The Impact of Classical Theorist on Contemporary Management Practice

987 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: contrast fayol with contemporary management theories

French mining engineer, Henri Fayol graduated in 1860. He later became the director-general of Comambault, a company who was at the verge of bankruptcy. Fayol successfully reformed the company into one of the largest industrial combines of Europe after his retirement. Fayolism or Administrative theory was developed in 1900s with the focus that management should be considered as an essential skill of life and should be separated from any technical knowledge. He believed that everyone perform certain administrative functions in their everyday lives (Lynch and Robert G., 2013). The theory emphasizes that the success of an organization was determined by the administrative ability of its leader as oppose to their technicality.

Henri Fayol’s written work “Administration Industrielle et Générale” (Revised by Gray, 1987) proposed that there are 5 primary functions of management and 14 principles of management. This was his main contribution to management’s thoughts and practice. “Experiences… are expensive teachers” (Fayol, n.d.), through his understandings over the years in Comambault, Fayol believed that the principle of management could be outlined and taught.

5 Functions of management (Peaucelle & Guthrie, 2013)

1. To Plan
“Gouverner c’est prévoir” (Fayol, 1916) it is important to plan the foreseeable future and determine stages and technology necessary to implement it.

2. To Organize
To provide the organization with all its required tools, supplies, personnel etc. to operate.

3. To Coordinate
Work in harmony to achieve and adapt the means of the company’s objectives.

4. To Command
To trigger actions and act as a leader to ensure the work has been met.

5. To Control
To verify that the organization’s rule, given orders an...

... middle of paper ...

...y
Morgen Witzel and Malcom Warner http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585762.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199585762 Kazi Nashid Morsheda (n.d.), Fayolism, Fayol’s principles & Elements, http://www.academia.edu/4067269/Fayolism_Fayols_principle_and_elements Lauren Spatig, (2009), Rediscovering Fayol: Parallels to Behaviorists Management and Transformational Leadership, Fielding Graduate University http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/eds/detail?vid=3&sid=24eb909b-9b63-4a71-9c67-9e02000add69@sessionmgr115&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#db=bth&AN=48177685 Lynch & Robert G., (January 2013), Fayol Publishes General and Industrial
Management, Salem Press Encyclopedia
Matthew Alanis, (2014), Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management
http://www.alanisbusinessacademy.com/2014/03/12/managementprinciples/

Show More
Related

  • Management Approach To Henry Fayol's Organizational Model

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henri Fayol was the first to systematize the Classical Organizational theory in fourteen principles of management. Fayol’s fourteen principles were: division of labor, authority, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest, remuneration, centralization, the hierarchy, order, equity, stability of staff, initiative, and esperit de corps. The principles were very top down oriented and lead to a subordinate system where there is no autonomy and no sense of self. The principles promoted everyone give everything for the company that they work for while having no ability to self promote or improve ones’

    Read More

  • Exploring the Interconnection: Fayol's and Mintzberg’s Management Theories

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    tions and Mintzberg’s management roles instead represent different but logically connected ‘ontological layers of management’ (Lamond, 1997, p.8). Mintzberg and his colleagues have filled in the details of the practical manifestations of Fayol’s more abstract functions (Hales, 1993, p.13). What Mintzberg’s theory does is provide some of the empirical support that helps to find the link between managerial functions and managerial behaviour (Lamond, 1997, p.8). Consequently, it is of the writer’s opinion that instead of Mintzberg being more accurate in his definition of management, he has instead, built on the idea that Fayol formally proposed. This doesn’t necessarily undermine Mintzberg’s work; as Hales said, ‘if all philosophy is a set of

    Read More

  • Philosophy of Management

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every manager must have a set of principles, values, and core beliefs that he must follow. These principles, values, and beliefs make up his philosophy of management. Webster defines philosophy as “the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group.” (Webster) I will be discussing the principles, values, and beliefs I as a manager will have to do my job efficiently. I will also discuss the different biblical beliefs that support my management style.

    Read More

  • General And Administrative Style Of Management By Henri Fayol

    1653 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book by Wood & Wood again expressively talks about the theory of Fayol and how he worked on his theory for most part of his and was called as the Father of Administrative Management.

    Read More

  • Henry Fayol's Organizational and Management Theory

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henry Fayol is a scholar of French national and was born in 1841. The scholar Fayol was born at the cusp of French’s industrial revolution. Fayol mainly developed theories on management and organization of labor. Fayol developed the theory of management out of the experiences of French economy in the early years of the 19th century. During this period, France was underdeveloped compared to countries like Britain and Prussia. During this period the unification of Germany further exposed the underdevelopment of France and made it more economically insecure. Fayol is believed to be the founding father of the administration school and the first to describe management as a top down process based on planning and the organization of people (Thomson 2004).

    Read More

  • Narrow Supervision: The Essential Dimensions Of Classical Management

    469 Words  | 1 Pages

    The essential dimensions of classical management were based on a closed system view of organisation; that is, essential dimensions emphasised on a mechanical structure of control. So the essential dimensions of classical management break down to a set of four rigid and formal guidelines:

    Read More

  • Fayol's “Principles” in a University Library

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    In reading through Management Basics for Information Professionals by Evans and Ward, one of the theories of management that stood out to me was the “administrative approach” (2007). Henry Fayol was one of the main proponents of this approach, though there were many others as well. Fayol “divided organizational activities into five major groups” and also identified 14 principles of management and believed that “management is a skill one can learn, rather than a talent received at birth” (Evans & Ward, 2007). In the context of my personal experience I found that it might be interesting to compare my experiences as a student employee in the UC Berkeley library to some of the more applicable aspects of Fayol's principles of management. I worked in the Gardener Main Stacks located in the Doe Library of UC Berkeley for nearly three years and in that time I eventually was one of a group of student supervisors, so I have some experience being managed and as manager (though in a somewhat limited scope). In looking through Fayol's 14 principles, some apply more than others to the specific environment of the library that I worked in, and I will discuss some of the principles that stood out to me in examining my experiences at the library at UC Berkeley. I found that some principles pointed out some of the problems that I faced while I worked there as well as some of the things that worked well. On the other hand, some of Fayol's principles may apply in some ways, but in other ways may be outdated at this point.

    Read More

  • Compare The Management Theories Of Frederick Taylor, Henri Fayol, Elton Mayo And Douglas Mcgregor

    1864 Words  | 4 Pages

    Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol are both considered classical contributors to management theory. Both were developing and expression their viewpoints at similar time period with the aim of “raising standard of management in industry” (Brodie,1967, p7) in a period were very few publications and theories on management. While both theories were developed with the same influencing factors such as war, social struggles and industrial revolution (Urwick. 1951, p7) each developed quite different management theories. Frederick Taylor is considered the Father of Scientific management and he developed scientific principles of management, focusing on the individual,...

    Read More

  • Theories of Organizational Management

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Henry Fayol And Mintzberg

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    Over 50 years ago, English-speaking managers were directly introduced to Henry Fayol’s theory in management. His treatise, General and Industrial Management (1949), has had a great effect on managers and the practice of management around the world. However, 24 years after the English translation of Fayol, Henri Mintzberg in the Nature of Managerial Work (1973) developed another theory and stated that Fayol’s work was just “folklores”.

    Read More

  • Comparing Management Theories Of Frederick Taylor, Henri Fayol, Elton Mayo And Douglas Mcgregor

    2062 Words  | 5 Pages

    Compare and contrast the management theories of Frederick Taylor, Henri Fayol, Elton Mayo and Douglas McGregor. In what sense(s) are these theories similar and/or compatible? In what sense(s) are these theories dissimilar and/or incompatible? How would a contingency theorist reconcile the points of dissimilarity and/or incompatibility between these approaches?

    Read More

  • Management is comprised of four principal functions: planning, organizing, leading and controlling

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nowadays, management has become an important part of the society. The role of management is to assist the organisation to make the best use of its resource to achieve its goal. Base on the aim of management, one of the theorists Henri Fayol proposed the four necessary management functions: planning, organisation, leading, controlling are the tools managers use to achieve these goals. (Jones 2006) This essay is going to describe and discuss these functions.

    Read More

  • Classical Management Theory

    1964 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are three well-established theories of classical management: Taylor?s Theory of Scientific Management, Fayol?s Administrative Theory, Weber?s Theory of Bureaucracy. Although these schools, or theories, developed historical sequence, later ideas have not replaced earlier ones. Instead, each new school has tended to complement or coexist with previous ones.

    Read More

  • Principle Of Management Essay

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our first pioneer was Henry Fayol. Fayol was one of the pioneers who were accountable for constructing the modern management theory. Before Fayol created his principle his company who was currently was facing difficulty and with the experiences he had and the principles he created he was able to turn the mining company around. “Henri Fayol 's "14 Principles of Management" have been a significant influence on modern management theory. His practical lists of principles helped early 20th century managers learn how to organize and interact with their employees in a productive way” (Henry Fayol Principles of

    Read More

  • Criticism Of Henry Fayol's Functional Approach To Management

    2404 Words  | 5 Pages

    Henri Fayol, a French mining engineer and director of mines in the 1880s, came up a management idea known as Fayolism. Fayol identified managerial activities as “concerned with drawing up the broad plan of operations of the business, with assembling personnel, co-ordinating and harmonising effort and activity” (Fayol, 1949) . Fayol emphasizes the important on

    Read More

More about The Impact of Classical Theorist on Contemporary Management Practice

Open Document