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Frederick Taylor (1919)
Frederick Taylor pioneered managerial anaylsis. Taylor conducted scientific analysis of "every little act" in tasks performed by workers. This creation and identification of scientific management focused on a division of labor between management and workers; workers performed the work while management processed and analyzed in order to find the most effecient way to conduct operations. -
Max Weber & Bureaucracy
Max Weber is considered the founder of organizational sociology, the analysis of complex organizations. Weber specified the defining characteristics of bureaucracy in an organization. This spread was seen as a movement towards more legal and constitutional forms of authority rather than tradition, nepotism or charisma. -
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Hawthorne Studies
The Hawthorne studies were a series of experiments conducted at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company, provided a view of the role of 'humans' in the workplace. Experiments included dimming the lights and measuring subsequent productivity and others. These experiments were regarded as demonstration of social and psychological factors in the workplace, the first such study done to date. -
Mooney - Scalar Principle
Mooney developed efforts to develop principles in organization, arguing that an organization should be like a scale with a graded series of steps. This steps would be delinated in levels of authority and their respective responsibilities. Leadership is key to Mooney's principle, that leadership should be exerted throughout the 'scale' to coordinate at every level. -
Luther Gulick - Notes on the Theory of Organization
Luther Gulick analyzed from an academic and theoretical standpoint on the proper modes of organization. He identified two fundamental functions of management, division of work and coordination of work. Gulick was a big proponent of specialization, matching skills to tasks with specific, clear and consistent assignment of tasks. Gulick also sought to define management and their work, through the acronym POSDCORB (planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting,& budgeting) -
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Reorganization of the United States federal governemtn
Scholars from the administrative management school such as Gullick played large roles in the subsequent reorganization of the US federal government towards their views. Agencies were grouped according to functions, strengthening the roles of authority of the chief executive and narrowing the 'span of control.' -
Chester Barnard - Functions of the Executive
Barnard differed from classical theorists in his perspective on an organization. Barnard argued that leaders induce and encourage individuals to participate and coordinate work that is key to an organization. Individuals do work for incentives that the organization and the chief executive provides. -
Maslow's Hierachy of Needs
Maslow developed a theory of human needs, arguing that needs fall into speciic categories. Needs in the lowest unfulfilled category will control a person's motives until satisified. Once met, then the next highest will dominate, and so on. -
Herbert Simon - The Proverbs of Administration
Simon criticized the administrative management school as vague and contradictory. Simon argued that specialization was unclear on how work or workers should be categorized. Similiarly, Simon criticzied span on control, arguing that the more narrow the span, the more authoritative structures would exist in an organization. Simon called for analysis of limits and an examination on the administrative processes. Simon also identified ideas of bounded rationality and 'satisficing'. -
Kurt Lewin - Field Theory
Lewin developed field theory and topological psychology, seeking to explain human actions as functions of character and conditions. Lewin argues that individuals seek balance, in order to change this balace you have to change the forces putting an individual into balance. -
Douglas McGregor - Theory X & Theory Y
Theory X held that management assumed people were lazy, incompetent, etc and only through direct control could there be management and direction for an organization. Theory Y assumed that individuals were fully capable, assuming their needs were met, ala Maslow. Allowing more worker participation and control would encourage development, improve productivity and decentralize authority and the needs and management. -
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Contingency Theory
Organizational analysts became convinced that different organizations could be more effective, depending on the circumstances or contingencies. As a result, theorist began using continegency theory as the dominant approach during this timeframe. -
Katz & Kahn
Organizational systems theory was applied by Katz and Kahn, showing that systems langauge (outputs, inputs, feedback, etc) could be applied to organizations. This approach was foundation but quite generic. -
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Shift towards contingency and open systems theory
Increased and redirected emphasis on organizational environments has become the new direction for administrative theory.
