In this assignment, you will review the various approaches to the organizational
ID: 450622 • Letter: I
Question
In this assignment, you will review the various approaches to the organizational change process, your perspective on the change process and the role of contingency.
Provide a summary of 4 key approaches to organizational change, the processual approach to managing change and strengths/weaknesses of each.
Explain the role of contingency in the change process. Based on your analysis/findings above, review of change theory in general, and what you have learned about change management so far, identify and describe your personal approach to change management assuming you are leading a major organizational change process.
Write a 3-4 page double-spaced analysis and be sure to cite supporting information according to APA or MLA.
Explanation / Answer
The four main management approaches, namely, classical management approach, behavior management approach, quantitative management approach and modern management approach.
1. Classical management theory is a branch of management theory which evolved around the 19th century. It was developed during the industrial revolution when problems related to factory systems began, to recognize the role that management plays in an organization particularly focusing on the efficiency of the work process. Classical approach of management professes the body of management thought based on the belief that employees have only economical and physical needs and that the social needs & needs for job satisfaction either does not exist or are unimportant.
Strengths of Classical Approach
Hierarchical Structure-One of the advantages of the classical management structure is a clear organizational hierarchy with three distinct management levels. Each management group has its own objectives and responsibilities.
Division of Labour-Another advantages of classical management approach is the division of labour. Projects are broken down into smaller tasks that are easy to complete. Employees' responsibilities and expectations are clearly defined. This approach allows workers to narrow their field of expertise and to specialize in one area.
Monetary Incentive-According to classical management theory,employees should be motivated by monetary rewards. In other words, they will work harder and become more productive if they have an incentive to look forward to. This gives management easier control over the workforce. Autocratic Leadership-The autocratic leadership approach is the central part of classical management theory. It states that an organization should have a single leader to make decisions, to organize and direct the employees.
Weakness Of Classical Approach
Untested assumptions-Many of the assumptions made by classical writers were based not on scientific tests but on value judgments that expressed what they believed to be proper life-styles, moral codes, and attitudes toward success.
Failure to consider the informal organization-In their stress on formal relationships in the organization, classical approaches tend to ignore informal relations as characterized by social interchange among workers, the emergence of group leaders apart from those specified by the formal organization, and so forth.
Human machinery-Classical theories leave the impression that the organization is a machine and that workers are simply parts to be fitted into the machine to make it run efficiently. Thus, many of the principles are concerned first with making the organization efficient, with the assumption that workers will conform to the work setting if the financial incentives are agreeable.
Static conditions-Organizations are influenced by external conditions that often fluctuate over time, yet classical management, theory presents an image of an organization that is not shaped by external influences.
2.
The Modern Period (1960 to present). After, 1960 management thought has been turning somewhat away from the extreme human relations ideas particularly regarding the direct relation between morale and productivity. Present management thinking wishes equal emphasis on man and machine.
This approach suffers from the following drawbacks:
(i) This approach does not give any weight age to human element which plays a dominant role in all organisations.
(ii) In actual life executives have to take decisions quickly without waiting for full information to develop models.
(iii) The various mathematical tools help in decision making. But decision making is one part of managerial activities. Management has many other functions than decision-making.
(ii) Systems Approach: System approach is based on the generalization that everything is inter-related and inter-dependent. A system is composed of related and dependent element which, when in interaction, forms a unitary whole. A system is simply an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex whole.
One of its most important characteristic is that it is composed of hierarchy of sub-systems. That is the parts forming the major systems and so on.
In the systems approach, attention is paid towards the overall effectiveness of the system rather than the effectiveness of the sub-systems. The interdependence of the sub-systems is taken into account. The idea of systems can be applied at an organizational level. In applying system concepts, organizations are taken into account and not only the objectives and performances of different departments (subsystems).
Firstly, the contingency approach does not accept the universality of management theory. It stresses that there is no one best way of doing things. Management is situation, and managers should explain objectives, design organisations and prepare strategies, policies and plans according to prevailing circumstances. Secondly, managerial policies and practices to be effective, must adjust to changes in environment.
It discards the universal validity of principles. Executives are advised to be situation oriented and not stereo-typed. So executives become innovative and creative.
On the other hands, this approach does not have theoretical base. An executive is expected to know all the alternative courses of action before taking action in a situation which is not always feasible.
3.
The Behavioral Approach. Human behavior is learned, thus all behavior can be unlearned and new behaviors learned in its place. Behaviorism is concerned primarily with the observable and measurable aspects of human behavior.
Strengths
One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it has successfully applied classical and operant conditioning to its theories. Systematic desensitisation is based on classical conditioning and is useful for treating phobias.
One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it uses scientific methods of research. This is a strength because the experiments are objective, measurable and observable
Weekness
One weakness of the behaviourist approach is that it focuses too much on the 'nurture' side of the nature/nurture debate. It suggests that all behaviour is learned but cognitive and biological elements have been proved to affect behaviour. An example of this is the assumption that people learn behaviour by observing others getting rewarded for certain actions.
One weakness of the behaviourist approach is the ethical issues raised by using animals in experiments. This is because animals can not consent to take part and are unable to withdraw.