Premium Essay

Compare and Contrast the Contributions of Taylor and Ford to Our Understanding of Organizational Behaviour at Work

In:

Submitted By Flapjack
Words 2484
Pages 10
Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230

Compare and contrast the contributions of Taylor and Ford to our understanding of organizational behaviour at work

Introduction:
For this essay it is very important to understand just what organisational behaviour is: ‘the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations’ (nwlink, 2011). Our early understanding of management can attributed to the work of Taylor and Ford, in particular Taylor can be considered to be the first person to have broken down the concept of management into scientifically backed steps, laying down a blueprint for organisations the world over to follow.
Taylor is considered to have fathered the idea of ‘scientific management’, which is also sometimes known as ‘Taylorism’. This is a theory that breaks down every task into small steps, which are then easily analysed and taught, the main purpose being to increase efficiency (BusinessDictionary, 2013).
Fordism (the term referring to Ford’s style of work) refers to a management style ‘based on bureaucratic organization, hierarchical decision-making with strict functional specialization and tightly defined job design (scientific management) and specialized machinery to mass produce a standard product for mass markets’ (McKinlay & Starkey, 1998, p.113).
There are five main elements in organisational behaviour: leadership, motivation principles, team & teamwork, managing organisational conflict, politics & negotiation and organisation structure & types. In the following essay I will elaborate on what our current understanding is of these elements, and how much of it is shaped by Taylor and Ford.

Leadership:
‘The act of providing direction, energising others and obtaining their voluntary commitment to the leader’s vision’ (Bloisi, Cook, Hunsaker, 2006, p.648). In the current general business

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Scientific Management

...critically evaluate the scientific management’s importance and its contribution in the current management context. In this era of rapid economic development and industrial expansion of different nations, scientific management has enabled every nation to be involved in this global market. Scientific management is the theory which serves as the ‘backbone’ to many current management theories. Scientific management will be briefly described initially. After that, the essay will identify why scientific management is an important contribution to management theory when Frederick Taylor proposed it.... [tags: Business Employee Management] 1639 words (4.7 pages) $19.95 [preview] Scientific Management - Scientific Management Fredrick Taylor, the father of scientific management. He had a firm belief in "one best way" (Samson & Daft, 2003), of doing something. In the year 1899, Taylor held an experiment that involved German and Hungarian men, whose job involved some very heavy-duty work (Gabor, 2000). To his disappointment, men either refused to work, or wouldn't work to his expectations. The men hated him utterly; to the extent he required security when going home (Gabor, 2000). In his entire dilemma with his employers, in stepped Schmidt, a man not of intelligence but had the strength of a bull and an ox-like mentally required to reach the standards of Fredrick Taylor.... [tags: Taylorism Business Management Essays] :: 3 Works Cited :: 6 Sources Cited 1822 words (5.2 pages) $29.95 ...

Words: 8474 - Pages: 34

Premium Essay

Mr Thomas

...|Qualification |Unit number and title | |Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business (QCF) |Unit 3: Organisations and Behaviour | |Student name and ID number |Assessor name | | |Joseph Tawiah (Module Leader) | |Date issued |Completion date |Submitted on | | 25th January 2016 |22nd April 2016 before midday | | |Internal Verifier | | |Assignment title | Toyota Motor Corporation | |Instructions2o |An electronic copy of your assessment must be fully uploaded by the deadline date and time. | | |You must submit one single...

Words: 4464 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Organisational Behaviour

...report is for the principal of City College, Mr Wakefield as they are preparing to take over Abbey College, a college that, due to recession, it went into administration. It will start with a comparison between different organisational structures and cultures and will continue with an explanation on how the relationship between structure and culture can impact performance in a company. I will discuss the factors which influence individual behavior at work. I will also compare the effectiveness of different leadership styles and will discuss the impact of these styles may have in organisations. I will continue with explaining how organizational theory underpins the practice of management and I will evaluate different approaches to management used by different organisations and will compare the application of different motivational theories within the workplace. I will also carry out an evaluation of the usefulness of a motivation theory for managers. To conclude I will explain the nature of groups and group behaviour in organisations and will discuss factors that may promote or inhibit the development of effective teamwork. I will also evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning within the organisation. IntroductionCity College, following the...

Words: 4208 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Management Theories

...Weihrich 1990, p 4), management is the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals, working together in groups, efficiently accomplish selected aims. Theories are perspectives with which people make sense of their world experiences (Stoner et.al 1995, p 31-32). Theory is a systematic grouping of interdependent concepts and principles that give a significant area of knowledge. Theory is in its lowest form a classification, a set of pigeon holes, a filing cabinet in which fact can accumulate. Nothing is more lost than a loose fact, (Homans 1958, p 5). Management theories are the set of general rules that guide the managers to manage an organization. Management theories are implemented to help increase organizational productivity and service quality. Not many managers use a singular theory or concept when implementing strategies in the workplace. They commonly use a combination of a number of theories, depending on the workplace, purpose and workforce. Some scholars have called this situation “the management theory jungle” (Koontz 1961, p 174 – 188)...

Words: 7187 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Marketing

...com/loi/rjmm20 Relationship Marketing Theory: Its Roots and Direction Kristian Möller & Aino Halinen Published online: 01 Feb 2010. To cite this article: Kristian Möller & Aino Halinen (2000) Relationship Marketing Theory: Its Roots and Direction, Journal of Marketing Management, 16:1-3, 29-54, DOI: 10.1362/026725700785100460 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1362/026725700785100460 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction,...

Words: 10306 - Pages: 42

Premium Essay

Here

...ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR MBA 1.2 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR SYLLABUS UNIT 1 Introduction to Organisational Behaviour, Meaning; Elements; Need; Approaches; Models; Global scenario. UNIT 2 Individual Behaviour; Personality; Learning; Attitudes; Perception; Motivation; Ability; Their relevant organizational behaviour. UNIT 3 Group dynamics; Group norms; Group cohesiveness; Group Behance to organizational behaviour. UNIT 4 Leadership Styles; Qualities; Organisational communication; Meaning importance, process, barriers; Methods to reduce barriers; Principle of effective communication. UNIT 5 Stress; Meaning; Types; Sources; Consequences; Management of stress. Power and Politics; Definition; Types of Powers; Sources; Characteristics; Effective use of Power. UNIT 6 Organisational Dynamics; Organisational design; Organisational effectiveness; Meaning, approaches; Organisational culture; Meaning, significance; Organisational Climate; Implications on organizational behaviour. Organisational Change; Meaning; Nature; Causes of change; Resistance of change; Management of change; Organisational development; Meaning; OD Interventions. REFERENCE BOOKS 1. Fred Luthans, Organisational Behaviour, McGraw Hill Book Co., 1995. 2. Stephen P. Bobbins, Organisational Behaviour, Prentice Hall, 1997. 3. Keith Davis, Human Behaviour at Wor/c,.-M.cGraw Hill Book Co., 1991. 4. Gregory Moorehead and R.S. Griffin, Organisational...

Words: 54737 - Pages: 219

Premium Essay

Study Habits

...subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work that today qualify as constituting the subject of organisational theory. Whilst their writing is accessible and engaging, their approach is scholarly and serious. It is so easy for students (and indeed others who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provide a highly readable account of ideas, perspectives and practices of organization. By thoroughly explaining, analyzing and exploring organization theory the book increases the understanding of a field that in recent years has become ever more fragmented. Organization theory is central to managing, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures...

Words: 230271 - Pages: 922

Premium Essay

Culture Identity and Organization

...Section 1 Organizational Culture: set of artifacts, values and assumption that emerge from the interaction of organizational members Open social system operating a dynamic environment. CRITERIA to identify something as culture: 1. Deeply felt or held 2. Commonly intelligible 1. Accessible to a cultural group  Organization = Ordered and purposeful interaction among people. Purposeful, because its members produce (supero-rdinative) goal-directed activities. Organizational communication is a continuous process through which organizational members create, maintain and change the organization. (it includes business communication) N.B. All organizational members take place in it; messages are produced to create a shared meaning of messages, but it is not always achieved. Those messages vary in form according to various factors (power distances, roles, goal, method, non-verbal), and to be fully understood have to be considered in their contexts   Culture: "the collective programming if the mind that DISTINGUISHES the members of one group tor category of people from another" (Hofstede 2001) Is both a process and a product; is confining (imitates groups) and facilitating (gives us a way to better understand what is happening) Cultural Symbol = physical indicators of organizational life (Rafaeli & Worline 2000)   ARTIFACTS: visible/tangible, are also part of them norms, standards, customs and social convention. Norms: pattern of behaviors or communication...

Words: 18112 - Pages: 73

Premium Essay

Gms Chapter 2 Textbook (I Take No Credit)

...The answers start with a commitment to performance excellence Courtesy Google Inc. based on solid foundations of speed, accuracy, and ease of use. These have been the guiding performance criteria from the beginning, the basis for generating user appeal and competitive advantage for Google's products in the marketplace. Google'sbelief in people also sets it apart. Recently ranked #1 on Fortune magazine's list of best workplaces, the firm gets over 2,000 job applications per day. It runs with an informal culture and small-company feel, reminiscent of a college campus. BusinessWeek says that CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Srin and Page have built "a unique, just-do-it culture." The firm's website declares: "we do everything we can to make sure our employees not only have...

Words: 13834 - Pages: 56

Premium Essay

Management in Organization

...by any means without prior permission in writing from: The Commonwealth of Learning 1285 West Broadway Suite 600 Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8 CANADA e-mail: info@col.org Dean Institute of Distance Learning New Library Building Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana Phone: +233-51-60013 Fax: +233-51-60014 E-mail: idldean@kvcit.org Web: www.fdlknust.edu.gh i 553 - Management in Organisations Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, learners will be able to: • • • • Explain the basic premises of management and public administration Compare different theories and approaches of organisation Distinguish behavioural patterns, advantages, disadvantages, and dysfunctions of bureaucracies Categorize the different management trends in the work environment. Topics • Introduction to Management and Organisational Behaviour • Individual and Group Behaviour in Organisations • Decision- making and Communications in Organisations • Leadership, Organisational Structure & Environment • Power and Politics • Organisational Culture • Organisational Change • Conflict and Negotiations ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 2 Structure of the Course....................................................................................................... 3 Course Aims and Objectives...............................................

Words: 79671 - Pages: 319

Premium Essay

S Occ

...Session 2: Organizations over time Explaining Development and Change in Organizations * Van de Ven &Poole (1995) * Change: empirical observation of difference in form, quality, or state over time in an organisational entity (may be an individual’s job, a work group, an organisational strategy, a program, a product, or the overall organisation). * Development: change process * Process theory: how and why an organisational entity changes and develops * 4 basic theories explaining change processes in organisations: *Imminent=bevorstehend Teleology: * assumes that the entity in purposeful and adaptive * needs creativity Dialectical: * e.g. acquisitions: two firms have different “theses” and need to find antithesis * e.g. multinational firm: international and national HQ “compete” * there is no assurance that dialectical conflicts produce creative syntheses * the desired synthesis creates win-win situation * either the maintenance of actual thesis or its replacement with the antithesis creates win-lose * in terms of organisational change: * maintenance of status quo stability * replacement with antithesis or synthesis change Evolution: * Variation: Change from current routines and competencies (intentional & blind) * Selection: Elimination of certain types of variations (external & internal selection) * Retention: Selected variations are preserved, duplicated, reproduced * e.g....

Words: 12910 - Pages: 52

Premium Essay

Comp

...CHAPTER 1 – STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Strategy: formulation of organizational missions, goals, objectives and actions plans (how the organization intends to achieve its goals Mintzberg’s 5 P’s of Strategy: i. Plan: intended course of action a firm has selected to deal with a situation ii. Purpose: consistent stream of action that sometimes are the result of a deliberate plan and sometimes the result of emergent actions based on reactions to environmental changes or shifting of assumptions iii. Ploy: specific manoeuvre at the tactical level with a short time horizon iv. Position: the location of an organization relative to its competitors and other environmental factors v. Perspective: gestalt or personality of the organization HR Planning Notebook 1.1 – Description of Strategy Strategy: declaration of intent (considered as both plan and purpose) Strategic Intent: tangible corporate goal; point of view about the competitive positions a company hopes to build over a decade Strategy Formulation: entire process of conceptualizing the mission of an organization, identifying the strategy, and developing long-range performance goals Strategy Implementation: activities that ees and managers of an organization undertake to enact the strategic plan and achieve the performance goals Objectives: the end, the goals Plans: product of strategy, the means to the end Strategic Plan: written statement that outlines the future goals of an organization...

Words: 19138 - Pages: 77

Premium Essay

Swot of Tesco

...investopedia.com ) Major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization's decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic, demographics, legal, political, and social conditions, technological changes, and natural forces. Factors that influence a company's or product's development but that are outside of the company's control. For example, the macro environment could include competitors, changes in interest rates, changes in cultural tastes, or government regulations. (www.businessdictionary.com) To lead an organization efficiently we must know where our company is situated, what are the outside influences and the inside ones. Outer environment (macro environment) There are some factors in the lives of organizations that affect them, but they don’t have any control over them (much like in our own life). We can define three major areas, but...

Words: 7235 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Hello

...IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT: AN INTERNAL MARKETING PERSPECTIVE Principal Author Prof. Dr. Zahid Mahmood Department of Management Sciences BahriaUniversity, Naval Complex, Sector E-9, Islamabad, Pakistan Cell: +92-300-5301240 Office: +92-51-9260002 Ext. 260 zahid@bahria.edu.pk Biographical Note: Dr. Zahid Mahmood is a Professor of Total Quality Management at Bahria University Islamabad, Pakistan. He has published numerous articles and books. His papers have received world wide acclamation. He holds M.Com from the University of Punjab, Pakistan, MBA from the University of Wollongong NSW and PhD from University of Western Sydney Australia. Corresponding Author & Co-Author Sobia Mahmood PhD Scholar & Research Asistant Department of Management Sciences BahriaUniversity, Naval Complex, Sector E-9, Islamabad, Pakistan Cell: 0321-5342940 Office: +92-51-9260002 Ext. 260 sobia.mahmood1@gmail.com; sobia.mahmood@bahria .edu.pk Biographical Note: Sobia Mahmood is a Research Assistant & Visiting Faculty at Bahria University, Pakistan. At present, she is a PhD scholar at Bahria University, Pakistan. She has published numerous articles on Management. She holds MBA from University of Arid Agriculture, Pakistan, MEd & BEd from Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan and MS from SZABIST, Pakistan. Co-Author Muhammad Ayub Siddiqui PhD Scholar & Asistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences BahriaUniversity, Naval Complex...

Words: 83861 - Pages: 336

Free Essay

Organizational Behaviour

...An Introduction to Organisational Behaviour for Managers and Engineers This page intentionally left blank An Introduction to Organisational Behaviour for Managers and Engineers A Group and Multicultural Approach First Edition Duncan Kitchin AMSTERDAM  BOSTON  HEIDELBERG  LONDON  NEW YORK  OXFORD PARIS  SAN DIEGO  SAN FRANCISCO  SINGAPORE  SYDNEY  TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK First edition 2010 Copyright Ó 2010 Duncan Kitchin. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. The right of Duncan Kitchin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (þ44) 1865 843830, fax: (þ44) 1865 853333, E-mail: permissions@elsevier. com. You may also complete your request online via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting ‘‘Support & Contact’’ then ‘‘Copyright and Permission’’ and then ‘‘Obtaining Permissions.’’ British Library Cataloguing in Publication...

Words: 91601 - Pages: 367