The following essay will analyse the principal features in four main approaches of management dating from the nineteenth century. It will also discuss how these theories have contributed to the current interventions used by different organisations to manage human resources.
With the development of the industrial organisations and the beginning of issues linked to their structure and management, the importance of managerial practises arose and different methodologies were used in order to accomplish their aims and objectives as organisations. These strategies revolve around the next major approaches: Classical approach which stresses the influence of applying scientific methods and monetary reward to maximise productivity, as well as the designation of a hierarchical structure, Human Relations approach underlines the effect of social aspects at work such as leadership style, personal development and their significant part in the organisation’s performance. Open systems approach centres on the need to contemplate organisations as an overall not only as individual parts in isolation and Contingency approach assumes that the organisations structure should be based on the surrounding environment. (Mullins 2007).
The first theory is the classical approach which splits into three different schools; scientific management, administrative management and bureaucracy. F.W Taylor (1856-1915) regarded as the father of scientific management, emphasised on the relevance of applying a combination of technical and mechanical procedures in organisations as well as economic incentives that would lead to an increase in business production and at the same time would satisfy the interest of both labour and employer. This theory argues that just as there is a special machine for each job there should be “one best way” to execute every task, summarising, key features of Taylor’s thought