Practice Being A Manager

Observing History Today

The topic of management history may sound like old news, but many of the issues and problems addressed by Max Weber, Chester Barnard, and other management theorists still challenge managers today. How can we structure an organization for maximum efficiency and just treatment of individuals?

What is the basis for, and limits to, authority in organizations? It is rather amazing that these thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries generated such a wealth of theory that still influences our discussion of management and leadership challenges in the 21st century. This exercise will give you the opportunity to draw upon some ideas that trace their roots back to the pioneers of management thinking.

Preparing in Advance for Class Discussion

Step 1: Find an observation point. Identify a place where you can unobtrusively observe a group of people as they go about their work. You might select a coffee shop, bookstore, or restaurant.

Step 2: Settle in and observe. Go to your selected workplace and observe the people working there for at least 20 minutes. You should take along something like a notebook or PDA so that you can jot down a few notes. It is a good idea to go during a busy time, so long as it is not so crowded that you will be unable to easily observe the workers. Step 3: Observe employees at work. Observe the process of work and the interaction among the employees. Consider some of the following issues:

• Identify the steps that employees follow in completing a work cycle (e.g., from taking an order to delivering a product). Can you see improvements that might be made, particularly steps that might be eliminated or streamlined?

• Observe the interaction and mood of the workers. Are they stressed? Or are they more relaxed? Does it seem to you that these workers like working with each other?

• Listen for signs of conflict. If you see signs of conflict, is the conflict resolved? If so, how did the workers resolve their conflict? If not, do you think that these workers suppress (bottle up) conflict?

• Can you tell who is in charge here? If so, how do the other workers respond to this person's directions? If not, how does the work group sort out who should be doing each task, and in what order?

Step 4: Consider what you saw. Immediately after your observation session, look through this chapter on management history for connections to your observations. For example, do you see any signs of the "Hawthorne Effect"? Would Frederick Taylor approve of the work process you observed, or might he have suggested improvements?

What might Chester Barnard's theory have to say about how the workers you observed responded to instructions from their "boss"? Write a one-page paper of bullet-point notes describing possible connections between your observations and the thinking of management pioneers such as Mary Parker Follett.

Class Discussion

Step 5: Share your findings as a class. Discuss the various points of connection that you found between pioneering management thinkers and your own observations of people at work. Are some of the issues of management "timeless"? If so, what do you see as timeless issues of management? What are some ways in which work and management have changed since the days of the management pioneers?