Public Administration: Organizational Theory

Running Head : Organizational Theories

Organizational Theories

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Organizational Theories

In to understand how organizational communication functions , it is essential to be familiarized with the various theories that have shaped the development of present companies , businesses , and corporations These theories provide information regarding the underlying premises that guide the behaviors in organizations . Knowing more about these theories will help increase the ability to adapt and develop . Because each of these views represents some important conclusions regarding the proper structure for management , employee

, and systems relationships , an insight into the premises supporting them will be very beneficial . This outlines and discusses four major perspectives . At the end of this , the basic differences between scientific management , humanistic management , human resource management and contingency theory will be understood

Scientific Management

Three theorists stand out for their contributions to early management theory and practice . Taylor is the best known advocate of scientific management the other two are , Fayol and Weber

Early in the 20th century , Taylor (1911 ) looked at the typical production line and noticed there could be any number of workers performing the same job and each one would be using a different method This assumption of managerial responsibility for the worker 's job underlies the concept of scientific management . In most cases , managers were responsible to owners for the profitable operation of the assembly line . So , managers were expected to educate the workers and provide the proper tools for getting the job done . For the employees at the time who were uneducated and relatively unskilled , the system worked well The phrase "hired hand " developed during this period because the "hands were being hired to do a job . Taylor called for a clear job design by management for these unskilled workers

Taylor (1911 ) demonstrated the application of his concepts in his study of shoveling at Bethlehem Steel Company . On a small farm , workers would come to work with whatever tools they already had available . Taylor studied , through time-and-motion analysis , scaling the top performer 's ability to shovel more coal than other individuals . Through a "science of shoveling " he was able to find the optimum shovel size for the job that would allow the most productivity with the least worker fatigue . He then used an incentive payment , based on the top worker 's production for paying all individuals . The results were excellent . With fewer workers , efficiency went up

The exact details of Taylor 's (1911 ) study provide interesting reading They also helped establish the legitimacy of scientific management . By using standards of good performance , tight scientific means could be used for managing people . Taylor assumed all individuals could be top performers if scientifically assigned to the correct task . He believed performance was directly related to pay and the only real incentive needed for good work was good and fair pay . The use of clear-cut goals would enhance the potential for workers to perform well

Fayol (1949 ) also recognized the need to go beyond the traditional...