Vanessa Hill and Harry Van Buren
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the proliferation of scientific management and then to consider its effect on business and society. Our examination begins with a brief…
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the proliferation of scientific management and then to consider its effect on business and society. Our examination begins with a brief survey of various management approaches that emerged in the early twentieth century. We focus on Frederick Taylor, the originator of scientific management, as the person with the greatest influence on management scholarship. We assert that the propagation of scientific management in all sectors of business and society is so pervasive that is it ubiquitous, making it exceedingly difficult to consciously detect or question. We examine how core ideas from scientific management have facilitated the dehumanization of stakeholders in management scholarship and practice. We then discuss how dehumanizing tendencies — informed by the hidden ubiquity of scientific management — have permeated research in corporate social responsibility and management theory. We conclude with suggestions for integrating humanity into management theory.
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To assist colleagues in tying current ideas to previously established practices. To generate discussion of the current relevance of students' understanding management history.
Abstract
Purpose
To assist colleagues in tying current ideas to previously established practices. To generate discussion of the current relevance of students' understanding management history.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of representative classic theorists with an eye toward matching their behavior to that of current newsmakers. This is presented in a model to insure that like areas are compared.
Findings
The past is in the present. Although we may live in the day of “enlightened” “collaborative” management; there are still successful people who operate differently.
Practical implications
Readers of the paper will be able to make immediate application of the model.
Originality/value
Even presentation of the obvious has value. The model format is a dynamic document that others can use and improve upon.
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Charting is a method of improving the effectiveness of meetings, by continuously recording the progress of discussion in a form that everyone can read. Typically this means…
Abstract
Charting is a method of improving the effectiveness of meetings, by continuously recording the progress of discussion in a form that everyone can read. Typically this means writing with a broad felt‐tipped pen on a large pad of white paper fixed to a wall or blackboard. Some benefits of charting are:
Mark Kiiza and Benon C. Basheka
Over decades, indigenous management practices and their values in Africa have changed from time to time. However, it continued to remain relevant in most business organisations in…
Abstract
Over decades, indigenous management practices and their values in Africa have changed from time to time. However, it continued to remain relevant in most business organisations in developing countries. Today in Africa and across the globe, there is a paradigm shift and stiff competition in human resource management practices as a basic element for effective and efficient business organisations’ performance. Effective human resource management practices and performance of organisations rely on the integration of indigenous management practices and sound strategies aligned to cultural values and cores business objectives. The study covers four regions of Africa as a continent. Empirical teachings of the study form a basis for active reforms and innovations, so as to revamp the use of indigenous knowledge, which was deliberately destroyed by colonial masters. Over the years, human resource management practice has evolved in favour of Western strategies and ideologies. Advocates for curriculum reforms in all African countries so as to incorporate indigenous knowledge content, since it is believed to be the future of Africa. An appropriate employees management practice in Africa is a necessary move in today’s business community as it enhances service delivery and performance. The application of indigenous management practices is believed to play a vital role and invokes effective decision-making practices in the business organisation. Therefore, the chapter traces the origin of indigenous wisdom and its fundamental structure in management practices. This chapter attempts to throw light on indigenous management practices and their values in business organisations in Africa.
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Graham Sewell and Nelson Phillips
Joan undertook the ground-breaking project originally reported in the 1958 pamphlet, Management and Technology, not at one of Britain's great universities, but at the…
Abstract
Joan undertook the ground-breaking project originally reported in the 1958 pamphlet, Management and Technology, not at one of Britain's great universities, but at the unfashionable address of the South East Essex Technical College (then in the county of Essex but now part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham). The Human Relations Research Unit had been set up at the college, which is now part of the University of East London, in 1953 with support from a number of agencies including funding ultimately derived from the Marshall Plan. Its express purpose was to enhance the performance of industry and commerce through the application of social science. Those readers familiar with the area will know that, at the time, it was economically and culturally dominated by the Ford assembly plant in nearby Dagenham, but it was also home to a diverse range of small- and medium-sized industrial workshops that were typical of the pre-war Greater London economy (Woodward, 1965; Massey & Meegan, 1982). It was into this diverse industrial milieu that Joan and her research team ventured (Fig. 1), completing their main study in 1958.
Musa Mashauri Joseph and Thaudensia Thomas Ndeskoi
This paper aims to communicate the relevant management model with optimal performance in the collection of construction resources (human, non-human), supervision of workers and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to communicate the relevant management model with optimal performance in the collection of construction resources (human, non-human), supervision of workers and activities in the development of adequate and quality school infrastructure facilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed a mixed methods research approach in collecting and analysing research findings. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews and questionnaires which consisted of closed questions were the data collection tools. Numerical data collected were processed and analysed by using quantitative methods and techniques such as descriptive analysis, whereas text data were subjected to content analysis.
Findings
The findings revealed that the Post-New Public Management (PNPM) is relevant in the collection of construction resources and suitable for the supervision of workers and tasks towards the development of adequate and quality school infrastructure facilities. Based on the evidence generated, the PNPM model was recommended to be adapted to collection of construction resources and supervision of workers and activities.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the need for construction committees and other education policy implementers to adapt a relevant management model in realising optimal performance in the development of adequate and quality school infrastructure facilities.
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The purpose of this paper is to sharpen the intellectual identity of the field of educational administration (EA) and to understand its scholarly boundaries by comparing between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to sharpen the intellectual identity of the field of educational administration (EA) and to understand its scholarly boundaries by comparing between the writings of this field and those of the field of organisational behaviour (OB), an area of study usually located in faculties of management, and share many commonalities with EA.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative content analysis of textbooks and journal papers in OB and EA, reading of previous writings that revolved around the epistemological dimensions of these fields.
Findings
The author sheds light on the theoretical and empirical distinctions of OB and EA historically and provides insight into the distinctive intellectual identity of the latter field during the 2000s. A special attention is given to paradigms and theories in EA imported to the field from outside and transformed in a way that specify the unique identity of EA in the academic world.
Originality/value
This comparison is warranted in order to clarify more profoundly the unique contributions of EA, both theoretically and practically, to emphasise the differences that separate it from other disciplines, and to legitimate its independent position in higher education.
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This conceptual article aims primarily to illustrate the impact of public value thinking on the process of public sector modernisation. Public value management (PVM) is analysed…
Abstract
Purpose
This conceptual article aims primarily to illustrate the impact of public value thinking on the process of public sector modernisation. Public value management (PVM) is analysed from two perspectives. First, the principles and features of PVM approaches are detailed, including a comparison of the literature on the other approaches characterizing the modernisation process, that is, traditional public administration (TPA), new public management (NPM) and new public governance (NPG). Then PVM is contrasted with NPM and TPA. Subsequently, the elements connecting PVM with NPG are explored. Second, the theoretical and methodological frameworks within which public value has been operationalized are investigated. One of the core topics is the measurement of public value, which is illustrated focusing on the link between public value (in the singular) and public values (in the plural). The impact that the adoption of public value thinking exerts on the multiple performance objectives for public sector organisations is also investigated. Ultimately, the article aims to highlight the potential of the public value view – considered in conjunction with performance measurement and performance management systems – without neglecting the challenging and problematic aspects of this wave of reform. The comparison with other waves of reform is intended to provide a clearer picture of the way forward for PVM.
Design/methodology/approach
Theoretical and methodological investigation, elaborating on the relevant literature on the process of public sector modernisation, is carried out.
Findings
The approaches that have emerged during the last two decades (PVM, NPG) are other than alternative solutions. But also less recent waves of change have left, or are expected to leave, their own legacy for public administration over time. This could be the case for NPM, although, according to many scholars, it is in trouble and has lost its driving force, while others see it as simply ‘dead’ and doomed to give way to the ‘digital-era governance’. Several core elements of NPM are no longer in evidence either in PVM or in NPG. Different distinguishing elements have been brought into the foreground. For instance, the idea of the public as citizens characterises PVM and NPG, instead of the public as customers, qualifying NPM. What we are seeing is a progressive expansion of the public’s involvement, through co-production and participation. Contemporary public officials interact with members of the public in ways that involve all of their possible roles: as citizens, customers, partners. There are two salient aspects under which public value thinking can contribute. First, a focus on public value can – better than other approaches – represent a ‘glue’ capable of bringing together debates involving ‘values, institutions, systems, processes, and people’ (Smith, 2004, p. 18). Second, such a focus makes it possible to link insights from different analytical perspectives, fostering a broader view on the determinants of public sector change. This could be of decisive importance for the purpose of reshaping performance measurement and performance management systems, which is a crucial step in public sector reform.
Originality/value
Significant contributions are offered under two aspects. First, in terms of exploration of the concepts of public value (also in relation to public values) and private value. Second, in terms of analysis of the impact that PVM can exert on the logic of performance measurement and performance management.
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J.A.P. Hoogervorst, P.L. Koopman and H. van der Flier
The core principles of total quality management (TQM) are considered to be incompatible with the traditional mechanistic way of organizing. It is believed that this constitutes a…
Abstract
Purpose
The core principles of total quality management (TQM) are considered to be incompatible with the traditional mechanistic way of organizing. It is believed that this constitutes a major reason for failed TQM programs: attempting to introduce its principles with the traditional mindset. Additionally, initiatives to change behaviour often fail due to the fact that no concurrent attention is given to the coherence and consistency of those macro‐organizational variables determining behaviour. These two primary reasons for TQM failures are the subject of this discussion.
Design/methodology/approach
From the perspective of TQM, the importance of a human‐centred approach to organizing is argued. The human‐centred approach to organizing fundamentally offers the possibility of aligning human interests with organizational interests. Rather than depersonalisation of work, with the possible danger of alienation, work offers possibilities for self‐realization and self‐development. This is considered to be the most fundamental contribution of TQM. It is thus argued that TQM in its ideal fundamental concept differs from the traditional mechanistic principles by offering genuine possibilities for employee development and self‐realization.
Findings
It is argued that TQM entails a human‐centred approach to organizing which is fundamentally incompatible with traditional mechanistic thinking. Further, the needed focus on employee behaviour requires attention to organizational culture, management practices, and organizational structures and systems, seen as macro variables determining behaviour. Absence of coherence and consistency among these variables when attempting to change behaviour has been argued to be another major source of TQM failures.
Originality/value
Establishing coherence and consistency among the three elements of the behavioural context should thus be a central focus area.