The theory of Max Weber - Essay Example

In his theory on legitimacy and ity, Max Weber came up with much thought on the whole idea of human and organizational management. In an organizational setting where humans are brought together, there must be some sort of authority which creates stability in the system. For instance, the workers in the organization must follow the rules and regulations that are enforced by the leaders. Authority helps to create order and prevent situations of anarchy. In the context of decision making, there must also be clear order and hierarchy of decision making. Such an organization will always be considered effective and will have a stable and legitimate authority with proper relationship between the leaders and the followers (Weber, 25). According to Max Weber, there are basically three types of authority in existence: traditional, rational-legal and charismatic. Traditional authority is derived from an established set of beliefs, customs and traditions whereby those upon which the authority is vested have the command to exercise it. This type of authority exists majorly in patrimonial systems and feudalistic societies where it is mostly handed down from one generation to another. One important factor in this type of authority is the acceptance of the followers to obey the authority without which the authority cannot exist. On the other hand, rational-legal authority is basically derived from a belief in the legality and hierarchy in existence. It is mostly realized in bureaucratic systems and in formal structures where people are expected to follow a given set of rules and regulations set forth (Miles, 112). Charismatic authority on the other hand arises out of the exceptional nature of individuals, their heroism or exemplary aspects in their character which grants them many followers especially in time of crises. In modern administrative structures, it is traditional authority and rational-legal authorities which can provide proper administrative structures. In formal organizations, people must follow the set of rules and obey their seniors at work. Formal structures formed on the basis of charismatic authority must evolve properly in order to be successful. This involves the adoption rational-legal authority for proper administrative structures. With his theory of scientific management, Fredrick Taylor actually pioneered the scientific approach to management. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Taylor was totally dissatisfied with the manner in which human organizations were managed and totally dedicated his time and energy on how this could be improved. He therefore pushed for a shift from the conventional style of personal management to a new style of scientific management. In personal management, the leader of the group was expected to be exceptionally bright in order to manage effectively (Taylor, 25). However, under scientific management, a group of ordinary people could perform better than the bright captain if they applied a scientific approach. He advocated for the training of employees in an organization to follow a given set of behavior rather letting them work at their discretion. In this regard, the spirit of cooperation was very important as it ensured proper working relationship between the management and the workers. Indeed such a situation was hitherto unknown in the organizations of that time. According to Taylor, the workload had to be effectively shared in the organization with the managers conducting the scientific work of instruction while the workers focusing on the provision of labour. In this case, there is less wrangles in the organization as long as each party diligently performs their duty. In modern organizations it is realized that the scientific mode of management as described by Taylor greatly helps in creating authority and legitimacy. Organizations are headed by leaders who are expected to apply science in managing the employees. On the other hand, employees should follow the instructions of the managers in order to create order in the organization. In this case, a connection is therefore seen between the works of Taylor on scientific management and the concept of authority as explained by Max Weber. The essence of the theories is to ensure that there is proper authority in an organization and each party has a role to play in that authority (Taylor, 77). The Hawthorne experiments were certainly an important step in the study of human relations. Conducted between 1924 and 1932, these studies were originally designed to determine the relationship between lighting and productivity. From the experiment, it was realized that while illumination was one factor of output, it was not really the most important. The subject of human factors emerged as some of the most important factor of concern in the organization and should therefore be effectively addressed. It was realized that experience played a major role in the ability of the workers to perform and issues of illumination, pay, working conditions and supervision could not bring about the change as required. In this case, the work environment was the most important factor of concern to the employees. The response of the employees to the various conditions indicated a situation where they changed their performance out of the fact that they were being studied. As such, the response that was desired could not really be achieved. In real life organizations, the Hawthorne experiments really seem to have much relevance. In formal organizations, employees tend to perform differently where they are being closely watched and when the supervisors are away. Management should therefore understand that the performance or productivity of the employees is normally a function of different factors in the organization. Employees generally perform depending on what they feel about the organization. In this regard, behavioral sciences cannot easily be used in manipulating workers to maximize their performance in the organization (Handel, 97). As in the experiment, employees will always perform differently depending on the different situations in the organization. Various social and psychological factors have an influence on the ability of the employees to perform in the organization. More importantly, it is seen that the informal relationships existing in the organization have more influence on the performance than the formal relationships. The welfare of the employees is therefore an important factor in organizational development. Where employees feel that the management is much concerned about their welfare, they tend to perform better and vice versa (Drucker, 45). In the Human Side of Enterprise, McGregor sought to create a working environment in which employees are easily controlled though motivation in a variety of ways. In this case, authority, control and direction are used. These factors were divided into theory X and theory Y. In theory X, the management of the organization should make the assumption that the employees are actually lazy and hate to work. In this case, the workers must be closely monitored if any output is to be realized out of them. Employees will avoid work as much as they can and every measure must be taken to keep them on toes. In such an n environment there is a very punitive working environment as the management and the workers seem to pull in different directions (McGregor, 68). In modern organizations, this theory has been found to be totally ineffective and will often lead to diseconomies of scale. The theory X managers usually feel that the only interest of the employees in the organization is the need for money. In such an environment there is much blames and finger pointing going on. On the other hand, Theory Y assumes that employees in the organization are greatly committed to work and are self-motivated. In addition, the employees can easily control themselves given that they greatly enjoy the mental and physical duties in the organization. To such employees, the idea of working is very natural and they will always strive to make the organization better. They seek to solve problems and use their talents to the interest of the organization. In modern organizations, some managers interpret this theory positively and therefore view workers very positively in the origination. As such, the manner in which they address human resource issues will always impress the employees who in turn reciprocate by giving their best to the organization. This can therefore be well connected to the concept of authority in the organization. Works Cited Drucker, Peter F.. Management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. [1st ed. New York: Harper & Row, 2004. Print. Handel, Michael J.. The sociology of organizations: classic, contemporary, and critical readings. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003. Print. Miles, Raymond E.. Theories of management: implications for organizational behavior and development. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print. Taylor, Frederick Winslow. Scientific management. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2003. Print. Read More