office management theories

7/31/2019 OFFICE MANAGEMENT THEORIES

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ORGANIZATIONAL

THEORIES,

SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

&

MARXIST ORGANIZATION ANALYSIS

PRESENTED BY:

ALLAND D. AGALOOS


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Organization

From Greek word Organon:

meaning a tool or instrument.

So, organizations are tools or

instruments to meet goals, objectives,to carry out tasks.


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What is Organization?

An organization is a pursues collective

goals, which controls its own

performance, and which has a boundaryseparating it from its environment.

In sociology "organization" is understood

as planned, coordinated and purposefulaction of human beings to construct or

compile a common tangible or intangible

product.


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Organizational structures

The study of organizations includes a focus on

optimizing organizational structure.

According to management science, mosthuman organizations fall roughly into four

types:

Pyramids or hierarchies Committees or juries

Matrix organizations

Ecologies


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Pyramids or hierarchies

A hierarchy exemplifies an

arrangement with a leader who leads

leaders. This arrangement is oftenassociated with bureaucracy.

in a hierarchy every employee tends to

rise to his level of incompetence".


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Committees or juries

These consist of a group of peers whodecide as a group, perhaps by voting.The difference between a jury and acommittee is that the members of thecommittee are usually assigned toperform or lead further actions after the

group comes to a decision, whereasmembers of a jury come to a decision.In common law countries legal juriesrender decisions of guilt, liability and

quantify damages.


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Staff organization or cross-

functional team

A staff helps an expert get all his work done. Tothis end, a "chief of staff" decides whether anassignment is routine or not. If it's routine, heassigns it to a staff member, who is a sort of juniorexpert. The chief of staff schedules the routineproblems, and checks that they are completed.

If a problem is not routine, the chief of staffnotices. He passes it to the expert, who solves the

problem, and educates the staffconverting theproblem into a routine problem.

In a "cross functional team", like an executivecommittee, the boss has to be a non-expert,because so many kinds of expertise are required.


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Matrix organization

This organizational type assigns eachworker two bosses in two differenthierarchies. One hierarchy is "functional"

and assures that each type of expert in theorganization is well-trained, and measuredby a boss who is super-expert in the samefield. The other direction is "executive" and

tries to get projects completed using theexperts. Projects might be organized byregions, customer types, or some otherschemes. matrix management


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Ecologies

This organization has intense competition. Badparts of the organization starve. Good ones getmore work. Everybody is paid for what they

actually do, and runs a tiny business that has toshow a profit, or they are fired.

Companies who utilize this organization typereflect a rather one-sided view of what goes on in

ecology. It is also the case that a natural ecosystemhas a natural border - ecoregions do not in generalcompete with one another in any way, but are veryautonomous.


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SCIENTIFIC

MANAGEMENT

BY FREDERICK W. TAYLOR


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is the process of allocating an

organization's inputs, including human

and economic resources, by planning,organizing, directing, and controlling

for the purpose of producing goods or

services desired by customers so thatorganizational objectives are

accomplished.

Management


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Scientific Management Theory

Evolution of Modern Management

Began in the industrial revolution in the late

19th century as:

Managers of organizations began seeking ways to

better satisfy customer needs.

Large-scale mechanized manufacturing began to

supplanting small-scale craft production in the ways

in which goods were produced.

Social problems developed in the large groups of

workers employed under the factory system.

Managers began to focus on increasing the

efficiency of the worker-task mix.


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Job Specialization & the Division of Labor

Adam Smith (18th century economist)

Observed that firms manufactured pins in

one of two different ways: Craft-styleeach worker did all steps.

Productioneach worker specialized in one step.

Realized that job specialization resulted in

much higher efficiency and productivity

Breaking down the total job allowed for the division

of labor in which workers became very skilled at

their specific tasks.


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F.W. Taylor and Scientific

Management

Scientific Management

The systematic study of the relationships

between people and tasks for the purpose of

redesigning the work process for higher

efficiency.

Defined by Frederick Taylor in the late

1800s to replace informal rule of thumbknowledge.

Taylor sought to reduce the time a worker

spent on each task by optimizing the way the

task was done.


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Four Principles of Scientific

Management

Principles to increase efficiency:

1. Study the ways jobs are performed now and

determine new ways to do them.

Gather detailed time and motion information.

Try different methods to see which is best.

2. Codify the new methods into rules.

Teach to all workers the new method.

3. Select workers whose skills match the rules.

4. Establish fair levels of performance and pay a

premium for higher performance.

Workers should benefit from hi her out ut


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Problems with Scientific

Management

Managers frequently implemented only the

increased output side of Taylors plan.

Workers did not share in the increased output.Specialized jobs became very boring, dull.

Workers ended up distrusting the Scientific

Management method.

Workers could purposely under-perform.

Management responded with increased use of

machines and conveyors belts.


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Frank and Lillian Gilbreth

Refined Taylors work and made many

improvements to the methodologies of time

and motion studies.Time and motion studies

Breaking up each job action into its components.

Finding better ways to perform the action.

Reorganizing each job action to be more efficient.

Also studied worker-related fatigue

problems caused by lighting, heating, and

the design of tools and machines.


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Marxist

OrganizationAnalysis


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Marxist Theory from Adam Smith

1. Social relationships are generated by exchange

2. A person can produce more than he requires for

his own subsistence

3. The power conferred by the ownership of money

is the power to buy other peoples labor

4. While supply and demand may cause the value of

a good to fluctuate, its true or natural value is

determined by the cost of the labor required to

make it.


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Marxism

Communism is a political philosophy whichargues that men should have equal rights towealth.

Marxism is a way of understanding andanalysing the organisation and structure of

society. It is also a way of understandinghow societies develop and change.


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Marxist Critics

Believe that society is based on a dialectic(or conflict) between employers (capital)

and employees (labor). The ruling class andworkers struggle for economic power.

Believe that the values of capitalism, suchas the primacy of profit and consumerism,

infuse all aspects of our society.

See the individual as a product of societysvalue system (The individual is constructed

by class and society.)


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Conflict theory

All societies are divided into two groups

Owners

WorkersOur society is capitalist.

Owners are bourgeoisie

Workers are proletarians


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Owners and workers

Owners exploit workers and live off themoney which the workers earn

Workers put up with this inequalitybecause:

They are oppressed wage slaves andcannot fight the system

They are indoctrinated by ideology andreligion into believing what they are toldby the powerful.


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Capitalism

Capitalism is the ideological base of the

United States and much of Western culture.

Discussion: What are the values and beliefs

of capitalism?


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Exploitation

One tenet of capitalism is exploitation.

Discussion: How might employers exploit

their employees?


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Exploitation

Employees/owners make money (or profit)by paying employee/workers less than thevalue of their production.


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Exploitation continued . . .

Profit: driving force of capitalism; privateinvestment and control of profit; money leftover after fixed costs and labor costs; many

make product (and earn wage); only onemakes profit (net proceeds)

Profit loss: Market saturation, lower

demand for product, raise in fixed costs,raise in labor costs, a change in supply anddemand can all eat into the profit.


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To further increase profits

Employers exploit their employees by

Speeding up work

Lowering wagesCreating dangerous working conditions

Not allowing labor a voice (unions)

Laying off/downsizing workforce

Providing shorter breaks

Driving workers with hard labor


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To further increase profits


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Exploitation leads to Alienation

Alienation: a withdrawing or

separation of a person or a person's

affections from an object or position offormer attachment

(Merriam-Webster Online)

Discussion: From whom or what might

workers feel alienated from?


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Employees feel alienated . . .

From product: soul not in it; not sure whatproduct is; no sense of ownership or pridein work

From self: drug addiction; insanity; lowerself-esteem; loss of identity; just a number

From others: other employees; employers;

familyFrom time: 9-5; watch the clock; no rest orrelax; clock in and out


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Marx and The Revolution

Marx predicted that wealth would belong to

fewer and fewer people.

The workers would eventually realise theirposition and overthrow the bourgeoisie

There would be an armed revolution which

would begin in Britain.It would happen in the very near future.


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What happened?

The biggest problem with Marxism is thatthe predicted revolution never occurred inthe form he said it would.

People are not poorer.

Wealth is not concentrated in the hands of afew rich people.

Britain hasnt had a Communist revolutionyet and is not likely to in the near future.


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Conclusion

Marxism is a political philosophyyour

views are your own and not required in

sociology.

Marxism is an understanding of the nature

of social relationships which you are

expected to evaluate. Recognize that it has

strengths and weakness as a tool of

understanding of our culture.


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and have a pleasant

Evening!

Thank you for Listening

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