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i) The classical approach
One of the first schools of management thought, the classical management theory, developed
during the Industrial Revolution when new problems related to the factory system began to
appear. Managers were unsure of how to train employees (many of them non-English speaking
immigrants) or deal with increased labor dissatisfaction, so they began to test solutions. As a
result, the classical management theory developed from efforts to find the "one best way" to perform and manage tasks. This school of thought is made up of two branches: classical
scientific and classical administrative.
ii) The behavioural approach
As management research continued in the 20th century, questions began to come up regarding
the interactions and motivations of the individual within organizations. Management principles
developed during the classical period were simply not useful in dealing with many management
situations and could not explain the behavior of individual employees. In short, classical theory
ignored employee motivation and behavior. As a result, the behavioral school was a natural
outgrowth of this revolutionary management experiment.
The behavioral management theory is often called the human relations movement because it
addresses the human dimension of work. Behavioral theorists believed that a better
understanding of human behavior at work, such as motivation, conflict, expectations, and group
dynamics, improved productivity.
The theorists who contributed to this school viewed employees as individuals, resources, and
assets to be developed and worked with — not as machines, as in the past. Several individuals
and experiments contributed to this theory.
iii) The management science approach
- This is a management technique that originated from Britain when the British
government formed operations research team i.e. a group of mathematics and other
leading scientists to develop new tactics in anti-sub-marine warfare during the Second
World War.
- The group of scientists and other specialists were able to achieve significant
breakthroughs. After the war, operations research techniques where applied in industries
to help managers come up with answers to management problems which were emerging
in various industries. With the development of electronic computers operations research
procedures became formulated into management science school.
- Today management science approach to solving organizational problems begins when a
mixed group of specialists from relevant disciplines is called upon to analyze a problem
and propose to management a course of action. The team constructs a mathematical
model to simulate the problem. The model shows in symbolic terms all the relevant
factors that bear on the problems and how they are inter-related. A computer may be used
to analyze difficult equation e.g. of the model and eventually management science team
presents the management with a rational bases for design making.
Kavungya answered the question on May 17, 2019 at 14:08
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