Communication and Management Theory

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Communication and Management Theory

• Understanding the Connections
• ComS 103
• Prof. Burnett

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Why Study Management Theories or Paradigms?

• They form the basis of how managers manage
• Mgmt. theories are theories of human behavior
• Mgmt. theories are enacted by and through
  communication
• Mgmt. theories are sometimes difficult to decipher

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Classical Management Theories

• Frederick Taylor--Scientific Management
• Henri Fayol--General Management Theory
• Max Weber--Bureaucratic Theory

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Four Principles of Taylorism or Scientific
Managment

• There is one best way to perform a task (use
  science and time/motion studies)
• Select your personnel scientifically
• Compensation is based on work output
• Strict division of labor--Managers plan the
  work, workers work the plan

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Fayols Management Theory

• Fayols background and training
• Key Concepts
• Division of work
• Unity of command
• Subordination of individual interests
• Esprit de corps
• Centralization

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Webers Work on Bureaucracy

• Remember what Weber is reacting to
• Clear system of authority
• Complete, written rules and regulations
• Organizational relationships stay impersonal
• Selection and promotion based solely on technical
  competence
• Contemporary civil service systems

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Communication and Classical Management Theories

• Driven by managerial authority
• Believes people are rational, economic actors
• Emphasizes the machine metaphor, workers are
  merely cogs
• Communication is top-down, authority is tied to
  position

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Human Relations Movement

• Led by Roethlisberger and Mayo of Harvard
  University
• Hawthorne Studies--Western Electric Co.
• The Illumination Studies
• The Relay Assembly Room Studies
• The Interview Program
• The Findings

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Implications of the Hawthorne Studies

• Wake up call for social scientists
• Beginnings of people oriented mgmt.
• Participationincreased morale
• increased productivityincreased
• managerial control
• Managers must forge a relationship with employees
  facilitating upward and downward communication

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Human Resources Movement MacGregors
TheoryX/Theory Y

• Theory X
• Dislike work
• Need to be coerced
• Prefer direction
• Desires security above all else

• Theory Y
• Work is natural
• Coercion is wrong
• Self-Actualization is the key
• People will seek responsibility

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Communication and Human Relations

• Messages travel up, down, and across an
  organization
• Decision making is spread throughout an
  organization
• Build an atmosphere of trust and confidence in
  employees
• Decreased levels of managerial control

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Systems Theory and Organizational Theory

• Ludwig von Bertalanfy--biologist
• The organization as organism
• Systems integration is key insight
• Communication networks are privileged
• Informal communication is acknowledged

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Theory Z and Contingency Theory

• William Ouchi--Theory Z
• Corporate culture emphasizing
• interpersonal relationships
• long term employment
• collective decision making and collaboration
• respect for employees, concern for their
  well-being