Classical Theories of Management to Present - Essay Example

26th Feb. Management- ical Theories to Present Trace the evolution of management principle from the Classical School to the present. These days, the word management has become an integral part of the life of representatives and businessman. Management is considered as the backbone for the modern organizations but it must also be brought into notice that the management state of affairs has never been the same. In fact, the type of management principles that we see nowadays are commenced only a century ago which means in the end of 19th century. Since the end of 19th century, the evolutionary level of management principles started getting evolved substantially. Therefore by today, we see several different branches and school of thoughts which have been segregated by management experts and scholar. These schools of thoughts have been broadly divided into five different categories. They include: The Classical School The Behavioural School The Quantitative School also called as Management Science The Contingency School Theory Z School Of Management The important aspects of these schools is that some of them are viewed as classical and some are relatively recent theories, but the great insights which they offer can be very helpful in today’s complex business environment where we encounter accelerating changes every now and then. Noticing these points lets us outline the evolution of principles of management from classical school of management practices and theories to present. “The Classical School of Management” This school of thought gave birth to the initialization of management principles. In the end of 19th century, the origins of these principles can be traced. This school of thought primarily consisted of finding productive and efficient ways for management at organizational level. Under classical school of management, further three levels are determined. They are; Bureaucratic Management, Scientific Management and Administrative Management. Classical school of management consists of scientific findings of scholar like Gantt, Gilbreth and Taylor as well as sociology of Weber. It also covers the administrative findings perspectives of Brech Urwick and Fayol. Concepts derived by Fayol, Follett and Weber incorporate all the aspects which are required to be considered in today’s environment. In essence, the concept of classical theory of management incorporates the operations which are required for working for economic efficiency. (Miller, 2008) “Behavioural School of Management” During 1920s and 1930s, United States was undergoing social and cultural change. Large numbers of peoples were migrating towards city. Economic growth and industrial revolution provided people to spend money on the household and leisure of which their parents could only think about. Consequently, many of the principles and theories which were applied to the management of organization were no longer working effectively. In this regard, several prominent scholars and theorists addressed these issues and directed the attention of people to the changing environment required for workplace. Chris Argyris, Abraham Maslow, Mark Parker Follett, Douglas McGregor and Elton Mayo are some prominent scholars of behavioural school of management. They highlighted the fact that increased level of satisfaction of worker will yield better performance. This concept evolved the behavioural theory of management which stated that worker’s performance is directly related to the level of satisfaction he has with his job. “The Quantitative School also called as Management Science” During World War II, physicists, mathematicians and other scientists collaborated with each other in order to solve the problems related to military. Quantitative school of management resulted as an outcome of all the research which was conducted during World War II. It incorporates the Quantitative Approach including statistics, quantitative techniques. Computer simulations and information models to enhance the decision making process. (Montana and Charnov, 2008). Quantitative school of thought is broadly divided in the following branches: Operations Management Management Information Systems Management Science Systems Management Theory “The Contingency School of Thought” Contingency School of thought is based upon the fact that there is no single way through which every type of situation can be handled and tackled because every situation is different and demands a particular type of solution. This approach acknowledges that from all the given theories and principles, managers have to decide which one will suit best to the given situation. It highly depends upon the intellectual skills, judgement and experience of manager. The formulization of Contingency Theory took place in 1960s. Contingency Theory has a strong relation with the leadership as well. (Wart, 2007) In short, the Contingency Theory works on the notion of “It all depends”. “Theory Z School of Management” Theory Z School of Management is based upon the Japanese concept which states that in contrast to theory X, where people dislike work and must be driven to it, theory Y states that work is as natural and integral as that of food and sleep and can be source of satisfaction for humans so as to achieve the greater level of psychological needs. According to the leading proponent of theory Z, Dr. William Ouchi, “Theory Z management tends to promote stable employment, high productivity, and high employee morale and satisfaction”. Theory Z portrays some certain characteristics like: Job Security and Long term employment Promotion and slow evaluation Collective accountability Collective decision making Concern for a worker as well as his family Theory Z further led to the formulization of McGregor’s Theory XY. Theory Z incorporated the responsibility and attitude of worker whereas McGregor theory XY depicts the motivation and management from the perspective of organization and manager. 2. Compare/contrast and relate one or more of the different schools of management theory and management practices in the students' OWN current work environment.  The above mentioned management theories not only work best for organizations and managers but it can also prove to be helpful for school and students. If we consider Theory Z of Management theories, it will become evident to us that those students who strive harder to get better grades and work day and night for that ultimately achieve success in contrast to those who prefer short cuts and are reluctant of working hard. The Contingency Theory also suggests that one solution is not best for all type of situations. This theory also fits best to students. Nowadays, students have different courses and every courses demand different level of expertise and hard work. A same idea of memorizing the content for exams cannot be helpful for every course. Quantitative courses demands different level of efforts and so does qualitative courses. Students must adhere to the concepts of each course and must not study just to pass the course because at the end of the day, what make a person different from others on the ground of education is “Learning” and Learning is what changes the behaviour and makes someone feel qualified and educated in the eyes of others. The classical management theory might get obsolete in today’s competitive environment but the notion existing behind these classical theories can never get outdated. Numerous organizations have found success by implementing these classical theories of management. There are many large organizations today, who have managed to accomplish countless problems through these theories of management. In short, Management theories have eased out the ways we do businesses these days. References Miller, Katherine. Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes. Cengage Learning Inc, 2008. Print. Montana, Patrick J. and Charnov, Bruce H. Management. Barron’s Educational Series, 2008. Print. Wart, Van Montgomery. Leadership in Public Organization: An Introduction. M.E Sharpe, 2007. Print. Read More