To advance the development of a general theory, fayol suggested that management should be studied from a scientific approach. In this sense, scientific inquiry would follow the guidelines identified by Rene Descartsesin his Discourse on Method (1637) and would be used to determine.
What exist in the real world, as shown by observation and experience.
Why a given phenomenon behaves as it does.
How to classify data related to a real world phenomenom.
Through scientific inquiry, a body of knowledge can be developed that helps explain relationship among various factors in given situations. Thus, the goal scientific inquiry is to provide an understanding of certain events in nature so as to better predict their possible impact on future courses of action.
With some changes, the steps of the scientific method have been employed in managerial problem solving and are generally expressed in the following manner:
The evolving applications of science in management Sice history points out many important managerial contributions through the ages, it is strange that serious efforts to study management were so long in coming. For example, major scientific discoveries were made in the life and physical science 100 to 400 years before Fayol's writings. But, it was about the time of Fayol and F.W. Taylor (who was working on a scientific approach to management in the United States) before management was considered more than just good common sense combined witth some degree of technical competence. Apparently, it took a research-oriented manager like Fayol with a background in mining, engineering, and geology to recognice the importance of science in developing a better understanding of management.
Management principles One way to classify portions of current management knowledge is through the use of principles. Regarded as general statement of truth concerning management, principles identify cause and effect relationships that can assist in predicting the result(s) of particular actions. By suggesting possible results of alternative courses of action, principle also provide guides to thought and action. Consequently, through an application of principles, managers can avoid many of the costly mistake associated with management by trial and error.
Many of the principles of management included in Appendix A have been followed by practicing managers in all types of organizations. Yet, groups of both practitioners and scholars still disagree on the validity of principles. Others note that the diverse environments within which management is practiced have become too complex for principles to be used in the development of a general theory of management. As much as anything, these differing opinions may point out the benefits of a contingency approach to management where environmental conditions and managerial judgment are of utmost importance in determining the applicability of principles to given situations.
To summarize, rigorous investigations is required to develop valid principles. We know that a principle in the physical sciences is meaningful only when developed through the steps of conceptualizing, hypothesizing, and theorizing. For an inexact science such as management, however, the starting point may well be that of developing principles based on observation and experience. Through scientific investigation, one can then seek to prove or disprove them. Although such procedures lack the accurate predictability of those in the physical science, the lessons learned from experience, experimentation, and observation are still superior to using only trial-and-error approach to the practice of management.
What exist in the real world, as shown by observation and experience.
Why a given phenomenon behaves as it does.
How to classify data related to a real world phenomenom.
Through scientific inquiry, a body of knowledge can be developed that helps explain relationship among various factors in given situations. Thus, the goal scientific inquiry is to provide an understanding of certain events in nature so as to better predict their possible impact on future courses of action.
With some changes, the steps of the scientific method have been employed in managerial problem solving and are generally expressed in the following manner:
- Define, outline, and state the problem that is to be solved.
- Review the literature on the problem area and discuss it with informed persons so as to investigate thoroughly all facts that have a bearing on the problem.
- Develop a statement of hypothesis or a tentative solution to the problem.
- Collect, organize, and classify all relevant data.
- Analyze the data as related to the problem and hypothesis.
- Set forth the findings, conslusions, and recommendations that flow from the analysis of data.
- implement recommendations and evaluate results to determine the success of the solution.
The evolving applications of science in management Sice history points out many important managerial contributions through the ages, it is strange that serious efforts to study management were so long in coming. For example, major scientific discoveries were made in the life and physical science 100 to 400 years before Fayol's writings. But, it was about the time of Fayol and F.W. Taylor (who was working on a scientific approach to management in the United States) before management was considered more than just good common sense combined witth some degree of technical competence. Apparently, it took a research-oriented manager like Fayol with a background in mining, engineering, and geology to recognice the importance of science in developing a better understanding of management.
Management principles One way to classify portions of current management knowledge is through the use of principles. Regarded as general statement of truth concerning management, principles identify cause and effect relationships that can assist in predicting the result(s) of particular actions. By suggesting possible results of alternative courses of action, principle also provide guides to thought and action. Consequently, through an application of principles, managers can avoid many of the costly mistake associated with management by trial and error.
Many of the principles of management included in Appendix A have been followed by practicing managers in all types of organizations. Yet, groups of both practitioners and scholars still disagree on the validity of principles. Others note that the diverse environments within which management is practiced have become too complex for principles to be used in the development of a general theory of management. As much as anything, these differing opinions may point out the benefits of a contingency approach to management where environmental conditions and managerial judgment are of utmost importance in determining the applicability of principles to given situations.
To summarize, rigorous investigations is required to develop valid principles. We know that a principle in the physical sciences is meaningful only when developed through the steps of conceptualizing, hypothesizing, and theorizing. For an inexact science such as management, however, the starting point may well be that of developing principles based on observation and experience. Through scientific investigation, one can then seek to prove or disprove them. Although such procedures lack the accurate predictability of those in the physical science, the lessons learned from experience, experimentation, and observation are still superior to using only trial-and-error approach to the practice of management.
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