Advice to Todays Managers Based on Henri Fayols Management Theory - Essay Example

Henri Fayol should have planned alternate options in case of failure of the current strategy. Organizing is the next step of management after planning. The materials or resources required for the project must identify at the planning stage itself which should be arranged at the organizing stage. The next step is to coordinate between different players in the project. For example, different types of work may be required for a project which may be done partly at different places. There should be coordination between the members of the project to ensure success of the project. The manager must act as a link in the coordination process.

Commanding and controlling are the last steps in management action. If the project is done partly at different places, nobody, except the manager knows about the outcome of the project. So commanding and controlling the project must be done by the manager. For example, in the tire manufacturing industry, various parts of the tire, tread, beads, plies, etc. are manufactured at different places in the plant. These parts have different specifications for different types of tires like car tires truck tires etc. The manager is the only person who has a better idea about which tire should be manufactured with priority and for that purpose which parts need to be manufactured at other locations. Based on that, he has to advise the workers on different sections like the bead section, tread section, and ply section.

“Henri Fayol, an advocate of the experimental method, built his administrative theory from his experiences” (Wren). Today’s managers heavily depend on academic credentials for solving problems. They are wrong. They must realize that as in the case of every other segment of life, practice makes a person perfect. No academy or institution can give us readymade solutions for everyday problems faced by managers. Education can only guide a manager to arrive at conclusions rather than taking decisions. Decisions of managers must be custom-made for the organization he is working for. For example, the management strategy which was successful in one organization need not be a better one for another organization.

Henri Fayol has formulated 14 principles for successful management which are; specialization/division of labor, authority with corresponding responsibility, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to the general interest, remuneration of staff, centralization, scalar chain/line of authority, order, equity, stability of tenure, initiative, and spirit (Jarvis, 2005). Most modern managers are failing to allocate the work based on the skills of the employees which ultimately results in big failures. In short, the current managers failed miserably in analyzing employee potential.

Another drawback of the current managers is that they will allocate only the responsibility, but they will forget to allocate the authority needed to execute the responsibility. An employee with only responsibility and no authority can be a waste in an organization. Discipline is an all-important function of every organization. The manager should know that not only the employees but the manager themselves, also should exhibit high standards of discipline. The employee should never be confused with contradictory instructions from different superiors/managers. The instructions given to the employees must be clear and unidirectional.

Individual interests should never be given priority over the organization's interests. Many modern managers use the organization for their self-interests rather than the organization’s interest. The compensation of the employees must be fair. Moreover, fair treatment and assurance of stability of the job will increase the loyalty of the employees towards the organization. The manager should take initiative for every action in the organization rather than waiting for the employees to start in their way. The spirit of the employees must be kept high and for that purpose, the managers must try to avoid demoralization of employees.

In short, modern managers have lots of lessons to be learned from Henri Fayol. Out of the all management theories he formulated, in my opinion, the theory of experience is the most important and relevant one for current managers. Read More