Henri Fayol\'s Theory of Management

Henri Fayol's Theory Of Management

Often society forgets to appreciate its roots and structure. Without a respect for whence we came, it is impossible to appreciate where we are today. Management is not a new concept; it is a concept that has been around for quite some time. Through the ideas of Henri Foyel and others, we have the structure of many practices used in management today.

The reason for this research is to determine what effects Fayol's work has made on management as well as shortcomings and means for everyday application. Through knowledge of his works, one can appreciate how concepts are constructed, and altered to fit current trends. It is impossible to note the significance of Fayol's work without mentioning the work of Taylor whose theories coincide with many of Fayol's (Parker & Lewis, 1995).

Fayol's theory has laid the foundation for the concept and practice of management education (Crainer, 2003, p.42). Rue (1973) reported that the one best place to identify, agree upon, and solidify the corporate strategy is in the long-range plan. Documented long-ranged planning also provides assistance for delegation and coordination within the management team (Rue, 1973). It provides each manager with a "systems" view of the future organization and direction of the company (Rue, 1973, p.24).His openness toward maintaining flexibility in organizational hierarchies proves to still be useful today (Berdayes, 2002, p.40). Even the physical arrangement of workplaces has been modeled to parallel these lines of authority and subject workers to supervisors' field of vision (Berdayes).

On the other hand, there are those that view Fayol's theory as quite ridged. Fayol's notion of control was founded on his principle of authority and responsibility. He defined authority as the "right to give orders and the power to extract obedience'. Responsibility was the corollary of authority and was to be enforced by sanctions. Discipline was also a principle of Fayol's that supported his notion of control. Fayol defined discipline as 'obedience, application, energy, behavior, and outward marks of respect observed in accordance with the standing agreements between the firm and its employees'.

Discipline was to be secured through good superior, clean, and fair agreements and judiciously applied sanctions. Sanctions included remonstrances, warnings, fines, suspensions, demotions, and dismissals (Parker & Lewis, 1995, p.219)

Research has been done to show the significance of long-rang planning practices in the food, chemical, oil, steel, machinery, electronics, and retail segments of U.S. industry (Rue, 1973, p.23). Variations of Fayol's theory provide the curriculum framework for most collegiate business schools (Carter, 2001, p.454). Carter (2001) reported that Fayol's attempts to specify how the nature of managerial work varies across hierarchical levels of the organization are still being perused (Carter).Berdayes (2002) stressed the usefulness of the rationalization of work processes and organizational structures, with an emphasis on elaborating a clear, hierarchical division of labor, as well as clear " lines of command."