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The basic characteristics of Taylor's management theory
The basic characteristics of Taylor's management theory
Essay on classical organization theory
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Classical Organizational Theory
The purpose of this paper is to explore the Classical Organizational Theory by defining, listing contributors to the development, and presenting the applications of the theory in business management. Developed in the early 1900s to 1930, its emphasis is on the concepts of formal structure and technology. Organizations of that time were struggling to address issues of industrial management, including efficiency, specialization, quality, cost management, and managerial roles. The people working within were valued for their instrumental abilities and contributions. Organizations were designed as if they were machines (Morgan, 1980).
Classical Organizational Theory is a wide field that comprises of scientific management, bureaucratic theory, and administrative theory. It is mostly concerned with the structure and activities of an organization. Clear organizational hierarchy, the division of work and the extent of control are the priorities in the achievement of an effective organization (Cole, 2004).
Henri Fayol (1841-1925) and F.W. Taylor (1856-1915) are considered the two greatest contributors to the classical theories. Fayol focused on the administrative theory by developing the first comprehensive theory of management. He believed his theory was universally applicable to all types of organizations. He defined the five management functions: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Fayol also provided the fourteen managerial principles in line with the major assumptions of classical organizational theory (Wren & Bedeian, 2009).
Fredrick Winslow Taylor focused on scientific management. By responding to the needs of the time, his concepts and theories were mainly con...
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...business-developing period, it has made a lasting impact on the development and structuring of businesses.
Works Cited
Cole, G. (2004). Management theory and practice (6th ed.). [Electronic book]. London, UK: Gelaldine Lyons.
Mahmood, A., Basharat M., Bashir Z. (2012). Review of classical management theories. International Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 2(1), 512.
Morgan, G. (1980). Paradigms, metaphors, and puzzle solving in organization theory. Administrative Science Quarterly, 25(4), 605-622.
Simon, H. A. (1979). Rational decision making in business organization. American Economic Review, 69(4), 493-513.
Subramaniam, V. (1996). The classical organization theory and its critics. Public Administration, 44(4), 435-446.
Wren, D., Bedeian, A. (2009). The evolution of management thought (6th ed.). [Electronic book]. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sachs, A. (2010). Management, Plain and Simple. Time, 175(15), Global 4. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
Robbins, S.P., & Coulter, M. (2009). Management (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter. M. (2014). Management (12th ed.). Retrieved from: Colorado Technical University eBook Collection database.
Scientific management was thought up by an American called Fredric Winslow Taylor (1856-1915). His theory consisted of 5 principles. These were: 1. An understandable dissection of tasks and responsibilities between management and the workforce. 2.
Miles, R. (1975) Theories of Management: Implications for Organisational Behaviour and Development. McGraw-Hill, New York.
The classical approach to management was the result of an effort to develop a body of management thinking, and the management theorists who participated in this effort are considered the pioneers of management study. The classical viewpoint emphasises efficiency in managing work and organisations in order to increase production (S. C. Certo & S. T. Certo, 2006).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Wrege, C. D. and R. G. Greenwood (1991). Frederick W. Taylor, the father of scientific management: myth and reality: Irwin Professional Pub.
There are several theories that examine an organization and it’s approach to managing work in an effort to develop efficiency and increase production. Two classical approaches to management are Taylor’s scientific management theory and Weber's bureaucratic management theory. Both men are considered pioneers of in the study of management.
The concept of scientific management is based on the idea that work could be studied to increase efficiency, and specialization. Economist Adam Smith changed the way the world looked at the economy and organization. In his essay, “Of the Division of Labour,” Smith emphasizes the importance of specialization, and how division of labor leads to specialization. He states that this would allow a worker to be more productive and efficient (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2011, p. 41-45). Frederick Taylor introduced the principles of scientific management, which stated that management is a science, workers should be scientifically selected and trained scientifically, and both management and workers should work together.
There are many theories that have been developed by scholars to explain the principles and practice of management. Some of these theorists include: Henry Fayol; and Mintzberg among others. Henry Fayol is believed to be the first scholar to develop the management theory. Other scholars developed their theories based on the weakness of Henry Fayol’s theory of management (Thomson 2004).
There are three well-established theories of classical management: Taylor?s Theory of Scientific Management, Fayol?s Administrative Theory, Weber?s Theory of Bureaucracy. Although these schools, or theories, developed historical sequence, later ideas have not replaced earlier ones. Instead, each new school has tended to complement or coexist with previous ones.
This paper describes on one of the famous management theorist Frederick Winslow Taylor, who introduced to society about the scientific management theories. This method was established a hundred years ago in 1911 early stage by Taylor in his work place. This article critically discusses about Taylor’s early stage, background, education, and his contribution to management theory, practice and society.
Management plays a significant role in how business operates. The diversity of approaches to the theoretical and practical background of management has come up with several versions of what is meant by such key words as management and organization. The academia views expressed in relation to management theories take a different role than that prescribed to managers. There has not been any concrete definition of management even though the classic definition of Henri fayol still remains in contention to be the preferred choice after eighty years. In the context of what is required I would like to elaborate on the following journals.
The evolution of management though the decades can be divided into two major sections. One of the sections is the classical approach. Under the classical approach efficiency and productivity became a critical concern of the managers at the turn of the 20th century. One of the approaches from the classical time period were systematic management which placed more emphasis on internal operations because managers were concerned with meeting the growth in demand brought on by the Industrial revolution. As a result managers became more concerned with physical things than towards the people therefore systematic management failed to lead to production efficiency. This became apparent to an engineer named Frederick Taylor who was the father of Scientific Management. Scientific Management was identified by four principles for which management should develop the best way to do a job, determine the optimum work pace, train people to do the job properly, and reward successful performance by using an incentive pay system. Scientifi...
This paper, will discuss scholarly views on the nature and types of theory; compare and contrast some views of what constitutes a theory, differentiate theory from related concepts, such as hypothesis, paradigm, model, and concept. The paper also, will review scholarly literature on the relationship between theory and research and the ways research (quantitative and qualitative) can contribute to theory. Moreover, the paper will discuss various ways research can contribute to theory; and try to explain how the theory adds or may add to our understanding of management field. Finally, this paper will discuss and analyze literatures on two areas of controversy or unanswered questions related to the theory.