Classical management is a management approach that was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it focuses on efficiency and productivity. It is based on the idea that there are certain universal principles of management that can be applied to any organization, regardless of its size or industry.
One of the main principles of classical management is the division of labor, which involves breaking down tasks into smaller, more specialized units. This allows for greater efficiency, as each worker becomes an expert in their particular area of expertise, and it allows for the creation of a clear hierarchy of authority within the organization.
Another key principle of classical management is the use of scientific management techniques, which involve the use of data and analysis to optimize work processes and increase efficiency. This includes the use of time and motion studies to identify ways to streamline tasks, as well as the use of standardization and uniformity in order to improve quality and reduce variability.
One of the most well-known proponents of classical management was Frederick Winslow Taylor, who is considered the father of scientific management. Taylor believed that there was a single "best way" to perform each task, and that this "best way" could be determined through careful study and analysis. He argued that if workers followed these "best practices," productivity would increase and costs would decrease.
While classical management has been widely influential, it has also been criticized for its focus on efficiency and productivity at the expense of other factors, such as worker satisfaction and well-being. Some have argued that this approach can lead to a dehumanizing work environment and a lack of flexibility and creativity.
Despite these criticisms, classical management remains an important and influential approach to management, and it continues to be studied and applied in a variety of organizations today.
Classical Management Cycle
It is based on the prototype industrial and military organization. This concept of management emphasizes improving the performance and overall function of an organization. This management style can be beneficial when decisions need to be made quickly by one leader, rather than a group of company officials. What is the importance of classical approach? His focus of study has been the problems of the high ranking managers and for this simple reason he has come to be known as an administrative specialist. Are the Classical Management Functions Useful in Describing Managerial Work? specific requirements for each and every job should be given in physical, mental and other requisites. Incentives The classical theory believes that employees are motivated by financial rewards. According to Max Weber, bureaucracy is defined as any system of administration conducted by trained professionals according to fixed rules.
We shall now study in detail the contribution of all these four management experts: a Contribution of Taylor : Taylor was a person who within a very short duration of time 1878-1884 rose from the ranks of an ordinary labourer to the position of a Chief Engineer. Remarkably, the 70 percent or greater failure rate applies to everyone. In the modern workplace, sanctioned social activities and open, defined communication channels owe a debt to human relations theory. In this way, by bringing about improvement in the methods of working some possible addition to efficiency can be made. It does not take into account social needs or job satisfaction, but instead advocates a specialization of labor, centralized leadership and decision-making, and profit maximization.
This results in more and better work being accomplished in much lesser time, which is one of the main benefits of specialisation. Every employee is responsible for the decisions taken by him and his subordinates. Taylor 1856-1915 who propounded this theory. Rewards are given not on the basis of personal relations but on the basis of efficiency. According to Fayol, People and materials must be in suitable places at appropriate time for maximum efficiency. This theory focuses on improving organizational performance by synchronizing all the internal elements of organizations. This situation shows the lack of unity of command.
The principles developed under this approach are accepted even today. Normally, it is seen that a conflict between the managers and the workers results in division of profits, with both the parties demanding a larger share of profits. This ensures order and uniformity throughout an organization, producing a specialized workforce. The approach also neglects the reciprocal effect managers and workers can have on one another. A good number of sociologists and psychologists like Abraham Maslow, Hugo Munsterberg, Rensis Likert, Douglas McGregor, Frederick Herzberg, Mary Parker Follet, and Chester Barnard are the major contributors to this school of thought, which is further subdivided by some writers into the Human Relations approach and the Human Behavioral approach. Feelings have a practical impact on operations.
Classical Management: The Three Approaches Of The Classical...
Theory X and Theory Y Douglas McGregor primarily investigated the way managers motivate their employees. Equal division of responsibility: If the responsibility of the management is to plan and organize, then the responsibility of the workers to execute the plan according the instruction provided by the management. Everyone should understand the responsibilities and expectations of their position, their place within a clear hierarchy and general corporate policies. Classical management theory has the principle intended to boost the benefit of the organization. However, increase in efficiency has adverse effect on the requirement for workers.
While both have value, it is critical thinking that upsets the cycle of classical management. Three streams of classical management theory are — Bureaucracy Weber , Administrative Theory Fayol , and Scientific Management Taylor. The same rule applies at the time of allotting any responsibility to individuals. Bureaucratic organization is the most rational means of carrying out proper control over human beings. Specialization The classical management theory involves an assembly line view of the workplace in which large tasks are broken down into smaller ones that are easy to accomplish.
According to Taylor, instead of fighting over division of profits, both the parties should make efforts for increasing the profits. In his efforts to do so, he conducted a number of experiments and proved that — i if the various parts of the process of production are reduced to the minimum, ii while working, unnecessary movements of the body are eliminated, iii the time required for doing every work is determined and iv recognising that human beings are not inanimate objects and hence are likely to feel fatigued, proper arrangements for their resting are made, then incompetence will be totally eliminated from the organisation. Kimani states that universities and other schools rely on bureaucracies to function, as the compatibility of this function is relevant in the delegation of tasks division of labour, which is the defining and break-down of work into well-defined tasks, and delegated to be manageable Figure 1: Example of hierarchy and division of labor in a university system. Why did the Classical School of Management arise? Max Weber believed that bureaucracies shared certain characteristics: chain of command, division of labor, and impersonality. It has also been suggested that all managers and supervisors basically do the same thing, irrespective of the type of organisation or position within the organisation. The administrative theory is given by Henry Fayol, who believed that more emphasis should be laid on organizational management and the human and behavioral factors in management.
What is Classical Management Theory? Definition, Features, & Types
Henri Fayol and his followers Mooney and Reiley, Simon, Urwick, Gullick, etc. Principles of Scientific Management : ADVERTISEMENTS: The Scientific Management Approach propounded by F. This conclusion of Fayol brings out two features of management — i That management is an activity which is different from other business activities, and ii that management has the quality of being universal. According to Weber, bureaucratic organisation is the most appropriate type of organisation which is characterised by specialisation, division of labour, well-defined hierarchy, formal rules and regulations and impersonality in the application of rules. The theory concentrates on organization structure and their management.
