comm 2 classical approaches

chapter 2

machine metaphor

organizations are like machines in which they are specialized, standardized, replaceable, and predictable. specialization refers to the fact that every part of the engine has specific functions. machines are standardized in the way that parts are standardized in a way that if one part breaks, it is able to be replaced. the individuals who labor in the organization are the cogs of the machine, being standardized and interchangeable. machines are predictable, when something breaks you are able to deduce what was wrong.

henry fayol

“the father of modern operational-management theory”, a french industrialist in late 19th and early 20th century. two particularly influential aspects of his work are his consideration of “elements of management” and “principles of management”.

elements of management

deals with what managers should do. including planning (looking into the future to determine best way to attain organizational goals), organizing (arrangement and evaluation of human resources), command (managers set tasks for employees to meet organizational goals), coordination (separate activities within org should be harmonized into a whole), and control (comparison between goals and activities to ensure organization is functioning as planned)

principles of management

how management can function best. principles of organizational structure, principles of organization power, principles of organizational reward, and principles or organizational attitude

scalar chain (org structure)

organization should be arranged in a strict hierarchy, and communication should be limited to vertical flow

unity of command

an employee should receive orders regarding a particular task from only one supervisor

unity of direction

activities having similar goals should be placed under a single supervisor

division of labor

work can best be accomplished if employees are signed to a limited number of specialized tasks

order

there should be an appointed place for each employee and task within the organization

span of control

managers will be most effective if they have control of a limited number of employees. fayol generally suggests a limit of twenty to thirty employees for first-level managers and six employees for higher-level managers.

hierarchy

vertical communication goes up and down the hierarchy (chain of command) whereas horizontal communication is with other same level employees

centralization (organizational power)

organizations will be most effective when central management has control over decision-making and employee activities. fayol also believed that contingency factors such as firm size and the personal characteristics of the managers and employees could influence the optimal level of centralization.

authority and responsibility (organizational power)

managers hold authority deriving from both position within organization and personal characteristics(intelligence, experience), but this also holds that responsibility must accompany authority equally.

discipline (organizational power)

all organizational members should be obedient to the rules of the organization and to the managers who enforce them.

Remuneration of personnel (org reward)

employees should be rewarded for their work with appropriate salaries and benefits. Kreps notes that organization members primary motive is financial, and the better financial compensation and benefits they get the higher quality work they output.

Equity (org reward)

In remuneration, as well as organizational behavior, employees should be treated justly.

tenure stability (org reward)

The organization should guarantee sufficient time on the job for employees to achieve max performance. fayol also notes that too much tenure stability could be counterproductive.

subordination of individual interest to general interest (org attitude)

an organization can be effective only when the interests of the whole take precedence over the interests of individuals. individuals must always consider organizational goals first.

initiative (org attitude)

managers should value and direct an employees efforts to work in the best interest of the organization.

esprit de corps (org attitude)

there should be no dissension in the organization’s ranks. “all for one and one for all”.

prescriptive theory

describes how things should be done, not how they are done. strong evidence demonstrates this theory does not adequately describe or explain the ways in which organizations actually function.

theory of classical management

maximizing productivity, organizational efficiency, and profit through structured hierarchies and specialized roles

Max Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy

Max weber: german sociolost, same time period as Fayol. Max Weber's theory of bureaucracy is a rational, formal management framework designed to maximize organizational efficiency, uniformity, and control through strict structure and clear authority.

ideal type theory

lays out the features of an abstract, or idealized, organization of a given type, rather than advocating a particular organizational form as best.

closed system

bureaucracies are generally closed systems, where it will shut itself off from influences of the outside environment, because interruptions could hamper its smooth functioning.

traditional authority

traditional authority is power based on long-standing beliefs about who should have control and is often vested in particular positions within an organizational hierarchy.

charismatic authority

charismatic authority is power based on an individuals personality and ability to attract and interact with its followers. highly unstable, followers can become disenchanted with leaders charismatic qualities. ex. cult organizations, and certain politicians having “charismatic qualities”

rational-legal authority

rational-legal authority is power based on the rational application of rules developed through a reliance on information and expertise. power does not rest in the individual, but in the expertise/rationality that created the system of rules and norms.

Frederick Taylor’s theory of scientific management

Frederick Taylor: a U.S. businessman, goal to provide prescriptions for how organization could be better run, like Fayol. However, Taylor concentrates on the micro level of organizational functioning. He is not concerned with organizational structure but the relationship between manager and employee and control of the individual.

empirical theory of empirical data and scientific analysis to maximize economic efficiency and worker productivity.

systematic soldiering

employees deliberately slow down their work pace and restrict their output together. in frederick’s time this was due to rate-busting and the piecework pay system. ex: if someone comes and lays 200 bricks per hour, the rate would be busted down to a penny per ten bricks rather than a penny per five bricks. that is the piecework pay system along with the rate-busting of efficient workers.

time and motion studies

a business efficiency technique that breaks work down into distinct tasks and uses a stopwatch to measure and optimize how long each step takes. ex: he analyzes many different methods of bricklaying to determine the “one best way” that’s taught to all workers.

division of labor

workers perform physical labor that is planned and directed by management. breaking down complex tasks into specialized, distinct roles and departments, shaping how information and messages flow within a workspace.

direction of communication flow in classical approaches

vertical (downward)

mode/channel of communication in classical approaches

usually written communication

style of communication in classical approaches

formal communication style

task related communication

communication based on task/job at hand

innovation related communication

communication about new ideas

maintenance related communication

communication on social topics that maintains human relationships

vertical flow of information

Fayol, Weber, and Taylor believe the most important route for communication is the vertical flow of information along scalar change of hierarchy. Moving downwards.