After learning about Frederick Taylor, Henri Fayol, and Max Weber’s methods for management, I couldn’t help but relate their theories to personal experience.
I have worked for a variety of companies in different industries. A number of my previous positions have been as entrance level jobs, whereas a few others have been companies I’ve launched singlehandedly. By no means do I think I know everything about managing a company from top-to-bottom, but I do have experience with management from both sides of the spectrum.
I can relate to the men the assignment is centered around because they focused their energy on making the group, as a whole, stronger through organized and well-thought management. The management wasn’t solely based on getting better results out of the workers for the betterment of the company fiscally. No, quality management was believed to be the realization from everyone involved that everyone mattered.
Over the years, I’ve implemented, unbeknownst to me, managerial skills developed by Taylor, Fayol, and Weber. I definitely think Fayol’s methods have a stronghold on me. Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management are strong twofold. 1. He declared that they are not rigid and are completely malleable for use in multiple situations should they arise. 2. The principles are still relevant today. His ninth principle, the Scalar Chain, is relevant to me because it involves strong communication between the entire organization, top-to-bottom.
I have struggled with interns who have worked for me because I didn’t know how to communicate with them. I often thought my advice was helpful, but I rarely saw positive changes until I started to see the situation from their point of view. One situation in particular included me reversing my decision to fire an intern to promoting the individual to a higher position. Promoting the individual not only showed Fayol’s eleventh principle of Equity, but it also gave the intern a sense of self-worth. In reality, there wasn’t an actual promotion, but the mere thought that he was doing a great job made him want to achieve more for the team as a group. I used the promotion as a positive reinforcement tool.
The promotion also proved that I had the authority to promote, demote, or fire. I had established what Weber referred to as Managerial Hierarchy. Managerial Hierarchy is akin to Fayol’s Scalar Chain because they establish positions of authority. That is a prime example of the advantages of Weber’s Bureaucracy. However, I’ve witnessed the disadvantages from the bottom of the Managerial Hierarchy.
Being a figure of authority is one thing, but being in a position where it’s difficult to get your opinion across is deterring. I once worked for a company as a sales associate. I had strict rules to only cold call people on a list, which had been given to me. The main objective was to sell magazine subscriptions to named individuals within a certain zip code and minimum household income. (I know, what a horrible job. But I only worked there for less than a month) I bypassed the rules and simply sold a large amount of subscriptions to one member of my family. The authority figure, at that time, didn’t appreciate my work. He failed to see my craftiness and subjected me to the rules I should have followed. He cared about the rules so much so that he failed to see how well I actually did.
Ultimately, the relationship between my boss and me didn’t work out due to dissatisfaction from both parts. According to Taylor, both sides of the managerial relationship should be satisfied. I enjoyed learning about these three men and I actually use their method of thinking today. A lot of their management ideals are alive and well in the workforce.
Thoughtful post, Thomas. You mention that you have struggled with employees because you didn’t know how to communicate with them. Did this week's readings shed some light on how a manager can more effectively communicate? Do you think Fayol's elements that comprise a manager's job (planning, organizing, command, coordination, and control) could have helped you grow as a manager? You also mention a negative of bureaucracy - that rules may take a significance of their own. If you were in your magazine sales manager's shoes, how would you have reacted? Would you have changed the organization's policies?
ReplyDeleteThomas - The organization of the companies you worked for (as an entry level worker) seemed to foster the "human element" that Taylor believed was essential to the success of an organization. I wonder if these firms could have benefited from applying some of Weber's goal oriented strategies.
ReplyDeleteI empathize with your thoughts about cold calling. I was in a training class for 12 months in California and for one of those months we had a cold calling assignment. I tell you, that was one miserable month of constant calls. I felt dehumanizing while I was doing it but hindsight is 20/20; not I realize that those cold calls were a great introduction into my develop as a sales professional.
Thomas and Casey,
ReplyDeleteI find your distaste for cold calling interesting. Straight out of my undergraduate program, I worked for a start-up internet company that provided streaming special niche videos online (before Netflix and YouTube were at the level that they are now). Part of my job involved cold calling video producers to see if they would be willing to enter into an online delivery format with us. While it is a little different than cold calling for magazine subscriptions, it was not something that truly bothered me.
I have to wonder if the management structure of the company I was in was part of that reason. There were only four of us when I started and we had grown to a staff of seven before I left about a year later. Taylor's efficiency process certainly was not a focus, though we did streamline the system for tracking potential producers and their progress to content provider. As a start-up we were forced to be frugal, which led to some efficiencies and more frustration. Fayol's gangplank was definitely in play. There were two "big bosses" and then there were the others. The employees directly worked with each other and fostered a great teamwork environment. Then, when necessary, we communicated with the bosses on the status of our projects.
Great thoughts everyone!
Thomas,
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has also stated a firm from the ground up and had to learn my own management skills, I can whole-heartedly appreciate your candor and perspective. It was difficult to move from employee to management, to be honest
i did both simultaneously for a few years so I understand the need for Fayol's elements in management. It provided me a much needed light into how management works from the employee perspective. Therefore, I gained a new respect for management's daily ups and downs. Yet, as a manger it took time for me to realize that the rules were meant to be broken. It was a give and take.
Today, I find myself implementing pieces from all three theories to conduct my current management level job. It is refreshing to learn about them in detail.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all of your thoughts! I'm relieved to hear others talk about their dislike for cold calling haha.
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