An organisation is “a system of consciously coordinated activities or efforts of two or more persons”. (Barnard, 1938, p. 73). Organizations can also be thought as “social entities that are goal directed, deliberately structured activity systems with a permeable boundary” (Bedeian and Zamnuto, 1991). Simply put, an organisation is a body intensionally created by like-minded persons to achieve set objectives. A theory is an abstract thought but based on principles verifiable by experiment or observation. Scott notes that administrative theory "emphasized management functions and attempted to generate broad administrative principles that would serve as guidelines for the rationalization of organizational activities" p. 36. Henri Fayol believes …show more content…
It includes the behaviour of leaders in the organization, how the environment influences decisions and the total organizational culture. In other words, It is the study of how organizations are designed and structured, the relationship between organizations and their external environment, and the over all behaviour of managers and technocrats within organizations. Organisation theory is a body of considerable knowledge and literature developed over the years reflecting what goes on in organisations. Within the larger framework of organisational theory, there exist some schools of thought namely, the classical, bureaucratic, systems modern and human relations organisational theories. These explains several of the aspects of an organisation that the philosophers find more important in an …show more content…
These prescriptions have a direct bearing on the operations and structures of organisations. The criticism of this theory is that it is normative. It prescribes what ought to be in an organisation rather than what is. Others see it as vague, contradictory, unrealistic and
Perrow, C. (1973), “The short and glorious history of organisational theory”, Organisational Dynamics, vol. 2, no. 1, pg.2-15
Organizational culture is a reflective view of the inner workings of an organization. This culture reflects hierarchical arrangements as it pertains to the lines of authority, rights and obligations, duties, and communication processes. Organizational structure establishes the manner in which power and roles are coordinated and controlled amongst the varying levels of management. The structure of an organization is dependent upon their goals, objectives, and strategy. Determining organizational structure best suited for an organization is generally found within the six key elements of organizational structure and choosing those to implement those best suited for the organization. The six key elements include:
Boje, D. M. , Luhman, J. T. , and Cunliffe, A. L. “ A Dialectic Perspective on the Organization
ROLLINSON, D., 2008. Organisational Behaviour and Analysis: An Integrated Approach. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Successfully running a business or organization requires mastering the four primary functions of managing. The four functions of management are planning, organization, leading and controlling. I manage a flourishing online shoe store (www.myhoodjapan.com), and each of these functions is important to my stores success. This paper will define the functions, and will explain how each relates to my Organization.
Organisational Structure, Culture, and Management Style of a Business C2 An Analysis of How the Organisational Structure, Culture And Management Style of the Business Affects its Performance and Operation and Help It to Meet Its Objectives The organisation structure of Wednesbury IKEA The organisation structure in the ‘Appendix section’ belongs to the Wednesbury branch of IKEA. Wednesbury IKEA is a large formal organisation and it is best suited to a hierarchical organisational structure. This is because; there are more employees as it goes downwards from each level.
Organisational theorists, depending on their school of thought, hold differing conceptions of organisational culture. Most theorists attempt to use a variety of metaphors, or images, to bound, frame, and differentiate that category of experience referred to as an “organisation” (Smircich, 1983). The most common comparisons made of organisations
There are several theories that examine an organization and it’s approach to managing work in an effort to develop efficiency and increase production. Two classical approaches to management are Taylor’s scientific management theory and Weber's bureaucratic management theory. Both men are considered pioneers of in the study of management.
The classical school of organization theory dominated administrations from the early 1900’s well into the 1930’s, and it is still relevant today in many of the contemporary organization theories. Shafritz states that classical organization theory was the first theory of its kind, and serves as the foundation of other schools organization theory (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2011, p. 32). Classical organization theory includes scientific management approach, bureaucratic approach, and administrative management approach. Several major theorists of classical organization were Adam Smith, Frederick Taylor, Max Weber, Henri Fayol, and Luther Gulick.
This paper, will discuss scholarly views on the nature and types of theory; compare and contrast some views of what constitutes a theory, differentiate theory from related concepts, such as hypothesis, paradigm, model, and concept. The paper also, will review scholarly literature on the relationship between theory and research and the ways research (quantitative and qualitative) can contribute to theory. Moreover, the paper will discuss various ways research can contribute to theory; and try to explain how the theory adds or may add to our understanding of management field. Finally, this paper will discuss and analyze literatures on two areas of controversy or unanswered questions related to the theory.
Early Theories of Organizations emerged mainly for military and Catholic Church. The metaphor of the machine was dominant, where organizations are viewed as machines. Therefore, the organizational application was, since workers behave predictably (as machines do rarely deviate from the norm), management knows what to expect, and workers operating outside expectations are replaced.
Miles, R. (1975) Theories of Management: Implications for Organisational Behaviour and Development. McGraw-Hill, New York.
There are many theories that have been developed by scholars to explain the principles and practice of management. Some of these theorists include: Henry Fayol; and Mintzberg among others. Henry Fayol is believed to be the first scholar to develop the management theory. Other scholars developed their theories based on the weakness of Henry Fayol’s theory of management (Thomson 2004).
Organizations must operate within structures that allow them to perform at their best within their given environments. According to theorists T. Burns and G.M Stalker (1961), organizations require structures that will allow them to adapt and react to changes in the environment (Mechanistic vs Organic Structures, 2009). Toyota Company’s corporate structure is spelt out as one where the management team and employees conduct operations and make decisions through a system of checks and balances.
Management plays a significant role in how business operates. The diversity of approaches to the theoretical and practical background of management has come up with several versions of what is meant by such key words as management and organization. The academia views expressed in relation to management theories take a different role than that prescribed to managers. There has not been any concrete definition of management even though the classic definition of Henri fayol still remains in contention to be the preferred choice after eighty years. In the context of what is required I would like to elaborate on the following journals.