Analysis of 'Square Pegs and Round Holes!'
In a world where the only constant is change, business managers strive
to improve the performance of their subordinates by through increased
efficiency and effectiveness. It is the function of a manager,
regardless of level, to attain organisational goals through the
effective production of goods and services through effective planning,
organising, leading and controlling, using the available resources.
During the past century management styles and methods have developed
as apart of the continuing battle to improve the performance of staff
and enable the organisation to remain competitive in a business world
that has become global and diverse where continual development and
improvement are the main aims.
The organisations, as depicted by classical theorists such as Max
Weber, Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol, tended to support local
markets, have a homogeneous workforce, used mechanical based
technology. The main focus was that of profit in a culture that
primarily concentrated on ensuring economic stability and efficiency
within the workplace through autocratic leadership approaches and
specialisation of labour. In today’s business world where the market
is global and electronic technology plays a major role, not only for
information and communication but also for production, marketing,
design and development the constant need to improve productivity and
performance has led to a business world of chaos and change. For a
business to survive in this dynamic climate where the customer needs
are paramount, new management and working methods are required. There
is now much greate...
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...om the
‘Dickensian’ model of the original 18th Century business. Perhaps
some of the discontentment within the workplace can be attributed to
our growing need for more and better. As individuals in society we
too have evolved to expect growth, continuous improvement and
diversity in our lives and that creates a feeling of discontentment
and inadequacy with the current situation. The need to be better, have
better and do more may also be partly responsible for work-life
imbalance that creates disharmony within the workplace.
Bibliography
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Langton, Nancy, Stephen Robbins, and Timothy Judge.Organizational Behaviour: Concepts, Controversies, Applications. Fifth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2009. 141, 574-84. Print.
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Classical management theories which are based on the contributions made by scholars like Henri Fayol, Fredrick Taylor and Max Weber, are often viewed as highly structured, hierarchical, emphasis on strict division of labour and centralisation of power (Miller, 2012),. Although these theories have taken inspiration from post industrial revolution, and were mostly prevalent in the early twentieth century, we can still see trace...