Rational Approach of Organizing

[Nadeem YousafKeymaster]

Rational approach of management and organization means that organization can be organized in one best way. Major proponents of the approach are Frederick Winslow Taylor from USA, Max Weber from Germany and Henri Foyal from France. Under the concept of Scientific Management, Taylor advocated that organizations must introduce standardization of work, select people who have required skills and capabilities, train them to enhance their skills according to their nature of work, provide appropriate tools and technology and reward them with appropriate salaries or wages. He heavily relied on monetary benefits to get the maximum work from workers. Taylor was more concerned about individual performance working at the operative level than whole organization.

Max Weber Weber aired his views of organizing under the concept of bureaucracy. He never defined bureaucracy but gave characteristics of it. Major characteristics of bureaucracy include division of work, hierarchical position and authority, strict rules and regulations for everyone, qualification, separation between personal and organizational ownership. Any organization, whether operating in the public or private sector, is a bureaucratic if it is following the above characteristics. According to Weber, bureaucracy is the most efficient form of organizing.

Henri Foyal Fayol ‘Administrative Man’ principles of organizing are similar to rational views of Taylor and Weber, which includes unity of command meaning that only one supervisor must give orders to a subordinate, unity of direction meaning that similar activities should be grouped under one manager and scalar chain, which is similar to hierarchical command and authority. Fayol major contribution is that he identified basic functions of management, namely, Organizing, Planning, commanding, coordinating, controlling.

The rational approach though introduced around 1900 but still most parts of it are applicable to modern organizations. No organization can work without ignoring basic principles of the rational approach. This is also true that the rational approach is widely criticized as it has not taken human factor into account. Human beings cannot be controlled like like machines because human rationality is based on different premises. Therefore, social and psychological aspects should be taken into account in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness in organizations.

 Nadeem Yousaf

16.09.2012

http://nyousaf.com/forums/topic/rational-organizing

Rational Approach of Organizing

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