Evolution of Management Thinking and Practices – 20th Century – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #916

Evolution of Management Thinking and Practices – 20th Century – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #916

Dear Colleagues!  This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #916 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans  aims to share knowledge and wisdom from Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on  WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here.

Elton Mayo

F W Taylor

Henri Fayol

The 20th century witnessed a vibrant evolution of management thought, with numerous groundbreaking theories and practices emerging to meet the needs of increasingly complex and dynamic organizations. Here are some of the most influential thinkers and their lasting impact. 

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) – Father of Scientific Management

Taylor was born in Philadelphia and died there at the age of 64. He graduated from Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire in 1872, but was forced to give up his plans to attend Harvard when he lost his eyesight. By 1875, his vision had recovered enough to becone an apprentice pattern maker amnd machinist. Shortly after, he moved to Midvale Steel Plant as machinist where he rose quickly through the ranks to become Chief Engineer in 1884. 

In 1881, he introduced his theory of time and motion study, which formed the basis of his subsequent theory of management science. Time and Motion theory held that close observation of time and motion and elimination of wasteful motions would result in the most efficient method of production. Taylor was a highly creative individual, with more than 40 patents filed under his name. He retired at the age of 45 to focus on promotin gthe scientific management method.

Taylor’s work focused on increasing productivity and therefore, profitablilty. The good thing was that his goal of raising productivity was without driving workers too hard. He believed in finding the right job for the right worker, and paying that worker well for the increased output rather than simply paying for the job. 

Taylor’s methods have been used in industries ranging from manufacturing to education to medicine, with excellent results. While his work has been frequently misinterpreted, the reality is that his ideas are very similar to the principles of lean manufacturing that business so reveres today.

Taylor was in favour of finding the best way to accomplish a task, similar to benchmarking. He advocated for eliminating waste, especially wasted motion, similar to process redesign or continuous improvement. In fact, many knowledgeable people credit Taylor with inventing the concept of continuous improvement. Even though widely misunderstood, Frederick Taylor’s contribution to modern manufacturing methods cannot be overstated. He was a true visionary and a tireless advocate for the worker as well as management.

Henri Fayol (1841-1925) – Modern Management Theory – 14 Principles

Henri Fayol was a French coal-mine engineer, director of mines and modern management theoretician. His scientific management theory forms the base for business administration and business management. In the academic world, this is also known as Fayolism. Henri Fayol provided one of the most influential modern management concepts of his time. 

Fayol was also one of the founders of the 14 principles of modern management. In 1916, he published his first book, introducing the term fayolism. The theory describes the role of management in organizations and consists of five described primary functions of management and fourteen management principles.

According to Henri Fayol, the five functions of management are planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. In 1916, Henri Fayol published his work experience in the book Administration Industrielle et Generale (General and Industrial Management). 

14 principles of management are given below.

I. Division of Work

Henri believed that segregating work among the workers will enhance quality of the product. Similarly, he also concluded that the division of work improves productivity, efficiency, accuracy and speed of the workers. 

II. Authority and Responsibility

These are the two key aspects of management. Authority facilitates the management to work efficiently, and responsibility makes them responsible for the work done under their guidance or leadership.

III. Discipline

Without discipline, nothing can be accomplished. It is the core value for any project or any management. Good performance and sensible interrelation make the management job easy and comprehensive.

IV. Unity of Command

This means an employee should have only one boss and follow his command. If an employee has to follow more than one boss, there begins a conflict of interest which can create confusion.

V. Unity of Direction

Whoever is engaged in the same activity should have a unified goal. This means all the people working in a company should have one goal and motive which will make the work easier and achieve the set goal easily.

VI. Subordination of Individual Interest

This indicates a company should work unitedly towards the interest of the company rather than personal interest. Be subordinate to the purposes of an organisation. This refers to the whole chain of command in a company.

VII. Remuneration

This plays an important role in motivating the workers of a company. Remuneration can be monetary or non-monetary. Ideally, it should be according to an individual’s efforts they have put forth.

VIII. Centralization

In any company, the management or any authority responsible for the decision-making process should be neutral. However, this depends on the size of an organisation. Henri Fayol stressed on the point that there should be a balance between the hierarchy and division of power.

IX. Scalar Chain

Fayol, on this principle, highlights that the hierarchy steps should be from the top to the lowest. This is necessary so that every employee knows their immediate senior whom they should be able to contact any, if needed.

X. Order

A company should maintain a well-defined work order to have a favourable work culture. The positive atmosphere in the workplace will boost more positive productivity.

XI. Equity

All employees should be treated equally and respectfully. It’s the responsibility of a manager that no employee faces discrimination.

XII. Stability

An employee delivers the best if they feel secure in their job. It is the duty of the management to offer job security to their employees.

XIII. Initiative

The management should support and encourage the employees to take initiatives in an organisation. It will help them to increase their motivation and morale.

XIV. Esprit de Corps

It is the responsibility of the management to motivate their employees and be supportive of each other regularly. Developing trust and mutual understanding will lead to a positive outcome and work environment.

In conclusion, the 14 Principles of Management the pillars of any organisation. They are integral for prediction, planning, decision-making, process management, control and coordination.

3. George Elton Mayo (1880-1949) - Founder of Human Relations Movement

George Elton Mayo was an Australian professor of industrial relations who taught at Harvard Business School in the 1920s. Mayo is considered the founder of the human relations (HR) movement and his contributions to the field have earned him the titles of “father of HR” and “father of scientific management.” 

Before Mayo’s work in HR, the prevailing theory in workplace productivity and management was that workers were primarily motivated by pay. Therefore, employees’ human needs were widely disregarded by businesses. Mayo used a science-based approach to disprove that employees were inherently lazy. His HR theories continue to influence the American workplace. 

Based on his well-known Hawthorne experiments, Mayo’s management theories grew from his observations of employee productivity levels under varying environmental conditions. His experiments drew a number of conclusions about the real source of employee motivation, laying the groundwork for later approaches to team building and group dynamics. Mayo’s management theory states that employees are motivated far more by relational factors such as attention and camaraderie than by monetary rewards or environmental factors, such as lighting, humidity and more.

Mayo developed a matrix to illustrate the likelihood that a given team would be successful. His matrix demonstrates the role that varying combinations of group norms and group cohesiveness play in team effectiveness.

Mayo’s theories identify a “norm” through the degree to which a group encourages positive or negative behaviors. This is typically expressed through an employee handbook or workplace policies and can include formal or informal rules.

Group cohesiveness is how a group cooperates together, defined as a group’s overall comradery or level of teamwork.

The following are the four combinations of a group’s norm in relation to its cohesiveness:

1. Low norm and low cohesiveness: This group is ineffective and has a minimal impact since none of the members are motivated to excel.

2. Low norm and high cohesiveness: This group has a negative impact since fellow members encourage negative behavior. In a typical workplace, an example would be a group that gossips together and actively fights against management — a group with high comradery and low structure. 

3. High norm and low cohesiveness: This group has a small degree of positive impact through individual member accomplishments. Each employee must maintain a high standard of work but does not cooperate as part of a team.

4. High norms and high cohesiveness: This group has the greatest positive impact, is held to a high standard and works together to achieve its goals.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intention to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, however, it happens unintentionally, I offer my sincere regrets.

Reference:

https://www.qad.com/blog/2018/04/frederick-winslow-taylor-scientific-management

https://www.toolshero.com/toolsheroes/henri-fayol/

https://byjus.com/commerce/henri-fayol-14-principles-of-management/ 

https://www.business.com/articles/management-theory-of-elton-mayo/