...Henry Amm Fayol or Mintzberg – Who is right? Date: 11/12/2011 Student Number: 110369257 Version 1.0 The task: Henri Fayol presented his analysis of the management function in 1916 and it has largely been superseded by the more descriptive approaches of what managers actually do, such that favored by Henry Mintzberg. However, it could be argued that the image portrayed by Fayol is superior to that of Mintzberg, and the latter’s description is of rather ineffective management! Who do you think is right? Fayol or Mintzberg – Who is right? By Henry Amm Introduction With his work General and Industrial Management (1949, in French 1916) Henri Fayol was a pioneer on the field of management theory. (Pryor & Taneja, 2010) Many more were to follow, some supporting Fayol’s thoughts and some, i.e. Henry Mintzberg in The Nature of Managerial Work (1973) saying that Fayol’s views are not holding true today. This essay will take a closer look at strengths and weaknesses of both Fayol and Mintzberg and conclude that Fayol’s work still is not only relevant to our contemporary understanding of management but also superior to Mintzberg in terms of its conceptualization and applicability to modern organizations. Description of Fayol’s work According to Fayol (1949) all industrial organisations consist of six different groups of activities: technical, commercial, financial, security, accounting and management. As he was a manager himself, or in other words an administrator, he...
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...Newcastle University Business School BUS1001 Introduction to Management & Organisations Essay for Semester 1, 2014/15 This essay counts as 20% of the overall assessment of this module. Write an essay of approximately 2000 words on the following: Critically discuss the extent to which Fayol’s classic analysis of the management function has largely been made redundant by the more recent empirical studies of what managers actually do, such as that favoured by Mintzberg. When writing your essay, you may wish to consider the following: * The different perspectives on management taken by Fayol and Mintzberg; * The different approaches to the study of management taken by Fayol and Mintzberg; * Your essay should be analytical and discursive, not simply a description and comparison of Fayol’s and Mintzberg’s work; * Be wary of internet sources – anyone can put anything on the internet so it doesn’t mean it is right; such sources, especially student essays, often have serious flaws! Essays should be word-processed, draw upon established literature on the subject area, and be referenced appropriately One copy should be posted in the assignment boxes on the 2nd Floor of the Armstrong Building by 4pm on Monday 17th November. Please note that assessed work is not returned and feedback is provided via the Module Feedback Sheet. You are therefore advised to keep a copy of the assignment for your own use. Marks and feedback on your essay will be provided at the start...
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...Henri Mintzberg considers the image of management which was developed from the work of Henry Fayol as one of folklore rather than fact. However, it could be argued that the image portrayed by Fayol is superior to that of Mintzberg, and the latter’s description is of rather ineffective management! Who do think is right? 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”. This essay is to prove that work of Fayol and Mintzberg both have validity and they can be reconciled to some extent. It also claims that Fayol’s theory has been proved to be more useful in the practice of management and can not be called “folklores” as stated by Mintzberg. In the book General and Industrial Management (1949), Fayol described management as a function and to manage was to plan, organise, coordinate, command, and control. To plan was to forecast what might happen in the future and determine a chain of actions to be taken by the whole organisation. To organise was to build up a dual structure of the undertakings, allocate the materials and human and lay out the lines of authorities and responsibility. To command...
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...is more useful. Whilst both theories have many similarities, when compared to Fayol's somewhat vague management functions, Mintzberg's roles of management provide a much more specific and practical outline of the tasks which successful managers must carry out. Indeed many of Mintzberg's roles are nothing more than the tasks that must be performed in order to fulfil Fayol's functions of management. As a result Mintzberg's theory is more useful as it better explains what managers must actually do in the real world- the most important aspect of management. Henri Fayol (1841-1925) was a prominent French industrialist. Based on his extensive personal experience in management, he proposed that there were five basic functions which management performs in his French treatise "Administration Industrielle et Générale (1916)" which in 1949 was translated into English as "General and Industrial Management". According to Fayol, a manager's work comprised of a constant cycle of the following five functions- planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Planning requires the manager to predict future events, determine future goals and develop a course of action which would allow the organisation to achieve these goals. Organising involves the manager arranging tasks and assigning people to complete them. Coordinating involves the manager synchronising and harmonising...
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...Fayol stands the test of time Henley Management College, St Peter Port, Guernsey Keywords Management, Model, Planning, Organizing, Co-ordination Abstract Planning, organising, co-ordinating, commanding and controlling ± these are the elements of management according to Henri Fayol. Less known, but no less important, are Fayol's principles of management. Fayol was born in 1841 and died in 1925. His Administration Industrielle et Generale was published in French in 1916 but was not translated into English until   1929. Fayol's work is often quickly rejected either because of its age or because it is believed to have been superseded by observational findings. However, Fayol's work was based on observation. This paper considers some contemporary models of management (Hales, Kotter, Mintzberg) and argues that Fayol's elements of management are not refuted but are rather reinforced by more recent findings. The paper concludes that Fayol's work stands the test of time. The five elements of management and 14 principles of management are briefly presented. Michael J. Fells Fayol stands the test of time 345 Introduction Henri Fayol was born in 1841 and died in 1925. After 30 years of an eminently successful career as a practitioner, Fayol devoted the remainder of his life, from 1918 to 1925, to promoting his theory of administration (Fayol, 1949). Fayol was perhaps the first to note the need for management education (Brodie, 1967). His Administration Industrielle et Generale...
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...The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1751-1348.htm Henri Fayol, practitioner and theoretician – revered and reviled Mildred Golden Pryor and Sonia Taneja Department of Marketing and Management, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, Texas, USA Abstract Purpose – Fayol’s theories were the original foundation for management as a discipline and as a profession. Also Fayol was the first to advocate management education. Yet he has critics who revile him (or at least disparage his work) as well as followers who respect and revere him. This paper intends to enlighten today’s practitioners and academicians about the relevance and value of Fayol’s theories today. Design/methodology/approach – The paper addresses Fayol’s contributions as well as the disparagement and the reverence. It compares Fayol’s work with that of Follett, Mintzberg, Taylor, and Porter. In addition, it demonstrates the original and current interpretation and application of his theories. Finally, it indicates the alignment of Fayol’s theories with strategic leadership and management. Findings – Fayol’s theories are valuable and relevant for organizational leaders because Fayol was a practitioner who documented theories that worked best for him and his co-workers. While there are those who criticize Fayol’s theories, there are many others who respect them and find them useful as academicians and as practitioners. The theory of management functions aligns...
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...Compare and contrast the traditional roles of managers presented by Fayol’s early writings with more contemporary research of Stewart and Mintzberg. Introduction The roles of managers cannot be easily described as some people, such as Fayol, Stewart and Mintzberg, all have different interpretations of the phrase. Mullins (2005) said that the role of managers where that they are “essentially an integrating activity which permeates every facet of the operations of an organisation”. This essay is going to compare and contrast the interpretations of roles of managers as they are all different. There are two types of views, the traditional approach of the 19th and 20th century, and the systems approach from the 1960’s onwards. Fayol had a traditional approach to the roles of managers where as Stewart and Mintzberg had more of a systems approach. Comparisons Fayol’s approach is quite similar to Mintzberg’s way of classifying manager’s jobs. Fayol’s suggested that there were 5 main roles of managers, these being planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Mintzberg suggests that managers have quite similar roles as they have to be able to be a leader and communicate well. These are the two main roles of any manager as they need to be able to a good leader. If they have good leadership skills then they will get the trust from employees and the job will get done effectively. If you were to have a very weak leader then they would not have the authority to get anything...
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...Compare and contrast the traditional roles of managers presented by Fayol’s early writings with more contemporary research of Stewart and Mintzberg. Support your answers with examples. Introduction The roles of managers cannot be easily described as some people, such as Fayol, Stewart and Mintzberg, all have different interpretations of the phrase. Mullins (2005) said that the role of managers where that they are “essentially an integrating activity which permeates every facet of the operations of an organisation”. This essay is going to compare and contrast the interpretations of roles of managers as they are all different. There are two types of views, the traditional approach of the 19th and 20th century, and the systems approach from the 1960’s onwards. Fayol had a traditional approach to the roles of managers where as Stewart and Mintzberg had more of a systems approach. Comparisons Fayol’s approach is quite similar to Mintzberg’s way of classifying manager’s jobs. Fayol’s suggested that there were 5 main roles of managers, these being planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Mintzberg suggests that managers have quite similar roles as they have to be able to be a leader and communicate well. These are the two main roles of any manager as they need to be able to a good leader. If they have good leadership skills then they will get the trust from employees and the job will get done effectively. If you were to have a very weak leader...
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...MGMT 1136 James Khng (20946399) ASSIGNMENT 1 – ESSAY THEORETICAL MANAGEMENT AND ITS MODERN DAY APPLICABILITY Question: Newton is quoted as saying in 1676; “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. Discuss the ways how a modern day manager benefit from a study of the historical development of management thought. In doing this you need to specifically show how aspects of management theories from the past can be applied to contemporary management practice. The ability and means by which an organisation is run, requires for strong managerial expertise and leadership. The ability to realistically plan, organise resources effectively and efficiently, co-ordinate and control resources in this every changing, complex, dynamic environment is at the forefront of quality managerial practices. Good management has demonstrated itself more important than ever, with the peak Global Financial crisis in 2008/2009 proving that the historical theory’s and innovations in managerial practices are absolutely paramount to thriving economic prosperity. It is through the functions, approaches included in the literature of Henri Fayol’s 1949 English translated General and Industrial Management, Henry Mintzberg’s studies into managerial...
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...The role and functions of managers has become more encompassing over time, with the two types of views, the classical approach on management functions held by Henri Fayol and the contemporary theory differed to Henry Mintzberg. Rationally there were five elements of management: planning, organising, coordinating, commanding and controlling which is thought to reinforce the management functions. Mintzberg views the management roles in three groups, interpersonal informational and decisional, which embraces his ten management roles. His model is more focused on the characteristics of the managerial work rather than simply the functions of management. Despite the differences between the classical and contemporary model, the many parallels that intrinsically exist between the works inevitably reaffirm and solidify the other concept. Overall, while Mintzberg’s model is useful in illuminating the modern day nature of managerial work, it appears to be less constructive than the classical approach in achieving understanding of how organisations functions and what managers do. The classical approach of the five elements of Fayol and his principles, remains “valid and in use today,” suggests Fells in his article “Fayol stands the test of time,” those are planning, organising, leading, controlling and coordinating. Planning involves defining goals, establishing strategies for achieving those goals and developing plans. Organising is determining what tasks are to be done and who reports...
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...Academy of Management Review, 1987, Vol. 12, No. 1, 38-51. Are the Classical Management Functions Useful in Describing Managerial Work? STEPHEN . CARROLL J University of Maryland DENNISJ. GILLEN Syracuse University This paper attempts to evaluate the usefulness of the classical management functions perspective for describing managerial work and for serving as the basis for management education. It also examines some of the newer conceptualizations of the manager's job and relates these to each other and to the earlier classical approach. As Miner (1971, 1982) noted, most management textbooks are organized on the basis of the original classical management functions first introduced by Fayol (1949) and elaborated and extended by others such as Urwick (1952). The Fayol functions are planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling (POC3 elements). Many management books are subdivided into major segments under each of these five categories, although the function, coordinating, is not used as often as the others. To check if Miner's assertion fits contemporary textbooks, the first author used a convenience...
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...usually managers do and what are their responsibilities? According to (Robbins et al. 2014), a manager is someone who coordinates and overseas the work of other people so that the organizational goals are accomplished. Management is very important for an organization or a business because without an effective management it is very difficult for a business or an organization to succeed and perform well. Managers play a vital role in the success of the business as they are responsible for handling and motivating staff. There have been various researchers, such Katz, Fayol and Mintzberg who have tried to explain the manager’s work. This essay tries to relate the theories, teachings and findings of these researchers by relating them to the current system of management. Robert L.Katz proposed that managers need three critical skills in managing which are technical, human and conceptual (Robbins et al. 2014). Henry Mintzberg identified ten roles common to the work of all managers (Stimpson and Farquharson2002).These can be further divided into three groups, which are interpersonal roles, Informational roles and decisional roles. Interpersonal roles include figurehead, leader and liaison roles whereas informational roles include monitor, disseminator and spokesperson roles. The decisional roles consists of entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator. This assignment will be conducted by interviewing Mr. M. Mr. M is a restaurant manager in the restaurant ABC....
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...The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0025-1747.htm GUEST EDITORIAL Guest editorial On the value of management history Absorbing the past to understand the present and inform the future David Lamond Sydney Graduate School of Management, University of Western Sydney, Parramatta, Australia Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the value of management history as a contributor to the development of the theory and practice of management and, to the extent that it is necessary to absorb the past in order to understand the present and inform the future, consider what happens to the knowledge base when the surviving “contributions” to the knowledge base are partial and, indeed, erroneous. Design/methodology/approach – The articles that constitute this special issue form the launching-pad for this discussion, with the ideas presented here combined with previous research and commentaries on the issues raised. Research limitations/implications – In The Life of Reason, Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Managers looking for the “next big thing”, without being able to incorporate it effectively into their experience, and the experience of those who are long gone, are condemned to repeat not just the past, but also the mistakes of the past. Accordingly...
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...BUS1001 Essay – FAQ’s Q Will a reading list be provided or would you recommend working from the texts recommended in the 'Module Details' document? A There is no separate reading list provided. The recommended reading plus any other sources on what is management should help. Also, there’s short readings about the various theorists on Blackboard and Mintzberg’s article itself. There are also two articles about Fayol and Mintzberg on Blackboard which should be helpful. ------------------------------------------------- Q Given the essay title, would you recommend that I only refer to Fayol and Mintzberg in the essay? Or would you recommend that I also consider other theorists such as Handy? A The question explicitly refers to Fayol & Mintzberg’s views, but you may include any other theorists/researchers whose work supports your discussion/argument. ------------------------------------------------- Q Do we need to put page number on in text citation for and should we use ibid for any repetition? A Essays should be referenced using the Harvard system - check this for details on how to reference in the text - but basically you do not use ibid. Also, you only need to use page numbers when using a direct quote, but sometimes if you are referring to a specific argument which someone has put forward, you would also give the page numbers for this. ------------------------------------------------- Q Does the 2000 words include the reference list? A The...
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...BUS1001 Essay – FAQ’s Q Will a reading list be provided or would you recommend working from the texts recommended in the 'Module Details' document? A There is no separate reading list provided. The recommended reading plus any other sources on what is management should help. Also, there’s short readings about the various theorists on Blackboard and Mintzberg’s article itself. There are also two articles about Fayol and Mintzberg on Blackboard which should be helpful. ------------------------------------------------- Q Given the essay title, would you recommend that I only refer to Fayol and Mintzberg in the essay? Or would you recommend that I also consider other theorists such as Handy? A The question explicitly refers to Fayol & Mintzberg’s views, but you may include any other theorists/researchers whose work supports your discussion/argument. ------------------------------------------------- Q Do we need to put page number on in text citation for and should we use ibid for any repetition? A Essays should be referenced using the Harvard system - check this for details on how to reference in the text - but basically you do not use ibid. Also, you only need to use page numbers when using a direct quote, but sometimes if you are referring to a specific argument which someone has put forward, you would also give the page numbers for this. ------------------------------------------------- Q Does the 2000 words include the reference list? A The...
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