Choice of Management Style due to Market Dynamics and Business Objectives - Essay Example

Critical Analysis for Managers Name Institution Course Date Work of a manager is often not an easy task to handle, as a manager one is expected to set objectives or the goals for a given group and makes a decision on what employees should to do in order to meet those goals (Roberts, 1987). A manager also organizes tasks in the work place and divides the work into smaller tasks, and chooses employees who are in a position to accomplish specific tasks. A manager is a communicator and motivator in that it is their work to create a team out of their employees and they do that through decisions on promotions, placement, and payments and through their communications with the team (Taylor, 1911). Managers themselves have often described what they do as managing people as opposed to managing an activity since for a task to be properly implemented, a manager has to oversee the co-ordination of workers from designation of tasks to organizing and the delivering of the complete task on time. There are different levels of management staff in an organization from the first line managers who oversee the day-to-day activities of non-managerial staff to middle level managers who head a branch of an organization and the top level managers who act as legislators of the whole organization. This article is mainly going to discuss in a nutshell the evolution of management and the different theories that have been developed over the years to improve the practice of management until the Latest theories of management that focus on the employee welfare, satisfaction and motivation. The development of management is owed to the industrial revolution due to the need for organized operations in the manufacturing of products which was increasing at the beginning of the twentieth century (Polard, 1974). Taylor has been recognized as the “father of management” since he came up with the scientific theory of management which concentrates of the employment of scientific and engineering knowledge into the improvement of management of industrial practices These include analysis, synthesis, logic, rationality, empiricism, work ethics, efficiency and waste elimination, preservation of excellent services. Taylorism is still an evident way of management up to now especially in engineering fields since it also focuses on maximum employer satisfaction and maximum rewards for the employee and punishment for wrongdoing. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth in their quest for improving of management practice focused on motion study as opposed to Taylor’s time study in their case study about bricklayers .Their aim was to streamline an activity and came up with the actions “find” “select” “rest” and also came up with a simultaneous motion chart that showed the activity of a worker (Gilbreth, 1917). The benefits of the time-and-motion study were increased productivity and decreased fatigue on the employee’s side. Max Weber a German sociologist came up with the bureaucratic management which elevated the position of managers in organizations hence the need for their orders to be followed by employees without questioning since the system was based strictly on hierarchy that was even bound by law (Marylyn, 2004). Although this theory increased efficiency off operations it limi9ted employee creativity and was not easy to adopt. Fayol, a French mines engineer also made a contribution to the theories of management due to his successful practice of management. He came up with an administrative approach that defines the role of a manager as a planner, organizer, and commander of results, coordinator and a controller. (Fayol, 1949) The human resource approach which was developed by Elton mayo, this focused on employee welfare and reward to ensure enhancement of the workplace and in the long run improve productivity (Kieran, 2008). This depicted a manager as a humane figure in an organization that concentrated on safety of the worker at the workplace, proper remuneration of services, proper housing, healthcare education and other forms of training and creating an environment that fosters employee interaction to help build team work. This approach proved to be fruitful both for the employer, employee and the society. The contingency approach which was aimed at ensuring the adaptation of organizational practices to market trends (Patricia et al, 2003). This proved that flexible management systems endured constantly changing market trends while rigid management practices was successful in steady markets hence the type of management to be employed by an organization should chosen with consideration of market dynamics. The chaos theory stated that a system can exist without a specific direction and predictability. It stated that a small change in one situation could have significant effects elsewhere in an organization. This theory was based on an analogy of a leaky faucet which would drip without a regular pattern. This theory was then aimed at minimizing if not completely eradicating errors in a system. All these theories on management are diverse and are based on different understanding of management hence the different approach towards a managing aimed at increasing production.(Patricia et al, 2003)Managers have been the main implementers of these different theories having to evaluate all involved dynamics before making a choice of the theory to base ones management on. at the end of the day results are demanded by the employer, satisfaction is demanded by the employee, social responsibility is demanded by the society, human rights observations is demanded by the judicial systems and revenue is demanded by the political systems. These are the timelines managers have to stay on their feet to beat and have often acted as managers of people to ensure these are realized. The role of a manager in every organization regardless of the system of management employed is to organize workers, delegate responsibilities, demand for timely results and deliver. Hence the argument by managers that their work is not manufacturing in the case of a manufacturing plant rather to organize, coordinate, delegate responsibilities and lead people(all definitions of a manager) who do the real manufacturing. One of the widest practiced forms of management is human resource management which is a function in an organization whose main focus is employee welfare and is aimed at maximizing the performance of employees in line with an employer’s strategic objectives. Human resource management simply manages people within an organization, focusing on policies and systems. This once again supports the work of a manager are “managing people” Due to this view of the work of a manager’s work as managing people many organizations have grown by mainly hiring managers whose sole purpose is focusing on getting people to work and deliver which is every manager’s concern since both the success and failure of an organization are owed to the management (Pollard, 1974). Theory X and Y were formulated by McGregor who gave two perspectives towards the management of people in 1960. Theory X is employed by managers who view workers as people who lack the inner drive to deliver hence view it as their job to provide the ambition to the workers, this type of managers are often authoritarian and repressive. Theory Y on the other hand maintains that human beings are active rather than passive shapers of themselves and of their environment. They long to grow and assume responsibility. The best way to manage them, then, is to manage as little as possible (Roberts, 1987). These two points of view of employees by managers then define how one would practice the management of people. In conclusion regardless of the choice of management style which as stated above is directly influenced by different market dynamics, the goals of an organization, the perspective of the management towards employees and so much more, it is evident that the work of managers since the development of the management thought has been to manage people both directly and indirectly with the aim of getting the most out of a business. References Ann, L., & Adrian, S. (2005). Managing Staff in Early Years settings: Routledge Fayol, H., General and Industrial Management, Pitman and Sons, London, 1949. Gilbreth, F., and Gilbreth, L.,(1917). Applied Motion Study, Sturgis and Walton, New York, NY, Kieran, B. (2008). Managing Employee Performance in Seven Steps Marilyn, P. (2004). Managing Difficult People: A Survival Guide for Handling Any Employee. Routledge Patricia, P., & Caroline, S. (2003). Managing Staff Development: University of Virginia, Open University Press Pollard, H. (1974). Developments in Management Thought. William Heinemann, London, Robert, G., & Rebecca, H. (2012). What do managers do? Exploring Persistent Performance Differences among Seemingly Similar Enterprises Roberts, W. (1987). Leadership secrets of Attila the HUN. Warner Books: New York, NY Taylor, F. (1911). Principles of Scientific Management, Harper and Brothers, New York, NY, Read More