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research about managerial role
classical theory of management
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This essay explores the work of a modern manager and further analyses it to understand its relevance with Fayol’s managerial functions. The significance of the economic and technological conditions in the organisation’s general environment upon his work is also subsequently discussed. On top of that, a comprehensive evaluation and comparison between various school of thoughts on the discussed topics will also be presented, fully supported with evidence.A manager is defined as someone who coordinates and overlooks the work of other people so that organisational goals can be accomplished (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, and Coulter ,2012). Due to the consistently evolving nature of the economy, a clear guideline for a manager’s work ceases to exist. Each manager performs different tasks according to their work. Nevertheless, modern management practice generally revolves around the paradigm of Henry Fayol’s key managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling despite experiencing various trajectories throughout the years. This notion is supported by Carroll and Gillen (1987), who affirmed that classical functions still represent the most useful way of conceptualizing the manager’s job.
Mr. A, who was the manager interviewed, is a top level manager . He currently holds the position of Managing Director in Company ABC, which is a medium-sized organisation in the fasteners retail industry. Company ABC is a well-known supplier of fasteners and hardware to automotive, construction and manufacturing industries. According to Robbins., et al.(2012), top managers are responsible for making organisation-wide decisions and establishing various goals and plans that affect the whole organisation. Indeed ,as the Managing...
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...ez-Mejia, J.E. McCann & R.C. Page. The Structure of managerial behaviours and rewards, Industrial Relations. Vol. 24, No. 1, 1985,147-154.doi: 10.1111/j.1468-232X.1985.tb00986.x
Peterson, O. T., & Van Fleet, D. D. (2004). The ongoing legacy of R.L. Katz: An updated typology of management skills, Management Decision, 42(10), 1297 – 1308. doi: 10.1108/00251740410568980
Robbins, S., Bergman, R., Stagg, I., & Coulter, M. (2012). Management (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia.
T.A. Mahoney,T.H. Jerdee and S.J. Carroll.(1965) The job(s) of management.Industrial Relations, Vol. 4, No. 2,1965, 97-110. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-232X.1965.tb00922.x
Tengblad, S.(2006). Is there a 'New Managerial Work'? A Comparison with Henry Mintzberg's Classic Study 30 Years Later. Journal of Management Studies, 43(7), 1437-1461. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00651.x
Robbins, S.P., & Coulter, M. (2009). Management (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
... Baker, B.A. & Leslie, J.B. (2008): 'Managerial Skills: What has Changed Since the Late 1980s', Leadership and Organizational Development Journal, 29: 167-81
Samson, Danny, and Richard Daft. Management . 3rd Asia Pacific ed. South Melbourne, Vic.: Cengage Learning Australia, 2009. Print.
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2009). Management (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Jones, G. R., & George, J. M. (2011). Contemporary management. (7 ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Robbins, S, DeCenzo, D, Coulter, M & Woods, M 2011, Management: The Essentials, Pearson Australia, NSW, Australia, 1st Edition
The book ‘A new definition of Administration’ extensively defines the theory of Fayol as how important it is for a business to be successful when following the guidance of a leadership with a Administrative style of Management.
Through personal experience, Fayol distinguished what he thought to be the prime functions of being a manager. It is said that he was the first to illustrate the need for the education of management (Brodie, 1967, in Fells, 2000) and in relation to management; Fayol’s perspective was what managers should do. Through categorising business activities into six activities, technical; commercial; financial; security; accounting and management; Fayol’s work focused on the latter category, management (Fells, 2000, pg.345).
Managers nowadays do not actually do what a manager really should do back in the eighties. Changes that occurred in the new economy, the increasing use of technology in business, and the effects of globalisation towards business world have led management into a whole new dimension. New managers are expected to be able to manage on an international scale, act strategically, utilize technology, establish values, and of course, act responsibly as well. (Crainer, 1998) Henry Mintzberg once asked, "What do managers do?" After conducting his research based on a study of five CEOs, he concluded that managerial work involves interpersonal role, decisional role and informational role. And the fact is that, managers get things done through other people. Therefore, managers are required to possess certain skills and competencies which allow them to play these roles effectively and efficiently throughout the four functions of management. (Mintzberg, 1998)
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter. M. (2014). Management (12th ed.). Retrieved from: Colorado Technical University eBook Collection database.
In the early 1900’s, some of the first ideas were thrown together to allow an organization to flourish in the upcoming modern era. The first theories were known as scientific and classical management, which focused on three separate theories from Frederick Taylor, Henri Fayol, and Max Weber. The three theories have similar ideology in the fact that organization is driven by management authority, employees only source of motivation is money, and organizations are machinelike with employees making up the parts of the machine (Papa, Daniels, & Spiker, 2008). In the Prophecy Fulfilled case study, Mary Ann (senior auditor) takes on a management role with subordinates similar to that of Weber’s Bureaucratic Theory (Daniels 1987, pp. 77-78).
Since the end of the 19th century, when factory manufacturing became widespread and the size of organisations increased, people have been looking for ways to motivate employees and improve productivity. A need for management ideas arise which lead to classical contributors such as Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol generating management theories such as Taylor’ Scientific Management and Fayol’s Administrative Management. In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the Hawthorne studies were conducted where Elton Mayo was the predominate figure and contributed to the Behavioural viewpoint. This brought about a Human Relations Movement which included Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y approach. Similarities and differences can be found between the theories due to the relevant time period they were implemented, the motives or goal of the theory and how they view organisations. However the use of contingency theory can help negate the dissimilarities which occur as it allows the relevant elements from each theory to be applied to specific situations.
Over 50 years ago, English-speaking managers were directly introduced to Henry Fayol’s theory in management. His treatise, General and Industrial Management (1949), has had a great effect on managers and the practice of management around the world. However, 24 years after the English translation of Fayol, Henri Mintzberg in the Nature of Managerial Work (1973) developed another theory and stated that Fayol’s work was just “folklores”.
OLLIER-MALATERRE, ARIANE; ROTHBARD, NANCY P.; BERG, JUSTIN M. Academy of Management Review (Oct2013), Vol. 38 Issue 4
Henri Fayol, a French mining engineer and director of mines in the 1880s, came up a management idea known as Fayolism. Fayol identified managerial activities as “concerned with drawing up the broad plan of operations of the business, with assembling personnel, co-ordinating and harmonising effort and activity” (Fayol, 1949) . Fayol emphasizes the important on