Management Process School of Thought - Coursework Example

Student number: [Insert here] Name: [Insert here] Date Submitted: [Insert here] MGT1FOM-All Instances-S2-2015 Individual Essay (1500 words) Topic: MANAGEMENT THOUGHTS AND THEORISTS Campus: [Insert here] Lecture time: [Insert here] Lecturer: [Insert here] Tutor: [Insert here] Word Count: [1500] MANAGEMENT PROCESS SCHOOL OF THOUGHT Introduction Management is vital for any organization. It is like a map that directs its day to day activities to achieve its goals. The management concept has been in effect for many years hence it is not a new thing. Management continually changed as people progressed towards the era of Industrial Revolution. Different kinds of management thoughts are based on some assumptions based on the human resource of the individual organization and organization that they work. There are various management thinkers who have worked hard to put meaning to pieces of information that have been derived over time (Mintzberg, 1990). Each and every management thought has got its thinkers who made sure its assumptions and development is protected and succinctly explained. This essay is based on management process school that was initiated by Henry Fayol. Other thinkers who belonged to this class include William Newman, McFarland, Lyndall Urwick, J.D Mooney and A.C Railey. This thought deals with how things are done easily in an organization following organized groups set up. It also discusses four areas of management thought that are relevant to managers of Wal-Mart Stores Company, which is a contemporary structure (Cunningham & Lischeron, 1991). Management process school is also called operation approach. It deals with how work is made easier in an organizational setting by putting workers into organized work groups that have been allocated different types of works. At the end of the day, the work will be done well while holding members responsible for anything that takes place in their respective groups (Mintzberg, 1971). The man behind this thought was Frenchman Henri Fayol. In some cases, this school of thought has been referred to as Classical School. Its concept of management is that it is a universal process. It puts into consideration analysis of management process, the establishment of the framework that has been established (Mintzberg & Gosling, 2002). Management theorists are accredited with this procedure that gives meaningful principles that can be applied to various organizations to guide them to success. Inappropriate management is a downfall for any institution because it needs to be organized to tackle various activities. Fayol is known for his argument that employees of an individual organization can easily take part in lesser or greater degree in any administrative function that is put in place in the same group. The employees who have the specific talent of their specialized work and easily be promoted as they climb the ladder of employment. This thinking was observed when Fayol was addressing International Mining and Metallurgical Congress in the year 1900. This can be related with Walmart Stores in its transactions such as customer relations. Afterward in 1908, he argued that people did not understand the impact that management has on activities of a business. He further argued that technical expertise can easily be destroyed. As a result, administrative procedures that are completely defective. It is, on the other hand, vital for a firm to fully understand the goodness of a proper management that has been put in place (Cunningham & Lischeron, 1991). For management thought to be active in an organization, managers should be upfront to ensure that things are run well in various departments. This has been observed in Wal-Mart Company in the United States. It has proved successful in its day to day activities. There are four major areas that I have singled out that provide managers in Walmart Stores Company, and other like-minded organizations are at their best forms in executing their mandates. 1. Authority and responsibility Authority and accountability are imperative (Martin & Shell, 1980). It is the second principle of management which argues that managers should either get informal of formal power in a bid to carry actually out their managerial duties and responsibilities. Walmart is vigilant in ensuring managers make use of authority and accountability to facilitate its primary mandates. It is important for any organization to put up safeguards to ensure that managers do not misuse the powers that they have been bestowed. Many organizations that provide this is observed diligently usually benefit from efficiency in the workplace. 2. Centralization Centralization should be followed keenly to avoid too much of it and too much of decentralization (Koontz, 2010). In this case, too much of centralization would lead to ineffectiveness. Managers should ensure power balance is observed between the ones of upper-level and lower-level ones to provide sound strategies that will work for a contemporary organization. This was exercised mostly in the early stages of management thoughts. Nowadays many organizations especially the ones based in the United States use ad hoc center. Walmart is a good example of such organizations that apply this concept. This is a specialized kind of decision making that ensures the particular task is handled well. According to Henri Fayol, lack of appropriate management theory was a setback for many organizations because it would be sound hard to render the knowledge of management to students while the experience of managers was too localized (Mintzberg & Gosling, 2002). A good manager should have appropriate physical, mental, and moral qualities to carry out his mandate effectively. Fredrick Taylor was named the father of scientific management because of his zeal to scientifically finding out how to do a job by analyzing management (Mintzberg, 2003). 3. Equity Equity is an important principle that cuts across management theories. It is majorly practiced in management process school of thought. When managers are fair and kind towards the subordinate staff, motivation, and favorable working environment would be achieved. It is also the responsibility of employees to take heed of advice that are given out by managers (Reinartz, Krafft & Hoyer, 2004). Nowadays, many organizations including Wal-Mart, which is the main company of discussion in this paper, have made sure they take into consideration equity to ensure that each and every employee remains committed to organization’s objectives. Walmart has been successful in applying fairness in all of its dealings hence winning the trust of both the employees and customers. This aspect provides that each employee is treated equally by offering incentives, sharing of profit and other treatments. Management process is directed at coming up with specific functions of managers while putting them into management principles (Koontz, 2010). 4. Planning Planning is an essential managerial aspect that ensures managers work effectively in the contemporary workplace. Wal-Mart’s management ensures that there are strategies put in place to ensure planning is upheld. It is also important for firms’ managers to be adequately involved in forecasting (Koontz, 1961). It ensures that all resources of the company are put into the rightful use to give anticipated results in future. Fayol was also well known for backing a god planning strategies for a business to be successful in its operations. Many elements of scientific management are also applicable in planning to ensure the success of a corporation in its operations. One has to check if everything goes as per the plans of the enterprise. If they do not meet the set standards, something has to be done to ensure conformity (Mintzberg, 2003). There are other organizations, apart from Walmart, that have benefited from the use of management process school of thought in the real world. Many scholars think that this school of thought was only applicable to ancient companies, but it is still instrumental up to date. Aflac Company in the United States is with the well-managed companies courtesy of using management process school of thought. Another company is Comcast Company. Its managers ensure that employees are treated equally while they are motivated to give their best in the contemporary workplace (Mintzberg, 1989). In Walmart Stores, managers work closely while they give directions to the subordinate staff for them to execute their mandates. It is certain, a division of labor or specialization makes work easier hence setting a favorable working environment for employees in an organization (Epstein, 1987). A manager should be endowed with skills of organizing various tasks that should be performed in an organization. It does not matter how difficult the process might appear to be. Taylor and Fayol were in agreement when it came to the goal of an organization, but the means of reaching these objectives were differing (Hofstede, 1993). A company that has managers who are goal-oriented, such as Wal-Mart, end up achieving more than the one that has blurred goals. When a manager is well focused, subordinate staff would be tuned to work well towards the success of the same organization. As seen earlier, Wal-Mart is applying this technique to the real world. Good managers should also set a good example for the employees to ensure they all dance to one rhythm; for the success of the company (Epstein, 1987). Conclusion Management is essential to the success of an organization. It acts as a roadmap that directs its day to day operations. One of the Companies that has been highlighted here is Walmart Stores which has successfully applied management concepts in its transactions. Others include Aflac and Comcast Companies. Management process school of thought which is also called operation approach or classical is one of the oldest schools of management thoughts. The founder was Henri Fayol while other thinkers that share the same class are William Newman, McFarland, Lyndall Urwick, J.D Mooney and many others. For managers to execute their mandates with ease, they should be endowed with leadership, mental, moral and physical qualities, and experience. To ensure that managers in contemporary organizations performs, authority and responsibility should be upheld. Also, centralization should be carefully monitored to avoid too much of it or too much of decentralization. Both extremes lead to inefficiency in the contemporary workplace. Finally, managers should make use of planning to make sure that each department in an organization is at its best. Planning also helps in forecasting various functions and future success of an organization. References Cunningham, J. B., & Lischeron, J. (1991). Defining entrepreneurship. Journal of small business management, 29(1), 45-61. Epstein, E. M. (1987). The corporate social policy process: Beyond business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and corporate social responsiveness.California management review, 29(3), 99-114. Hofstede, G. (1993). Cultural constraints in management theories. The Academy of Management Executive, 7(1), 81-94. Koontz, H. (1961). 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