Week 11 Organisation and Management Theory

 Provide 2 case studies to demonstrate 2 of the key theories discussed in the lecture. How do they relate to the theories?
Compare and contrast the 2 organisations highlighting good practice from each.

The two organisations that have been chosen are John Lewis and McDonalds. The theories will be discussed and how it links to the chosen organisations through the example of scientific management and bureaucracy.
According to Mullins (2007) there are lots of different ways to identify trends in an organisation’s behaviour and management, for example, the Classical School which includes scientific management and bureaucracy.
Mullins (2007) stated that scientific management focuses on shop floor workers. Decision making is only for managers. Bureaucracy points out clear duties for all staff and set of rules to be follow. Companies are usually hierarchy structure.
Another theory that an organisation and manage can be link to is Human Relations School which includes motivation theories such as Maslow, Herzberg and Hawthorne. These theories attention is to identify the behaviour of people and the needs of worker or groups (Mullins, 2007).

McDonalds (n.d) uses scientific management. Firstly their staff is told to follow specific instructions to produce the goods, for example, temperature settings for catering equipment and this illustrate that McDonalds use their staff as robots. Usually managers will make the final decisions.
On the other hand John Lewis uses the same management styles in certain department, for example, call centre customer service, staff usually have a script in front of a monitor telling them what to do.
Both organisations use the Human Relations Schools to motivates their staff and indentify needs and wants. But McDonalds uses the Human Relations Schools less effectively. This is because the staff is less committed to the job role.
On the other hands John Lewis uses the theory more effectively. This is because the staff is more committed to the job role and managers listen to their staff.

Another way to show that an organisation has a good practice is through their staff turnover. For example, John Lewis’s staff turnover is reasonably low but on the other hand McDonalds has a high staff turnover. this is due to the sector they are in.
McDonald has provided some good practices, for example, offering employees the chance to gain diplomas, A – levels and this could lead to a management course.
As John Lewis is an up-market department they also offer courses too but it’s to the take undergraduates.

 What are the pros and cons of scientific management? Think of five of each.

The pros of scientific management are that decision making will be faster. The theory also makes the employees to achieve a higher target. Also this will result in clear goals and easier to identify employees who are not suitable for the job.

The cons of scientific management are that the theory does not consider staff feelings and needs and wants. This will lead to de-motivation and result in a high staff turnover. Also this theory does not give employees any power or any challenging roles and this will result in employees leaving the organisation.

Write a brief conclusion about organisation and management theory.

To conclude organisation and management theory is that managers are people who help an organisation to meet its objectives.
In order to move the organisation forward managers will need to control its employees and at the same time lead and inspire.


Bibliography and References

John Lewis (2010) John Lewis jobs [online] Available at: http://www.jlpjobs.com/jobs/waitrose-jobs.htm [Accessed 20 March 2010]

McDonald’s (n.d) Make up your own mind [online] Available at:http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/qualification.html [Accessed 20 March 2010]

Mullins, L. J. (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.