ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS (Due on 4th March, 2023)
1. Assess critically the relevance of scientific management to present day organizations.
Illustrate your answer with reference to an organization of your choice.
Although it has been around for many years, the Scientific Management Theory is relevant and
is being applied to some business organizations even today. One example is McDonald's, the
famous fast food restaurant that has locations globally. McDonald's uses the Scientific
Management System to create standardization in the product and consistent service. However,
McDonald's has had problems as a result of using this system which are a reflection of the
problems with the system in general. The McDonald's corporation has tried to maximize
production of the fast food by giving each employee a small and specific task to perform in
preparing each order. They have also attempted to maximize profit by cutting down numbers of
staff. This creates alienation among the staff and makes them feel devalued. McDonald's has a
reputation as a sort of "last resort" place to work for minimal pay, with little or no hope of career
or personal development.
2. To what extent is there anything positive to be said for bureaucratic structures?
Select a large-scale organization of your choice and suggest ways in which it displays
characteristics of a bureaucracy.
A bureaucratic organization is a form of management that has a pyramidal command structure.
The bureaucratic organization is very organized with a high degree of formality in the way it
operates. Organizational charts generally exist for every department, and decisions are made
through an organized process. A strict command and control structure is present at all times.
Bureaucracies are meant to be orderly, fair and highly efficient.
Bureaucratic organizational structures have many layers of management, cascading down from
senior executives to regional managers to departmental managers - all the way down to shift
supervisors who work alongside frontline employees. So, authority is centered at the top, and
information generally flows from the top down. For example, a senior executive may implement
a new policy stating that employees must have all overtime approved by management before
actually working the overtime. The new policy will go from the desk of the senior executive all
the way down to the frontline employees.
Characteristics of Bureaucratic Organizations
The basic characteristics of a bureaucracy are:
[Link] and job responsibilities are written down and clearly stated
[Link] hierarchy of power is concentrated among a few high-ranking managers
[Link] and promotions of officers are formal because these officers will be held
accountable
4 Employees are hired based on their skills and knowledge, not because of favoritism or luck
[Link] are tied to a pay-grade system
[Link] are unable or unwilling to adapt to changing conditions quickly
[Link] is common
3. What are the main conclusions that can be drawn from the Hawthorne experiments? Discuss
critically the relevance of these experiments for management and organizational behavior today.
Four general conclusions were drawn from the Hawthorne studies:
1. The aptitudes of individuals are imperfect
predictors of job performance.
2. Informal organization affects productivity.
3. Work-group norms affect productivity.
4. The workplace is a social system.
Relevance of the Hawthorne experiments
Whatever the interpretation of the results of the Hawthorne experiments, they did generate new
ideas concerning the importance of work groups and leadership, communications, output
restrictions, motivation and job design.
They placed emphasis on the importance of
personnel management and gave impetus to the work of the human relations writers.
The Hawthorne experiments undoubtedly marked a significant step forward in providing further
insight into human behavior at work and the development of management thinking.
The Hawthorne experiments are regarded as one of the most important of all social science
investigations and are recognised as probably the single most important foundation of the
human relations approach to management and the development of organizational behavior.
In a review of humane approaches to management, Crainer asserts: ‘The Hawthorne Studies
were important because they showed that views of how managers behaved were a vital aspect
of motivation and improved performance. Also, the research revealed the importance of informal
work groups.
4. Summarize the main features of the neo-human relations approach to organization and
management.
How does it differ from other approaches?