KENYA TECHNICAL TRAINERS COLLEGE (KTTC)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
UNIT TITLE: EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT
1. In groups research and present in class principles of management that can be
applied in school administration.
CLASSICAL ORGANIZATIONAL THEORIES
This is the oldest formal school of thought of 1900 -1920s. Developed during the
Industrial Revolution when new problems related to the factory system began to appear.
Managers began to test solutions in order to solve the many problems in the factories.
The approach suggests that employees have only economical and physical needs .That
the social needs & need for job satisfaction either do not exist or are unimportant.
Accordingly it advocates;
high specialization of labour,
centralized decision making
profit maximization.
The organization is viewed in terms of its purpose and formal structure.Emphasis is
placed on;
planning of work,
technical requirements,
principles of management,
assumption of rational and logical behaviour.
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Mainly concerned with the increasing the efficiency of workers and organizations based
on management practices.
CLASSICAL APPROACH
Major Contributors are:
(i) Frederick Winslow Taylor – 1868-1924
(ii) Frank Gilberth – 1868-1924
(iii) Lillian Gilberth – 1878-1972
(iv) Henri Fayol – 1841-1925
(v) Max Weber – 1864-1920
The classical approach includes two different management perspectives:
Scientific management and
Administrative management.
Historically, scientific management focused on the management of work and workers while
Administrative management addressed issues on how an overall organization should be
structured.
1. Scientific Management- Frederick W. Taylor
Before twentieth century, management was based on experience and common sense.
Taylor (an Engineer) tried to change that view. He suggested that through careful
scientific analysis the efficiency of work could be improved. Managers should study
work scientifically to identify the “one best way” to perform a task. Taylor’s scientific
management consists of four principles;
(i) Scientific Job Analysis- Through observation, data gathering, and careful
measurement/analysis. This determines the “one best way” of performing each
job.
(ii) Selection of Personnel – Scientifically: select, train, teach, develop workers.
Before the theory, workers chose their own work and trained themselves.
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(Scientific and systematic methods were to be used for selecting workers and
training them for specific tasks.)
(iii) Management Cooperation – Managers should cooperate with workers to ensure
that all work being done is in accordance with the principles of the science that
has been developed.
(iv) Functional Supervising – Managers assume planning, organizing, and decision-
making activities. Workers perform their jobs. (Before the theory, almost all work
and responsibility were thrust on workers)
Purpose of the four principles of scientific management is to maximize worker
productivity. As a laborer in the steel industry himself, he observed how workers
performed well below their capacities. He referred to this activity as soldiering.
Taylor and “best way”
Taylor believed that all work processes could be broken down into tasks to find the ‘one
best way’ to perform each task. Best way led to less time spent on a task. Best way would
lead to need for fewer workers. The few workers could then be paid more for meeting
standards. He advocated division of work and responsibility between management and
the workers.
Criticism
Boring
Little skill required
Too many lay offs
Authoritative
Exhausting workers
Quantity over quality
Cost control over consumer service
Relevance to Today’s Mgt
Such practices as work study, organization and methods,
Payment by results
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