FIS 1230 Quiz 1: History of Management

This is a self-assessment quiz for students of FIS 1230.
Click on the space below each question to see the answer.
Click on the space to the right of "see =>" to view associated slides.
Enjoy.

The principles of Scientific Management were:

1. Develop a science for each element of an individual's work

2. Scientifically select, train, and develop the worker

3. Heartily cooperate with the worker

4. Divide work and responsibility equally between managers and workers

2. According to Henri Fayol, all managers perform 5 functions. What are they?

All managers plan, organize, command, coordinate, and control.

For Fayol's principles of how these functions should be perfomed, see =>

3. How did Max Weber describe an ideal Bureaucracy as a theory of administration?

An ideal Bureaucracy is a theory of administration based on rational-legal systems defined by these principles:

1. division of labour
2. authority hierarchy
3. formal selection
4. formal rules and regulations
5. impersonality
6. career orientation

4. The Human Relations Movement was said to have discovered the importance of "the informal organization." Why was this a new and important insight?

The informal organization is important because the social norms, acceptance, and sentiments of the group can determine individual work behavior, sometimes to a greater extent than changes in the working environment (including changes in incentives).

The focus on social relations in organizations, and on understanding workers and managers as human beings with social and emotional needs was a fresh beginning from the structural and functional theories of Taylor, Fayol, and Weber.

5. What is the Contingency Approach to understanding management practice?

The Contingency Approach recognizes that there is no one best way of managment that is universally applicable -- which was what earlier theories were trying to identify in their search for general management principles. Instead, the appropriate management approach should be selected and matched with the particular situational factors faced by an organization. Such contingency variables include: organization size, history and culture; task complexity; environmental uncertainty; and individual differences.

6. In what ways are libraries like or unlike business organizations?

For a more detailed discussion, see =>

Briefly, most libraries are non-profit service agencies that provide professional service as auxiliaries to larger organizations (corporations, municipalities, schools). Library goals are becoming increasingly ambiguous and uncertain given the rapid pace of technological and social change.