.g. “because I didn’t that msg I was blocked on my work and couldn’t move forward”
What is the fourth step of giving feedback?
QUESTION
- “what are your thoughts on this?”
- it becomes a joint problem-solving situation
- ask for feedback regularly
Key features of Human Relations
- Manager’s job is to pay attention to worker well-being
- Employees have social and emotional needs
- These needs impact motivation and retention
What was the goal of the Hawthorne studies?
To understand how to improve productivity and retention of workers doing repetitive manual work
(Conducted between 1924-32)
What is the Hawthorne Effect?
The Hawthorne Effect is the idea that when managers pay attention to workers and show care for workers’ well-being, workers will increase their productivity because their human needs are being met.
Positives of HR
- Treating people nicely is appealing
- May induce higher productivity
- Can reduce turnover & absenteeism
- Can increase job satisfaction
Negatives of HR
- Hard to do “extras” when times are bad - hard to be cheerful when facing difficulties in the company
- Indirectly linked to productivity - not changing people tools/ machines ppl use to work, simply changing peoples attitudes
- doesn’t change job design, power structure, or rewards
- Meeting high expectations over time is difficult—> may not be so impactful in a few years
