Organizational Theories

Question 1

Taylor’s Scientific Management theory proposes that, to maximize organizational efficiency and productivity, managers must do the following four things:

Answer 1

1. Use scientific methods to ID the best ways to do a job
2. Workers are scientifically selected to match the job requirements and trained to them.
3. Equal division of labor, with managers planning and workers implementing plans.
4. Cooperate with workers instead of coercing them, and offering more efficient workers higher wages.

Question 2

Weber’s Bureaucracy believes that the essential elements of a bureaucracy are:

Answer 2

1. Division of labor
2. Well-defined hierarchy of authority
3. Formal rules and procedures
4. Employment decisions based on competence/merit
5. Written records of decisions and management
6. Separation of ownership and management

Question 3

Mayo’s Human Relations Approach found that workers’ productivity increased due to the attention workers were given instead of the changes made. This is known as:

Answer 3

The Hawthorne effect (named after the Western Electric Company plant the study was conducted at)

Question 4

Contrasting with Scientific Management theory, Mayo’s Human Relations Approach found that _____ factors had more influence over workers’ productivity and motivation than _____.

Answer 4

Social; physical work conditions

Question 5

McGregor’s Theory X/Theory Y focuses on interactions with between employers and workers, with the employers’ beliefs about workers being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Theory X managers are similar in approach to ____ theory, while Theory Y managers are similar in approach to ______ theory.

Answer 5

Scientific Management theory (workers are lazy and unmotivated except by selfish interests);
Human Relations Approach (workers enjoy work, internally motivated, and seek responsibility).

Question 6

Katz and Kahn’s Open-System theory holds that organizations are open systems that function according to what two principles:

Answer 6

1. Principle of of equifinality - a system can achieve the same goal in multiple ways
2. Principle of of multifinality - a system can achieve different goals with the same initial conditions.

Question 7

Katz and Kahn’s Open-System theory holds that organizations are characterized by input-throughput-output cycles which consist of the what steps:

Answer 7

1. Orgs take in materials, info, and resources (inputs)
2. Transform inputs to products/services (throughputs)
3. Send out products/services (outputs) which have effects which become inputs.