The Needs of Changing Business Organisations - Term Paper Example

Application of Fayol Management Model: Linking Theory to Practice BY YOU YOUR ACADEMIC ORGANISATION HERE OTHER RELEVANT INFO HERE HERE Application of Fayol Management Model: Linking Theory to Practice Introduction Henri Fayol, a respected management theorist, was the first identifiable theorist who recognised that organisational environments, in regards to management, could be broken down into five specific components. These theoretical business attributes include planning, organising, directing, coordinating and controlling (Hakkarainen, 2003; Quirk, 2003; Fayol, 1987). Each management activity involves utilising resources properly to provide optimum management output and developing an appropriate methodology to carry out an intended objective. This paper describes the application of the Fayol model to the teaching environment so as to illustrate how theoretical management procedures can be applied to practice. Theory in practice - managerial segments Henri Fayol considered his management model to be adaptable and fully flexible to fit the needs of changing business organisations (Yoo, Lemak & Choi 2006: 352). This is quite essential to the planning phase of management, as changing internal and external conditions can impact the nature by which a particular objective is met. From a personal perspective, planning in my organisation, Adult Literacy and essential skills tutoring, involves determining the most appropriate method by which to teach literacy. Under the planning stage of management, the first order of business is to determine the strategic objective. In the adult literacy scenario, the expected outcome is to improve the literacy and essential skills of the students. Thus, one must consider elements of human psychology, the tangible resources available (such as coursework tools or even the tangible classroom availability) so as to determine whether a viable teaching curriculum can be developed. The planning portion of management will entail determining the existing strengths and weaknesses of my current literacy students and determine whether advanced teaching is required or whether the curriculum must allow for important reassessment of previous lessons. Further, the potential support and/or interventions of other instructors or administrative authorities must be considered as to whether a viable classroom programme can be developed to secure long-term literacy objectives. After determining whether the resources and activities needed to teach are available, the next stage of managing this function is organising. In this phase, the physical arrangement of staff needed to carry out the classroom programme is established so as to ensure that scheduling is effective, that ample staff members are available to assist in developing adult literacy and to even organise the physical classroom environment to best suit the needs of the existing student groups. For instance, sociological theory, based on personal experience, suggests that adults returning to school maintain very conflicting emotions – Negative emotions due to concerns about being chastised for not completing school at an appropriate age and positive emotions in terms of self-respect and self-esteem for their commitment to bettering themselves. Hence, structuring the classroom to provide a more social experience amongst the students or even to foster a more attention-grabbing classroom programme is paramount in the organisation process. Further, the physical resources utilised in the teaching programme are also a portion of organising from a management viewpoint, including the distribution of textbooks and coursework booklets to ensure adequate supply of learning materials. All of the aforementioned activities associated with organising are performed so as to ensure that all teaching objectives can be met and that students will meet with positive literacy outcomes; all of this based on being equipped as an essential skills tutor to provide a competent structure of activities which will lead to efficient organisational operations and sustain students’ needs in the classroom. Directing in the teaching environment involves the allocation of work to other individuals associated with the teaching process. Assistants can be utilised to perform certain elements in the classroom environment and also be instructed on how best to interact with inquiring students about any number of classroom requirements. These assistants can be monitored for performance-related issues as part of managing the classroom environment, however directing their activities requires job assignment (from a rather broad definition). In addition, directing in this environment is not just the administrative assignment of tasks or specific work projects, it is also developmental. For instance, under behaviour management concepts, it is important to establish guidelines for appropriate classroom behaviour. Should the adult students lose focus on their tasks or falter due to inappropriate classroom socialisation, directing assesses and reinforces the expectations for conduct and general learning behaviour, thus when changes occur within the student groups which is detrimental to classroom operations, they must be directed to behave appropriately. Under Fayol’s concept of coordinating, in many respects for the literacy and teaching environment, this involves creating an entire support package such as the use of vocational tutors, pastoral care or other external agencies. This particular organisation also provides additional teaching and counselling programmes for students, thus these activities must be coordinated based on staff/resource capabilities, student and instructor schedules and even budgetary guidelines for these service provisions. Recognising whether the core teaching curriculum can be met successfully whilst still providing additional services is the most primary function in the coordination of support and literacy activities. Essentially, in this environment, coordination involves creating a tangible model of total organisational activities and outcomes and then developing a curriculum that involves all of these elements, including staff and student activities, and ensuring that all functions can be maintained. Should it be discovered that external vocational tutors have changed their available hours of operation, scheduling becomes a paramount issue, thus internal activities must be coordinated with external changes to ensure no disruption to the organisation’s expected student outcomes. Controlling is one of the most difficult elements of this environment, as it involves issues of authority and determining how best to allocate/procure necessary resources. Controlling involves utilising a command position to ensure that all individuals associated with contributing to desired outcomes are performing as expected and complying with classroom/organisational obligations. For instance, if students are being uncooperative the instructor must take on an authoritative role and ensure that students are non-disruptive and remain focused on the task at hand. In some essence, this involves stern recognition of the organisation’s expectations for conduct and then providing some form of reward or chastisement for this failure to respond accordingly. Additionally, controlling in this environment also involves resource allocation in any type of subordinate situation, such as with teaching assistants. For instance, core curriculum materials may be in short supply due to high classroom demand or any other variety of administrative reasons. In a control position, these resources must be allocated in a methodology that is most congruent to individual need and then ensuring that the materials are then utilised properly. If resources are being misused or otherwise unfairly distributed, a controlling authoritarian manager will create a new resource allocation schedule and ensure that all individuals using these resources comply with instructional expectations. In general, control is a commanding position, not only for internal staff and students but also in the coordination of external support activities. Vocational tutors and other agencies must be instructed on how best to approach students, either by discussing theories of psychology or other student needs, and then ensuring that full compliance to assigned tasks is performed. It is also a position in which respect is both given and elicited, creating a relationship with students and other organisational staff in which position-inspired authority is granted. For instance, subordinates in this environment recognise that the instructor or administrative staff member maintains a dominant position simply due to their role in the organisation. If fair and equitable treatment is conducted on behalf of the manager, subordinates (such as the assistant or even the external support agency) will likely respond in similar measure to element of control. Perhaps the aforementioned can be measured by illustrating the procedures of lesson design. In certain divisions of the organisation, literacy lessons will be developed differently based on the needs of students and available resources. Once these plans are developed, a controlling manager instructs subordinates on how best to implement the lesson plan objectives and then ensures that all of these activities are followed as expected. When deviations to the instructions are distributed or taught inappropriately, the individual instructor must be instructed to return to the programme outline or be chastised (in a professional manner) for their inability to follow instructions. Conclusion There are a wide variety of other potential examples on how Fayol’s management concepts are integrated into the day-to-day activities of an adult literacy organisation, however the scenarios illustrated in this project show the processes of planning, organising, directing, coordinating and controlling in this type of instructional environment. The management model proposed by Fayol is an inter-connected series of internal activities which, when performed by a competent managerial authority, will create the expected objectives and provide an enriching organisation in which all members understand their roles and know how to utilise resources properly. It is an assessment and reassessment of internal capabilities and ensuring that all objectives in relation to literacy are carried out as mandated by the organisation. Bibliography Fayol Henri. (1987). Classic, General and Industrial Management. USA David S. Lake Publishers. Hakkarainen, Pasi. (2003). ‘Groupware Support for Operational Management”. University of Jyväskylä. Retrieved 10 Mar 2008 from http://www.elisanet.fi/pasi.hakkarainen/file/gradu.pdf Quirk, Neil P. (2003). ‘Restaurant Site Selection’. University of Missouri. Retrieved 10 Mar 2008 from http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33319733.html Yoo, J.W., Lemak, D.J. & Choi, Y. (2006). ‘Principles of management and competitive strategies: Using Fayol to implement Porter’. Journal of Management History. Bradford, 12(4): 352. Read More