Approaches To the Study of Management

“What are the different approaches to the study of Management and how they are relevant to today’s workplace?”

2 Selected Different Approaches to the Study of Management

Every manager can use different approaches to management to deal with employees and bring efficiency to the workplace. Based on the nature of the work, the management adopts the pertinent approach. Scientific and administrative theories have been adopted by the company in different organizations. The elaboration of these two approaches or theories is as under

Scientific theory by Frederick W. Taylor

The scientific theory is also called classical theory. According to Frederick W. Taylor, the management can give rewards to employees to enable efficiency at the workplace instead of scolding them. By synthesizing the workflow, the firm management can increase productivity. In contemporary business practice, increasing labor productivity through this scientific approach is the best option for the management. Employee happiness and productivity lead towards high profitability (Bauer, 2012).

Administrative theory by Henri Fayol

Administrative theory has become the modern management approach in several organizations. According to this theory, the organization needs an effective administrative structure along with well-directed power delegation and labor division. This approach is pertinent to the modern organization, as work delegation, power-sharing and participative decision-making process in different departments are key elements for work improvement, efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and profitability.

How they are Relevant to today’s Workplace

The administrative management theory is relevant to their workplace. For Instance, employees, working in different teams, are to be managed by the administration. When dealing with numerous teams in the company, especially in the larger organization, the work delegation seems mandatory. The right task for the right employee at the right time can be allocated through this administrative approach. The leadership team usually has to contain a democratic leadership style to manage both employees and work.

Conversely, the scientific approach looks traditional as compared to administrative theory in this contemporary business era. However, it is relevant to the workplace. For Instance, the management usually analyzes the work process and identifies different strengths and weakness regarding the employee performance. Accordingly, the management shapes the work culture and employee behavior to ensure efficiency. Through this scientific approach, the overall cost of production can be reduced (Cole, 2004).

Differences between Leadership and Management

The big difference between the manager and the leader is the creation of goals and visions. Leaders, triggered by the administrative theory, usually create the vision. Managers, integrated with scientific theory, create work goals. At the workplace, the leader takes big risks. Comparatively, the leader controls all risks. Leaders play the role of a coach and manager plays the role of a director in the company (Bauer, 2012).

Manager’s roles and activities

Planning, organizing, leading and controlling are key roles, which are to be played by the manager in the firm.  In short, the manager manages both people and works in the company and produces results according to expectations. The main activities of the manager are employee training, problem-solving, monitoring performance, controlling expenses, tracking, reporting, and goals setting. Interestingly, the activities of the manager evolve with the passage of time. Depending on the work nature, roles and activities can be changed. For instance, the manager, playing the role of a leader in a firm, may use administrative theory to manage employees and work. He may form different work teams and encourage all team members to participate in the decision-making process. Similarly, relevant to the scientific approach, the manager may use different technological tools to analyze the work process and make the decision accordingly. Thus, the roles and activities of the manager are triggered by these management approaches in an organization (Cole, 2004).

References

Bauer, T. (2012). Compare and contrast scientific management and human relations theory. GRIN Verlag.

Cole, G. A. (2004). Management Theory and Practice. Cengage Learning EMEA.