Management Theories Scott Straughan

Investigate the develop ment of circumspection as a surmisal and discipline. Asses the relevance of these theories to young twenty-four hour period managers and refer the key management skills that entrust be of importance to the manager of the millennium.For the purpose of this essay modern day manager shall mean managers of the present day. Management skills be skills that managers assume to be good at there wrench.In this essay I will be investigating management theories at the start of this century, thus looking at the progression of management up until the present day, this will include research carried a mode by a number of quite a little which gave growth to HRM as we go it today. I will then identify key management skills in these theories and assess their relevance to todays management, I will also identify the management skills required in todays workforce.At the turn of the century there were a attractor of important developments in management. Oil companies (standard oil trust) and (u.s. steel, the first 1 billion dollar comp each) were rapidly expanding. Smaller and medium sized companies had to modify capacity in order to survive against the big giants.Frederick Wins pitiful Taylor (1856-1915) began to look at the measurement of work, he broke down each task to go steady out how long it would take, he then planned frontward for come of histrions urgencyed and what training they would need, he then decided what wages the workers were deserving accordingly to what they accomplished. At the same time Henry ford (1896-1947) minify his chassis assemblage time from twelve and a half hours to 90 three minutes by using these methods. Managers were starting to plan ahead much to increase efficiency, as competition increased researchers began to look at other agencys of improving efficiency point more than, they started to look at the working(a) environment.Elton mayo (1880-1949) carried out the Hawthorne experiments, they l ooked at relationships in the workplace and working conditions. Mayo fix that concourses needs and attitudes had much more of an influence on productivity than the efficiency of the production line itself, this was called the human relations rise and is wide used today. The Hawthorne experiments looked at four areas -2. The relay crowd root word experimentsThe purpose was to increase productivity. The illumination experiments looked at lighting and heating, mayo put together even in poor working conditions productivity was still higher(prenominal) than average, the workers were working harder because someone was taking an interest in them. The relay assembly pigeonholing experiments took six female workers and gave them there own separate areas to work in, they were given regular breaks and freedom to talk. The person who studied them also worked as their supervisor, the workers were consulted before any changes were do, and productivity was massively increased, again due to the position someone was taking an interest in them.The bank wiring group studies involved fourteen male workers and was very similar to the relay assembly group experiments. Finally he carried out the interviewing program, this involved interviewing every worker (21,000 in total), they were asked about their opinion of the company they worked for and their attitudes towards their managers, the results were closely analysed afterwards. Mayo had found a way to increase productivity through better working relations and better working conditions. Productivity increased as a result of the fol get-going -Due to better working relations groups of workers worked harder, however what about personnel motivationDuring the war most of the young men were fighting, managers had to keep up with an incredible demand, they were given older retired workers and women, women had never been widely employed in factories before this time.Managers looked to researchers to get the maximum effort out of workers. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) argued commonwealth do not solely work for money, but for elementary needs much(prenominal)(prenominal) as shelter, food for survival, and higher needs such as self esteem and confidence. This is called Maslows hierarchy of needs, Maslow describes fives types of needs arranged in a hierarchy, Maslow assumed people always desireed more, one level should be the motivator to the next.1. Physical needs basic needs such as food, water, shelter, air, rest, and sex.2. Safety needs freedom from fear of threats, security and constancy (pensions and healthcare)3. Social needs the need for acceptance within a group, friendship, adore affection and comfort when feeling down.4. Esteem needs the need for feat and recognition, respect for yourself. Managers good deal give this through training and development.5. Self realization needs the need for a person to achieve their full potential, proceeding and growth.Not everyone meets these needs thro ugh work, some might gain them through social activities with friends, and an activity such as playing in a football team may achieve this. However some people are happy after achieving the first level and are not motivated to the next level, while others strive to improve themselves, this was the flaw in Maslows theory. More researchers began to look at HRM, there was still a administrate to be discovered, Maslow had started the work and straight off more people were following in his footsteps, they started to look at positive thinking and the way management toughened workers.Douglas McGregor (1906-1964) looked at conventional management styles compared to newer ones, these were called theory x and theory y. He found old methods assumed people did not want to work, had to be closely supervised and did not take much pride in their work, this was called theory x, theory y was completely the opposite and argued people did want to work and got a lot of satisfaction from taking prid e in their work.McGregor argued if you treat workers as responsible and intelligent people who want to work, that is the way they will be run through. He also looked at achievers and successful people and suggested these people took responsibility for their work and set themselves moderate achievable goals, low achievers came from poor cultural backgrounds, poor education and felt they could not achieve any goals they set, they could however be achievers through training and development.we have looked at the development of management from the early 1900s up until present day. all told management styles traditional or modern focus on efficiency and productivity. Traditional management includes bureaucratic management which relies very much on rules, procedures, discipline and hierarchy, this causes a clear division between workers and management and causes low productivity. Scientific management focused on the one best way to do a job and did not take into account that workers know how to do their work better than management, again this method causes low productivity. novel day managers have regular meeting with staff to discuss any problems they have, and identify help where it is needed. This is Japanese style management e which emphasizes on HRM and increasing productivity, modern management still uses a lot of traditional theories though. Technology is rapidly changing management with the introduction of computers, global communications and the Internet. The skills a modern day manager needs are changing as rapid as technology, the workplace is becoming more wanton where we socialise as well as work.Traditional management was set with rules and authority which workers were afraid of, there was no contact between management and workers and it seeed they both had completely different goals to achieve. Companies now work together as a teem with a common goal of increasing profit. innovational day managers are flexible to meet employees needs, they motiva te and encourage workers to succeed, they have confidence, charisma and are patient. Managers should posses counselling skills and nurture there workers, this is a more feminine approach and are called soft skills. Do modern day managers bear any relevance to traditional skillsAlthough traditional management styles seem prehistoric compared to today they are still relevant, Maslows hierarchy of needs can be compared to the incarnate ladder, more people choose careers instead of just a job. Mayos Hawthorne experiments eventually led to laws being made on working conditions (Health and safety at work act). McGregors theory x and theory y, all managers now assume people want to work and take pride in it to. If asked which is the most relevant I would argue Maslow, most people can relate to his theories as the corporate ladder and I feel it is widely used now as a personnel motivator for employees.As the millennium approaches managers are forming even closer links with employees with t he use of soft skills. Companies invest a lot of money in training of staff and can receive grants from the governing body for this purpose, appraisals are now widely used to coach and motivate staff. Managers are empowering workers more to supervise themselves and be responsible for their own workload, this is partly because more people are working from home with new technology. Business is now thriving thanks to the work of researchers at the start of the century.