Evaluation of Scientific and Human Resource Management Contribution to Organizational Effectiveness - Essay Example

Running Header: Scientific and Human Resource Management Approach Comparison A Comparative Evaluation of Scientific and Human Resource Managements Contribution to Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Student name Subject Grade 23 April 2006 Introduction At the turn of the previous century the industrial revolution was at its peak and many organizations were large and industrialized. Their manufacturing processes were ongoing routine tasks, producing products on rolling production lines. During this time Fredric Taylor entered the scene with his development of the Scientific Management Theory. Taylor's theory argued that due to most work being routine it should be standardized and through measurement systems workers should be rewarded or punished, depending on their performance. As the industry evolved and workers became more unionized, demanding more humane working practices, organizations start to realize that attention should be given to the capabilities of individuals, and that the organizations success are directly related to the success of its employees. During this time behavior science was introduced and new management theories were developed to help improve the performance of the work force and this the performance of the organization. This was when a Human Resources department was added to organizations. Taylor's Scientific Management Theory Taylor as a gang boss at Midvale realized that the current management practices then was not very effective in ensuring optimal productivity from workers. Through test and development in this environment, he began developing his ideas on best working practices and rewarding workers with higher wages if they perform their tasks correctly. Taylorism revolves around the concept of finding the most efficient way of doing a task. Taylor thought that he could break down a task into the simplest component, and derive the best way of performing that component to minimize effort and maximize productivity. Taylorism is based on four principles, stated below: 1. "The development of a science to replace the old, rule of thumb knowledge of the workmen", which dictates a planned technique of the production process. 2. "Scientific selection and then the progressive development of workmen", which implies picking the most apt workers and training them to ensure that their progress is maintained and improving. 3. "Bringing of the science and the scientifically selected and trained workers together" implying coordination of the planned process and execution. 4. "An almost equal division of the actual work of the establishment between the workmen, on the one hand, and the management, on the other hand", implying correspondence and cooperation between the management and workmen. (Taylor, 1911) 1. As can be deducted from Taylor's theory, he did not take any account of the workers themselves or their behaviors. Taylor seems to have seen workers as a mere tool for productivity, and this discarded the value they may have offered to further increase productivity. But even so productivity increased dramatically. New departments arose such as industrial engineering, personnel, and quality control. There was also growth in middle management as there evolved a separation of planning from operations. Rational rules replaced trial and error; management became formalized and efficiency increased. Human Relations Movement As workers and unions started to put pressure on governments and organizations to better their working environment, attitudes and views started to change and theorists began developing new management theories. Elton Mayo (1880 - 1949) believed that workers are not just concerned with money but could be better motivated by having their social needs met whilst at work (something that Taylor ignored). He introduced the Human Relation School of thought, which focused on managers taking more of an interest in the workers, treating them as people who have worthwhile opinions and realising that workers enjoy interacting together. Most of these new huma relations theories relied heavily on the behavior sciences and with Elton Mayo scholars such as Douglas McGregor and Moslow began advocating the sensibility of introducing these new human management practices. Most of these human relations theories were based on the idea that a happy worker is a productive worker. Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970) along with Frederick Herzberg (1923) introduced the Neo-Human Relations School in the 1950's, which focused on the psychological needs of employees. Maslow put forward a theory that there are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work. All of the needs are structured into a hierarchy and only once a lower level of need has been fully met, would a worker be motivated by the opportunity of having the next need up in the hierarchy satisfied. A business should therefore offer different incentives to workers in order to help them fulfill each need in turn and progress up the hierarchy. Managers should also recognise that workers are not all motivated in the same way and do not all move up the hierarchy at the same pace. They may therefore have to offer a slightly different set of incentives from worker to worker. Image 1: Moslow Hierarchy of Human Needs, (Tutor2u) Human Relation theories include the following management principals: Participative management Open communication Increased trust Shared Individual and organizational goals Greater recognition, responsibility; more opportunity for creativity The introduction of human resource principals into organizations delivered a wide set of results, depending on the type of organization and how it was implemented. Although it is an accepted fact that human relations are important to the long term sustainability of an organization, it can be interpreted in many different ways. The problem is that human relations may only be used to pursue improved productivity and not for producing the correct and balanced attitude to the personal and social needs of workers. This may result in neither higher productivity nor worker satisfaction, and may even impair the ability of the organization to function effectively. Although the introduction of human relations may not have improved an organizations overall productivity, it did lead to change in some aspects of the working environment. Managers in general have a more positive attitude towards workers. There is some effort to make work more interesting, and there is more pressure on managers to use human relations approach to solve issues in the work place. Comparison of Scientific and Human Relations Management When taking the above information into account it is clear that any organization should incorporate both into its organizational practices to be able to become truly productive. In today's world no work are seen as only functional, but physiological issues also need to be addressed to ensure optimal productivity are achieved. Hawthorne Studies study found that workers didn't respond to classical motivational approaches as suggested in the Scientific Management and Taylor approaches, but rather workers were also interested in the rewards and punishments of their own work group. The results of the research led researchers to feel that they were dealing with socio-psychological factors that were not explained by classic theory which stressed the formal organization and formal leadership. In the following chart, we can see a comparison of traditional assumptions vs. a newer "human relations" view, (Edward G. Wertheim). Traditional Assumptions people try to satisfy one class of need at work: economic need no conflict exists betwene individual and organizational objectives people act rationally to maximize rewards we act individually to satisfy individual needs Human relations Assumptions organizations are social systems, not just technical economic systems we are motivated by many needs we are not always logical we are interdependent; our behavior is often shaped by the social context informal work group is a major factor in determining attitudes and performance of individual workers management is only one factor affecting behavior; the informal group often has a stronger impact job roles are more complex than job descriptions would suggest; people act in many ways not covered by job descriptions there is no automatic correlation between individual and organizational needs communication channels cover both logical/economic aspects of an organization and feelings of people teamwork is essential for cooperation and sound technical decisions leadership should be modified to include concepts of human relations job satisfaciton will lead to higher job productivity management requires effective social skills, not just technical skills Behavior Management Development To understand human relations thinking it may be of value to take Peter Drucker's quote to heart, "There is nothing more practical than a good theory." What he was stating is that a theory will not only tell us what needs to be done, but also the way it should be done. But a theory is a prediction derived from evaluation and tests performed in either a controlled or a specific area. What a theory cannot guarantee is that it will work when practically applied in an environment, as each individual will apply the same principals in a different manner Human development is a function of human awareness, aspirations, attitudes and values. This although human relations have evolved in the last century, it is beyond approach that it will continue to develop as scholars, academics and theorist will continue to argue, discuss and develop theories not only taking Taylor's ideas into account, but incorporating human relations, resulting in a management system not only focused on productivity, but also on worker satisfaction. It is without doubt that in today's corporations the shareholders are demanding increased returns on their investment. This is resulting in downscaling and streamlined production practices, making true effective management difficult and traditional management practices no longer effective in ensuring maximum productivity for the least amount of effort and cost. This it may be predicted that a new and more liberal management systems are required, or a rethink of corporate practices, as restricting manager's functionality will eventually influence the originations ability to stay productive. Human Relations after its introduction have seen the development and introduction of human resource departments. But currently many of this functions are delegated back to function managers, which in turn increase managers work load, reducing their ability to do what they where hired to do, insure optimal productivity. Conclusion Taylor's scientific management theory, often referred to as 'Taylorism', emphasized a managerial ideology "thought to aid employers or their agents in controlling and directing the activities of workers" (Reed, 1996, p. 35). The Taylor Society, and its members, supported and believed the principle of optimizing production achieved through a strict division of labor, with each worker performing the same task the same way, under strict supervision. Where this theory seemed to fail was its ability to deal with increasing change in organisations. The strick rules and management practices that forms the basis of scientific management resulted in behavioral consequences such as passivity, hostality, and even sabotage. Elton Mayo argued against the scientifiv model of management and was supported by a range of phylosophers and academics. There argument was that rather than seeing management as a set of concrete rules and tools, management was a function and a role within a larger social unit, requiring a socially skilled management within an adaptable system, focused on encouraging emergent processes capable of ensuring some form of stability and sustainability. They questioned the deeply held assumption of the rational school of thought - "that workers had no rights beyond a paycheck; their duty was to work hard and follow orders" (Bolman, 2003, pp. 113-114). Abraham Maslow further supported the human relations framework by developing a most influential theory of human needs - physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. This theory is still widely accepted among managers, some who have used these values and beliefs as core elements of progressive company policy. (Bolman, 2003). The human relations movement argued that organizations exist to serve people, rather than people existing to serve organizations. They stated that there must be a good fit between the individual and the system - if the fit is poor, both suffer and if the fit is good, both benefit Reference Page Rebecca Schlosser. Taylor And Gulick: A Comparison Of Two Legendary Change Agents. 2003. Accessed: 23 April 2006. www.shsu.edu/edu_elc/journal/research%20online/ 82Taylor%20&%20Gulick-a.pdf Accel Team. Employee Motivation, the Organizational Environment and Productivity. 2005. Accessed: 23 April 2006. http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/hrelsFramework.html Edward G. Wertheim. Historical Background of Organizational Behavior. Northeastern University. Accessed:23 April 2006. http://web.cba.neu.edu/ewertheim/introd/history.htm Motivation - Theories. Tutor2u. Accessed: 23 April 2006. http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_theories.htm Taylor, F., Scientific Management (3rd ed. Pugh, D., Organization Theory: Selected Readings) (1990, c. 1947) pp 275-295 [Taken from original Scientific Management, Harper&Row, pp.39-73, 1911). Bolman, Lee G., and Deal, Terrence E. (2003). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Reed, Michael (1996). Organizational Theorizing: A Historically Contested Terrain. In Stewart R. Clegg, Cynthia Hardy, and Walter R. Nord (Eds), Handbook of Organizational Studies (pp. 31-56). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Read More