Table of ContentsIntroductionMain BodyAdvantagesDisadvantagesContingency TheoryConclusionReferencesIntroductionManagement theories have been used as tools to facilitate the function and roles of management. They constitute an important element that influences the performance of the construction sector and the various organizations that are part of it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayIn this essay, in the first part of the main body, we will focus the discussion on the development of managerial thinking over the years. In the second section, we will analyze the influence of management theories on the construction sector. In the final part of the essay, we will evaluate management functions and their relevance to becoming a successful manager in construction. Main body Mass production and the industrial revolution brought new demands on people and process management. As businesses began to grow in size and production, business owners increasingly needed managers to manage their daily operations. Before the industrial revolution, only a few organizations and armies required theories for management. Due to the expansion of the industry, the practice of management has become a major theoretical consideration in the study of business. Over the last 100 years, management theories have changed and improved depending on mentalities, the economic and social context and the human expectations of staff. . Within a company, managers are people who think long term about the future of the company. They set big goals and gain the commitment of their staff, they also represent the inspiration of the company. They ensure that orders and tasks are carried out well, so they think in the shorter term by setting targets and objectives, seek to maximize resources and help employees stay productive by motivating them. Creative and dynamic management is a driving force behind the success of any business. In today's market, changes are rapid and managers are expected to deal with a wide range of problems and needs. The way they approach these issues is very different today than it was a hundred years ago. Times have changed, work has changed, and most importantly, management philosophies have changed. Yesterday's management philosophies are valuable tools that managers can use today. Weber developed the concept of bureaucracy, according to which an organization is characterized by specialized jobs, rigorous rules of behavior, clear relationships of authority and responsibility, employment and promotions based on merit. and seniority and lifetime employment. According to Max Weber's bureaucratic theory, three types of power can be found in organizations: traditional power, charismatic power, and legal power. In his bureaucratic theory, he describes the latter as bureaucracy. All aspects of a democracy are organized on the basis of rules and laws, upholding the principle of established jurisdiction. The following three elements support bureaucratic management: All regular activities within a bureaucracy can be considered official functions. Management has the power to impose rules. Rules can easily be followed based on established methods.AdvantagesThe great advantage of a bureaucracy is that large organizationswith many hierarchical levels can be structured and work efficiently. It is precisely the established rules and procedures that allow high efficiency and consistent execution of work by all employees. All of this makes it easier for management to maintain control and make adjustments if necessary. Bureaucracy is particularly inevitable in organizations where legislation plays an important role in providing a consistent outcome. DisadvantagesBureaucracy is characterized by a large amount of bureaucracy, paperwork, many offices, a certain office culture and slow bureaucratic communication.due to its many hierarchical layers. This is the biggest disadvantage of a bureaucratic organizational system. It is also unfortunate that employees remain distant from each other and the organization, making them less loyal. Because employees in a bureaucratic organization do not have the opportunity to express their opinions or influence decision-making, a bureaucracy can demotivate employees in the long term. Administrative management focuses on the management process concerned with setting objectives and planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling activities in such a way that organizational objectives are achieved. Fayol's most important contribution to management concerned two fundamental concepts. The first concerned the universality of basic management principles. These principles apply to all forms of organized human labor. Fayol's 14 management principles are listed below: Division of labor – When employees are specialized, output can increase as they become increasingly skilled and efficient. Authority – Managers must have the authority to give orders, but they must also keep in mind that with authority comes responsibility. Discipline – Discipline must be respected in organizations, but the methods of achieving this may vary. Unity of Command – Employees should only have one direct supervisor. Unity of direction – Teams with the same goal should work under the direction of a single manager, using a single plan. This will ensure that the action is properly coordinated. Subordination of individual interests to the general interest – The interests of an employee should not become more important than those of the group. This includes managers. Compensation – Employee satisfaction depends on fair compensation for everyone. This includes financial and non-financial compensation. Centralization – This principle refers to the proximity of employees to the decision-making process. It is important to aim for an appropriate balance. Scalar Chain – Employees must be aware of their position in the organization's hierarchy or chain of command. Orderliness – Workplace facilities should be clean, tidy and safe for employees. Everything must have its place. Fairness – Managers must be fair to staff at all times, both maintaining discipline where necessary and acting with kindness where appropriate. Stability of staff seniority – Managers should strive to minimize staff turnover. Personnel planning should be a priority. Initiative – Employees should be given the level of freedom necessary to create and execute plans. Esprit de Corps – Organizations should strive to promote team spirit and unity. His second major concept was that there is a body of knowledge related to management functions that can and should be taught. This concept led to the development of amanagement discipline that can be validly taught at the college level. His ideas and concepts can be used as guidelines, especially when using the contingency approach to management. Fayol's six main management functions, which go hand in hand with the principles, are: Forecasting. Planning. Organization. Command. Coordination. Control. The major contribution was to identify management as a distinct set of skills, or functions, performed by supervisors in organizations. He clearly delineated the difference between technical and managerial skills and noted that the supervisor must master both to be successful. “Management plays a very important role in the governance of companies: of all companies, large or small, industrial, commercial, political, religious or other. I intend to set out here my ideas on how this role should be played.” (Fayol, 1949 p.88) Fayol wrote as a practical businessman reflecting on his long career as a manager and drowning out the principles he had observed. He did not attempt to develop a logical theory or philosophy of self-governing management. His observations, however, fit surprisingly well into the method of management theory currently developing. The concept of scientific management approach was introduced in the United States by Frederick W. Taylor considered the father of efficient manufacturing, he developed an approach that encourages increased production and improved working conditions. work of employees. and increased income. Its main implication was to codify certain principles previously developed and used in well-managed European factories by stating them coherently and making them available to American factory managers. The heart of Taylor's approach was to create a "mental revolution", which assumed that managers would want to increase productivity and share these gains with workers by making work easier and improving material well-being. Applying his philosophy to workers, he developed the following duties of professional managers: Develop a science for each element of a worker's job that would replace the old empirical method. Select, train, teach and develop workers scientifically (In the past, workers chose their own production method and trained themselves as best they could.) Cooperate fully with employees to ensure that all work was carried out with the best operating methods available. Distribute work and responsibilities between management and workers. Use wage incentives to motivate workers to produce more. Frederick W. Taylor developed an entire system of production and management that was far ahead of its time. In fact, his contributions were partly responsible for the massive production systems during World War I and World War II. This approach standardized work and training, hiring employees, and tied compensation to increased productivity. Although very effective, this approach did not take into account the diversity of capabilities and needs within the workforce. A crucial shift in management philosophy occurred in the 1920s with a new emphasis on human behaviors, needs, and attitudes in the workplace rather than economy and efficiency. of production. Mary Parker Follett was the pioneer of the humanistic perspective that first emphasized the need for employee empowerment. Mary Follet's work called administrative management, itsContributions generally emphasize the need for an integrated organizational system, where people worked in teams or groups! She believes this will lead to more productivity and greater job satisfaction, rather than Frederick Taylor's "lone worker" scientific management theory. She advocated: Employee empowerment Flatter (horizontal) organizational structures Constructive use of conflict in management and labor relations Follett believed that workplace harmony could be achieved through the proper use of conflict! That there are four main ways of resolving conflicts, namely: The voluntary submission of one party A victory of one party over the other A compromise Integration, that is to say finding a solution which satisfies the two parties, without compromise or domination! She favored the latter method! She also believed that a leader in a group situation normally influences the group and is also influenced by the group! Mary Follett also developed concepts such as: The universal purpose The universal principle The law of the situation! The universal purpose of organizations is a combination of individual efforts that work toward the same goals of the organization! The universal principle is that there should be a circular or reciprocal organizational and communication activities! Basically, she advocated a feedback (control) system in the organization! The law of the situation is that there is no single best way to do things in management, and that the particular situation will dictate what to do! This new way of thinking led to the path forward for the human resources perspective, which viewed workers as a resource to be fully utilized, as opposed to tools from which utility could be derived. It suggests that beyond the need for worker inclusion and supportive leadership, organizations should design jobs to meet the higher needs of their employees and utilize their full potential. This perspective paved the way for the role that human relations departments play in organizations today. Whether in yesterday's factories or today's electronics companies, managers have the responsibility to coordinate and motivate employees to achieve an organization's goals. As times have changed, so have management philosophies. Understanding the evolution of management helps today's managers understand where we are today and how to improve management for the future. Contingency Theory Contingency theory, an offshoot of systems theory - concerned with the design of systems, began between the mid-1960s and the 1970s. At its peak in the early 1980s, Scott (1981) states: "Contingency theory remains 'the dominant approach to organization design' as well as the most widely used contemporary theoretical approach to the study of organizations." But Pfeffer (1997) states: “With a few notable exceptions, structural contingency theory has since virtually disappeared from the research scene and management literature. » In strategic management, the general axiom of contingency theory is that no “strategy is universally superior, whatever the environmental or corporate context” (Venkatraman, 1989). On the other hand, contingency theory recognizes that there are too many variables that impact organizational structure, both outside and inside the organization. Child (1975) suggested that variability in a firm's environment refers to the presence of changes. .