Classical Approach Vs Human Relation Approach

Change Management Assignment – Stephen Buggy – x11384341

Fully exploring the main features of each, in what ways – in your view – can the Human Relations Approach be considered superior to the Classical Approach to the management of organisations?

There are currently two prevailing theories in management when it comes to how a business should be effectively managed. The Classical Approach to management holds the opinion that employees are workers and nothing more, that they serve a sole purpose to generate profit for the business and can be replaced at any given time by any given person. The Human Resources approach is different in that it believes that each employee brings something unique to the business and as a result, although they

This idea shared many features with the Administrative approach of Fayor, however, it also emphasised a number of additional “features”. The concept of this approach was to manage the business with an impersonal and rational approach. Employees were to be selected for their technical ability and competence. There was to be no passion, affection or enthusiasm amongst the workforce. A general set of impersonal rules and regulations would govern all employees and apply uniformity to all. Everything in this system had a paper trail to follow it, meaning their is no room for expression of self or deviation from the standard. Weber was fascinated with the importance of organisational rules and legal authority in a bureaucratic environment. This approach was a closed system with no external influences. It was based on a centralised decision making management structure which also held all the power. Weber had three sub-theories of authority within his Bureaucratic approach. He believed that in Traditional Authority, power was based on a tradition of authority as opposed to abilities, actions or behaviours. This worked because long term employees especially would respond well to the custom or tradition of a time proven group of people holding all the cards. An example of this is the Queen of England, who is adored and respected purely because of her lineage before

The Human Relations Approach emphasises the importance of human needs in the workplace and the responsibility of management to meet those needs. There are two prevailing theories in this approach to management. The Theory X and Theory Y approach first coined by Douglas McGregor and the Hierarchy of Needs by Abraham Maslow.

Maslow 's Theory of Motivation is based on five individual categories. These are Physiological, Security, Social, Self-Esteem and Self-Actualisation. Maslow suggested that an employee can only be motivated by one of these needs at any one time. As soon as one of these needs was satisfied, the employee could then be motivated by the next tier on the pyramid, and so