Managment Theories

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the time, employees worked long hours for little pay and often in dangerous conditions. The approach to managing people was harsh and the main aim was to control the workers who had few, if any, rights.

Welfare Officers:
The first efforts to show concern for the workers came towards the end of the 19th century, with the appointment of welfare officers – to improve working conditions and to set up schemes for sick pay and subsidised housing. These welfare officers were in fact the first personnel managers. This initiative was voluntary as the companies did not have any legal obligation to provide these benefits. Quaker owned companies such as Cadbury in the U.K and Maguire in Ireland led the trend. The movement reached its highest point during World War 1 due to a demand for increased production. The depression that followed, however, resulted in large-scale unemployment and many of the welfare officers were let go. Attitudes had already begun to change though.

Scientific Management:
The next influence on how people were managed came in the form of scientific management resulting from greater company size, complexity and use of technology. The focus was moving away from ‘caring’ towards ‘efficiency and profitability’. In an effort to organise work activities more effectively F.W. Taylor decided there was “one best way” to approach every job. He analysed the job and broke it down into several components, this became known as job specialisation and resulted in the personnel role becoming firmly established. The specialist personnel role grew in the form of recruitment, payment systems, basic training, and personnel administration (i.e., record keeping). However, even though scientific management increased efficiency, it did little for employee morale.

Behavioural Science:
The research of philosophers such as Elton Mayo in the 1930’s and 1940’s indicates that the way people felt about their jobs inf...