Management is critical to any organization. Moreover, business dynamics have complicated the tasks of managers making management theory crucial in the way managers manage organizations. The paper discusses the scientific and behavioral schools of management and the 21st-century management style that the production and shipping managers at Galaxy Toys Inc. employ. The paper also predicts how the 21st-century management style will affect the production and shipping department. The paper takes the position that while the scientific school of management promotes efficiency, the behavioral school is the best choice for the production and shipping department of Galaxy Toys Inc. because it promotes human relations resulting in the company responding timely to competitors and adapting to uncertainty. Moreover, the 21st-century management theory is expected to improve productivity in the business.
Background
Galaxy Toys Inc. is a private company formed in 1956 in Toledo, Ohio by George Jepson and Jack Mercury, specializing in the production of space-themed toys. In 1963 it expanded nationally. It has branches in Daytona, Florida, Huntsville, Alabama, and White Plains, New Mexico. A majority of its success can be credited to the management style of its production and shipping department that have ranged from scientific and behavioral approaches to the 21st-century management style.
Part One
Scientific Theory of Management
Upon joining Galaxy Toys Inc., Bart subscribed to the scientific school of management. One of the characteristics of the school that originated during the industrial era is its belief in the efficiency of work (Mc Crimmon, 2010). Bart ensured efficiency of work by hiring and training workers that could perform their tasks in the most efficient ways. The school also advocates for the specialization of work where employees are scientifically selected and trained to do work in the designed manner (Mullins, 2013). Bart always insisted that the workers do their individual tasks the way they were trained. The scientific school of management also advocates for the division of labor between managers and employees. Managements’ tasks involve the designing and supervision of work while the workers’ duty is the performance of the work (Plunkett, Allen, & Attner, 2012). Bart always planned the daily work and was always on the shipping floor supervising workers.
Frederick Taylor is the father of the scientific school of management. He advocated for the scientific training of employees where workers are trained to perform work in a designed and efficient manner (Mullins, 2013). Taylor also advocated for the division of labor between managers and employees with managers creating tasks and issuing instructions while workers perform the work. Taylor also advanced the link between pay and other rewards to the achievement of optimum goals such as an increase in performance and output (Plunkett, Allen, & Attner, 2012). Failure of workers to achieve optimum goals resulted in the loss of earnings. Taylor’s contribution is significant to the field of management as it set certain management legacies that are still in use in modern management. It advanced the practice of organization of work with management tasked with the organization and designing of work. It also promoted the concept of payment by results with the most efficient and hardworking workers, as measured by their output, receiving the most rewards.
Behavioral Theory of Management
Once the shift took place, Bart subscribed to the behavioral school of management. The style is categorized by management paying attention to human relations at work (Mullins, 2013). It advances the need for communication between management and workers and positive management response towards employees. The school also promotes the need for greater participation of employees in decision making (Mullins, 2013). Bart exercised these tenets by being open to hearing the ideas of employees. He became focused on personnel management and not just the output they produced. The behavioral school of management is the best choice in management because it humanizes the work organization. It advances an understanding of workers’ psychological and social needs at work and how they lead to employees’ improved performance. By Bart and his fellow managers caring for the needs of the workers and taking into account their ideas, the company was able to adapt to uncertainty and respond to its competitors quickly.
Elton Mayo is regarded as the founder of the behavioral school of management. Together with other scientists, he conducted a series of experiments known as the ‘Hawthorne experiments’ aimed at proving the importance of human relations in management (Mullins, 2013). Mayo concluded that workers were not at work simply for economic benefits. Other factors such as trust and openness at the workplace, and teamwork improved workers’ performance. One principle of the behavioral school of management is that psychological and social needs motivate employees. They respond more to the provision of these requirements than to the provision of finances. A second principle is that workers obtain their sense of identity through interpersonal relationships like teams in the workplace (Mullins, 2013). The policy that psychological and social factors motivate employees enabled Bart and his fellow managers to embrace the diversity of employees’ ideas. Mayo’s views support the facts of the case study because by engaging the employees in decision making and listening to them, Galaxy Toys Inc. was able to respond to competitors and adapt timely to uncertainty.
Comparison and Contrast of Scientific and Behavioral School of Management
Both schools of management emphasize on work study. In the scientific school, management conducts scientific studies in order to find the most efficient way for the performance of work. In the behavioral school, management conducts studies on effective ways of managing personnel (Mullins, 2013). However, the two schools differ on the importance of monetary rewards to workers. While the scientific school believed that people worked for financial rewards and that employees should be paid according to the output they produced, the behavioral approach demonstrated that people work to satisfy different types of needs and not just for monetary rewards.
Part Two
21st Century Management
As a 21st century manager, Joyce Barnhart must embrace the concept of globalization. In the 21st-century, managers are required to deal with the new chances and challenges intrinsic in the globalization of businesses (Nicholson & Nairn, 2006). It is also essential that Joyce understands that her role as a manager includes knowledge management. She should ensure to nurture a learning culture with employees methodically gathering knowledge and sharing it with fellow workers and management in order to improve productivity (Gavin, Edmondson, & Gino, 2008). Moreover, Joyce should be driven by innovation. She should undertake measures such as the use of green-friendly shipping materials as per the company business drivers. By embracing globalization, knowledge management, and innovation, the department will be able to navigate the global business environment successfully, have a competitive advantage, adapt to changes, and gain loyal customers in the process improving productivity.
Conclusion
The scientific school of management led by Frederick Taylor advocates for the efficiency of work, specialization, and division of labor, tenets that Bart Aldrin practiced before the shift in management. He then embraced the behavioral school of management led by Elton Mayo that promotes human relations between management and workers. It resulted in the company responding timely to competitors and adapting to uncertainty. Both schools emphasized the importance of work study but differed on the significance of monetary rewards. As a 21st century manager, Joyce Barnhart is expected to have knowledge of globalization, knowledge management, and innovation in order to manage the production and shipping department. The new approach will improve productivity in the department.