Classical Management: The Three Approaches Of The Classical School Of Management

Classical management is the oldest formal school of thought which began around 1900 and continued into the 1920s. It’s mainly concerned with the increasing the efficiency of workers and organisations based on management practices, which where an outcome of careful observation.

There are 3 approaches under the Classical management:

1. Scientific management

2. Administrative management

3. Weber’s bureaucratic management

The scientific management developed by Taylor is based on maximizing worker productivity. Acknowledging that the approach increases productivity through mutual trust between management and workers, Taylor suggested that, to increase this level of trust

• the advantages of productivity improvement should go to workers,

• physical stress and anxiety should be eliminated as much as possible,

• capabilities of workers should be developed through training, and

• the traditional 'boss ' concept should be eliminated.

Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management:

• Separation of planning and doing

• Functional foremanship

• Elements of scientific management – Scientific methods, Standardization and Centralization

• Bilateral mental revolution

• Financial incentives

• Economy

Weber’s bureaucratic management focuses on the guidelines for structuring with formalization of rules, procedures and a clear division of labour.

Max Weber’s elements of an ideal bureaucracy:

• A formal set of rules and procedures

• A clear chain of command

• Division of labour according to