The topic of management history may sound like old news, but many of the issues

Question

The topic of management history may sound like old news, but many of the issues and problems addressed by Max Weber, Chester Barnard, and other management theorists still challenge managers today. How can we structure an organization for maximum efficiency and just treatment of individuals? What is the basis for, and limits to, authority in organizations? It is rather amazing that these thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries generated such a wealth of theory that still influences our discussion of management and leadership challenges in the 21st century. This exercise will give you the opportunity to draw upon some ideas that trace their roots back to the pioneers of management thinking.

Step 1: Find an observation point.Identify a place where you can unobtrusively observe a group of people as they go about their work. You might select a coffee shop, bookstore, or restaurant. Select a busy establishment.

Step 2: Settle in and observe.Go to your selected workplace and observe the people working there for at least 20 minutes. You should take along something like a notebook or PDA so that you can jot down a few notes. It is a good idea to go during a busy time, so long as it is not so crowded that you will be unable to easily observe the workers.

Step 3: Observe employees at work.Observe the process of work and the interaction among the employees. Consider some of the following issues:

·           Identify the steps that employees follow in completing a work cycle (e.g., from taking an order to delivering a product). Can you see improvements that might be made, particularly steps that might be eliminated or streamlined?

·           Observe the interaction and mood of the workers. Are they stressed? Or are they more relaxed? Does it seem to you that these workers like working with each other?

·           Listen for signs of conflict. If you see signs of conflict, is the conflict resolved? If so, how did the workers resolve their conflict? If not, do you think that these workers suppress (bottle up) conflict?

·           Can you tell who is in charge here? If so, how do the other workers respond to this person's directions? If not, how does the work group sort out who should be doing each task, and in what order?

Step 4: Consider what you saw. Immediately after your observation session, look through this chapter on management history for connections to your observations. For example, do you see any signs of the "Hawthorne Effect"? Would Fredrick Taylor approve of the work process you observed, or might he have suggested improvements? What might Chester Barnard's theory have to say about how the workers you observed responded to instructions from their "boss"? Write a one-page paper of bullet-point notes describing possible connections between your observations and the thinking of management pioneers such as Mary Parker Follett.

Step 5: Share your findings as a class. Discuss the various points of connection you found between pioneering management thinkers and your own observations of people at work. Are some of the issues of management "timeless"? If so, what do you see as timeless issues of management? What are some ways in which work and management have changed since the days of the management pioneers?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

·           Share the experience of observing people at work—what might observation contribute to the students' understanding (vs., say, reading about a particular workplace)?

·           Identify at least a few of the timeless themes in management study. (See the questions in Step 4 of the exercise related to the Hawthorne Effect, Chester Barnard's theory on acceptance of authority, etc.)

·           Identify at least a few of the ways in which work and management may have changed since the era when studied by the pioneers in management thought (e.g., shifts in communication driven by email, computer networks).

Explanation / Answer

I would like to share the observations from my workplace which is a publishing company. The publishing process involves two applications namely editorial and production. The publishing process is very extensive process and differs for each journal type. There are veterans who are well versed in the process. However, there are employees who find it difficult to get adapted to the different processes. Continuous improvements are considered in each phase. An example where improvement can be made is deciding on the publishing dates. The Journal Managers should interact with the Publishers and pre-determine the publishing schedule at the end of each year to publish in the forthcoming year. This is not a routine activity followed by all the managers. Hence, this process needs to be made mandatory to avoid any chaos in the last minute. The employees are stressed during the end of the year because they are requested by management to publish as many pages as possible to achieve the target. The different processes and the year end stress makes the employees look stressful. There is team work to achieve the target however the employees have conflicts or cold war among them. Each employee want to be the best and do not want to compromise on the promotions or recognitions. The Team Manager is responsible for the team members. The conflicts are escalated to the Team Manager who strives her best to manage the conflict.

The workplace observations have signs of “Hawthorne Effect”. The Hawthorne effect states that employees’ modify their behavior when they are under study. The following were observed:

a. Management provided recognition certificate to employees who performed well. Employees felt their work is under continuous monitoring.

b. The fact that their behavior is monitored or under study by the management made the employees to be very professional which enhanced harmony among team members.

c. The theory was used to solve productivity issues and the same happened in the workplace

d. There was consistency in the performance appraisal of employees wherein consistency in the worker’s assessment is a characteristics of the theory.

e. The theory states that the employees’ concerns are addressed and the same in the workplace happened. The employees felt they are being heard.

f. Good working conditions and benefits contributed to increased productivity.

The pioneers and their theory of the traditional management and work related issues are now replaced by the modern management theories. For example, in today’s digital era strategic decision makers, change champions are sought by management for increased productivity. The digital era has changed the management functions for example video conference is today's trend. This shift in the way of communciation is not captured in the hawthorne theory.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse T
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.