Week 3: Historical Perspectives Flashcards
What was Mary Parker Follett’s (1868-1933) theory?
An understanding of the functioning of the human group, and of the organisational significance of leadership and authority, it is essential for resolution of conflict and the proper functioning of management.
She saw that reduction in conflict could come from the integration of interests and leadership could be based on reciprocal influence of leader and follower.
What was Chester Barnard’s (1886-1961) theory?
Individuals need to assent to authority. Occurs if 4 conditions are met:
- They understood the instruction
- They saw it as consistent with the purpose of the organisation
- they believed the instruction was compatible with their personal interests
- They believed they were mentally and physically able to comply.
If the order ran counter to an individual’s moral code, it was unlikely to be obeyed. The benefits of remaining employed would be weighed by the employee against his or her personal value system.
Authority depends on the confidence and respect in which it was held by those subject to it.
What do classical management approaches focus on?
Developing universal principles for use in various management situations
What do behavioural management approaches focus on?
Human needs, the work group and the role of social factors in the workplace.
What do quantitative management approaches focus on?
Applying mathematical techniques for the management of problem-solving.
What do modern approaches focus on?
The systems view of organisations and contingency thinking in a dynamic and complex environment.
What are the 3 major branches within the classical approach to management?
- Scientific management
- Administrative principles
- Bureaucratic Organisation
All 3 branches of classical management all share what common assumption?
People at work actin in a RATIONAL MANNER that is driven mainly by economic concerns. Workers are expected to rationally consider opportunities made available to them and do whatever is necessary to achieve the greatest personal and monetary gain.
What are the 4 guiding action principles of scientific management and who made them?
In 1911 Frederick W. Taylor developed these principles.
- Develop for every job a ‘science’ that includes rules of motion, standardised work processes and proper working conditions
- Carefully select workers with the right abilities for the job
- Carefully train workers to do the job and give them the proper incentives to cooperate with the job ‘science’
- Support workers by carefully planning their work and by smoothing the way as they go about their jobs
What is motion study?
The science of reducing a job or task to its basic physical motions.
Who are the 2 prominent figures of administrative principles theory?
Henry Fayol and Mary Parker Follett.
What are the 5 rules of management (as defined by Henri Fayol in administrative principles theory)
- Foresight - top complete a plan of action for the future
- Organisation - to provide and mobilise resources to implement the plan
- Command - to lead, select and evaluate workers to get the best work towards the plan
- Coordination - to fit diverse efforts together and ensure info is shared and problems solved.
- Control - to make sure things happen according to plan and to take necessary correction action.
Fayol believed that management could be taught.
What is bureaucracy (according to Max Weber, founder of bureaucracy organisation theory)?
An ideal, intentionally rational and very efficient form of organisation founded on principles of logic, order and legitimate authority. The defining characteristics are:
- Clear division of labour - jobs are well defined and workers become highly skilled at performing them
- Clear hierarchy of authority - authority and responsibility are well defined for each position, and each position reports to a higher level one.
- Formal rules and procedures - written guidelines direct behaviour and decisions in jobs, and written files are kept for historical record.
- Impersonality - rules and procedures are impartially and uniformly applied with no one receiving preferential treatment.
- Careers based on merit - workers are selected and promoted on ability and performance, and managers are career employees of the organisation
What can be learned from the Hawthorne Studies (human resource approaches)?
It helped shift the attention from the classical approach towards more social and human concerns as keys to productivity. They showed that people’s feelings, attitudes and relationships with co-workers should be important to managements and they recognised the importance of the work group.
They also identified the HAWTHORNE EFFECT - the tendency of people who are singled out for special attention to perform as anticipated merely because of expectations created by the situation.
The Hawthorne Studies contributed to the emergence of what movement?
Human relations movement - managers who used good human relations in the workplace would achieve productivity. The insights of the human relations movement set the state for what has now evolved as the field of organisational behaviour - the study of individuals and groups in organisations.
