Principle of Management

Subject: Leadership and Management (Theory)

Overview

Henry Fayol suggested fourteen management principles, which he found most frequently applied in his work. "There is nothing hard or absolute in managerial matters," he says, "it's all an issue of proportion." As a result, these ideas are adaptable and may be used in any situation. They are a division of labor, authority and responsibility, discipline, unity of direction, subordination of individual interests to general interests, equity, centralization, initiative, order, stability of tenure, scalar chain, and esprit de corps.

Henry Fayol proposed fourteen management concepts that he found most frequently applied in his work. "There is nothing hard or absolute in managerial matters," he says, "it is all an issue of proportion." As a result, these ideas are adaptable and adaptable to every situation. These are their names:

Division of Work:

It refers to the division of labor among multiple individuals within an organization in order to achieve specialization in each task. Henry Fayol has emphasized the importance of work specialization. He suggested that labor of all kinds be divided and subdivided and assigned to different people based on their expertise in a particular field. Work is simplified and more efficient when it is divided. It also aids individuals in gaining speed and precision in their performance.

Authority and Responsibility:

Authority and accountability coexist. In any management process, authority refers to the power to issue commands to subordinates, but responsibility refers to the obligation to act in the manner requested and directed by superior authorities. Alternatively, it refers to the task that the subordinate is required to perform in any management process. Responsibility must be expressed in terms of either functions or objectives. If someone is given authority, he or she should also be held accountable. Similarly, if someone is given responsibility for work, they should have the necessary authority. There must be a balance between the two, i.e. they must work together. Management's irresponsible behavior is encouraged by the authority without responsibility. Similarly, management is effective when there is accountability but no authority. As a result, authority and responsibility should be balanced.

Discipline:

According to Fayol, "discipline means sincerity, obedience, respect for authority, and adherence to the enterprise's norms and regulations." It is critical for the organization's seamless operation. Discipline can be enforced if: 

  • There are excellent superiors at all levels.
  • There are clear and equitable agreements with employees.
  • Sanctions are used sparingly.

Unity of Command:

This idea emphasizes that for any action or activity, one subordinate should only receive commands from one superior. In other words, the subordinate should not receive orders from more than one source because:

  • It determines authority
  • Weakens discipline
  • Divides loyalty
  • Creates confusion
  • Delays and create chaos
  • Escaping responsibilities
  • Duplication of work
  • Overlapping of efforts

As a result, dual subordination should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. This principle is essential for avoiding confusion and conflict.

Unity of Direction:

According to the idea of the unity of direction, for a set of activities with the same goal, there should be one leader and one plan. It is the condition required for action unity, strength coordination, and effort concentration. Activities that are related should be categorized together. There should be a single plan of action for them, and they should be overseen by a specific manager. This will aid in achieving the goals under the overall control and supervision of a single person. If this idea is not followed, there will be wasteful duplication of efforts and operational inefficiencies. Unity of action cannot be accomplished without unity of direction.

Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest:

This principle advocate for the reconciliation of an individual's objectives with those of the organization, and when the interests of the individual and the organization conflict, the latter must triumph.

This indicates that limited, selfish interests should be conquered or changed into the organization's common and wide interests for its wellbeing, such as collective bargaining.

  1. An organization is substantially larger than a single person.
  2. Individual and group interests should be understood as much as feasible.
  3. In a fight, however, people must make sacrifices for the greater good.
  4. It is critical for employees to be honest and sincere in order to achieve this attitude.
  5. Work must be properly and consistently supervised.
  6. Mutual agreement is used to resolve disagreements and confrontations. For example, a charge for the placement of a factory, a change in the profit-sharing ratio, and so on.

Remuneration of Personnel:

The employee must be fully compensated for their services to the organization. Employee remuneration should be just and fair to everyone as much as possible. Wages should be decided based on the cost of living, the work assigned, the business's financial status, the prevailing wage rate, job dangers, efficiency and quality of performance, and so on. Wage rates and payment systems that are logical and appropriate lessen friction and differences between workers and management, resulting in a harmonious relationship and a pleasant work environment.

Equity:

Equity is defined as a blend of fairness, kindness, and justice. If devotion is demanded of employees, they should be treated with decency and justice. Equity is required to establish and sustain amicable relationships between managers and subordinates.

Centralization:

The consolidation of authority at one level of an organization is referred to as centralization. Decentralization, on the other side, is the delegation of authority to lower levels of the organization. The degree of centralization and decentralization is determined by a variety of criteria such as the size of the business, the experience of superiors, the reliability and skill of subordinates, and so on. Management should retain ultimate responsibility, but subordinates should be given sufficient authority to accomplish their jobs properly.

Initiative:

Workers should be encouraged to take initiative in their work. It denotes a desire to take action without being asked. Fayol suggested that management provide employees the opportunity to contribute new ideas, experiences, and work approaches. It aids in the development of a trusting and understanding environment. People appreciate working in the organization since it instills zeal and vitality in them.

Order:

The appropriate and systematic arrangement of things and people is the focus of this idea. Material order refers to the arrangement of things, whereas social order refers to the placing of people.

Stability of Tenure:

Employees should not be shifted frequently from one employment position to another, according to Fayol, and the length of service in a job should be fixed. Fayol claims ” Time is essential for an employee to become acclimated to a new job and succeed to doing it successfully but if the is removed before that she will not be able to offer noteworthy services”. Job stability fosters team spirit and a sense of belonging among employees, ultimately increasing both the quality and quantity of labor.

Scalar Chain:

A scalar chain is defined by Fayol as "the chain of superiors stretching from the highest authority to the lowest." The scalar chain must be traversed by every command, instruction, message, request, explanation, and so on.

‘Espirit De’ Corps:

It refers to team spirit, which is defined as harmony in workgroups and mutual understanding among members. Espirit De Corps motivates employees to work harder. The following procedures should be performed to instill Espirit De Corps:

  • Work should be properly coordinated at all levels.
  • Subordinates should be encouraged to create informal relationships with one another.
  • Efforts should be made to instill passion and eagerness in subordinates so that they can work to their full potential.
  • Employees who perform well should be rewarded, while those who fall short should be given the opportunity to improve.
  • Subordinates should be made aware that anything they do is critical to the success of the company and society.

 

Things to remember
  • Henry Fayol proposed fourteen management concepts that he found most frequently applied in his work.
  • "There is nothing hard or absolute in managerial matters," he says, "it is all an issue of proportion."
  • As a result, these ideas are adaptable and adaptable to every situation.
  • They are a division of labor, authority and responsibility, discipline, unity of direction, subordination of individual interests to the greater good, equity, centralization, initiative, order, tenure stability, scalar chain, and esprit de corps.
Questions and Answers

Henry fayol has suggested fourteen principles of management, which he found most frequent to apply in his work. According to him “There is mothing rigid or absolute in management affairs, it is all a question o proportion.” Thus these principles are flexible and capable adoption to every need. They are as follows:

  • Division of work:

It refers to the division of work among various individual in the organization to bring about specialization in every activity. Henry foyal has stressed on the specialization of jobs. He recommended that work Of all kinds must be divided and subdivided and allotted to various persons according to their expertise in a particular area. Subdivision of work makes it simpler and results in efficiency. It also helps the individuals in acquiring speed, accuracy in his performance.

  • Authority and responsibility:

Authority and responsibility co-exist. Authority is the power to give orders to the subordinates whereas responsibility refers to the obligation to perform in the manner desired and directed by superior authorities in any management process. Or it means the duty, which the subordinate is expected in any management process. Responsibility must be expressed either in terms of functions or in terms of objectives. If authority is given to a person, he/she should be also be made responsible. In the same way, if anyone is made responsible for any job, they should also have concerned authority. There should be a balance between the two ie there they must go hand in hand. Authority without responsibility promotes irresponsible behavior on the part of management. Similarly, responsibility without responsibility without authority makes management effective. Thus there should be parity between authority and responsibility.

  • Discipline:

According to fayol, “ Discipline means sincerity, obedience, respect of authority and observance of rules and regulations of the enterprise”. It is highly essential for smooth running of the organization.

Discipline can be enforced if:

  • There are good superiors at all levels.
  • There are clear and fair agreements with workers.
  • Sanctions are judiciously applied.
  • Unity of command:

This principle emphasizes that one subordinate should receive orders from one superior only for any action or activity. In other words, subordinate should not receive instructions from more than one person because:

  • It determines authority.
  • Weakens discipline
  • Divides loyalty
  • Creates confusion
  • Delays and create chaos
  • Escaping responsibilities
  • Duplication of work
  • Overlapping of efforts

Therefore, dual subordination should be avoided unless and until it is absolutely essential. This principle is necessary to avoid confusion and conflict.

  • Unity of direction:

The principle of unity of direction states that for a group of activity having the same objective, there should be one head and one plan. It is the condition essential to the unity of action, coordination of strength and focusing of efforts. Related activities should be grouped together. There should be one plan of action for them and they should be under the charge of a particular manager. This will help in realizing the objectives under overall control and supervision of one head. If this principle is not followed, there will be unnecessary duplication of efforts and there will be inefficiency in operations. Without unity of direction, unity of action can not be achieved.

  • Subordination of individual interest to general interest:

This principles calls the reconciliation of the objectives of individual with those of the organization and when the individual and organization and organizational interests conflict, the latter must prevail.

This implies that narrow, selfish interest should be overcome or should be turned common and broad interest of the organization for its welfare e.g. collective bargaining.

  1. An organization is much bigger than the individual.
  2. As far as possible, understanding should be made between individual and group interest.
  3. But in case of conflict, individuals must sacrifice for bigger interest.
  4. In order to achieve this attitude, it is essential that-
  • Employees should be honest and sincere.
  • Proper and regular supervision of work.
  • Reconciliation of mutual differences and clashes by mutual agreement. For example, for charge of location of a plant, for change for profit sharing ratio, etc.
  • Remuneration of personnel:

The employee must be remunerated fully for their services rendered to the organization. The method of employee remuneration should be just and fair to everybody and as far as possible. Wages should be determined on the basis of the cost of living, work assigned, financial position of the business, prevailing wage rate, job hazards, efficiency and quality of performance etc. Logical and appropriate wages rates and methods of payment reduce tension and differenced between workers and management create harmonious relationship and pleasing atmosphere of work.

  • Equity:

Equity means combination of fairness, kindness and justice. Employees should be treated with kindness and equity if devotion is expected of them. Equity is essential to create and maintain cordial relations between the managers and subordinates.

  • Centralization:

Centralization refers to the concentration of authority at one level in the organization. On the other hand decentralization is the dispersal of authority to the lower levels in the organization. Degree od centralization and decentralization depends upon various factors like size of business, experience of superiors, dependability and ability of subordinates etc. A manager should be retaining final responsibility but the subordinates should be given enough authority to do their job properly.

  • Initiative:

Workers should be encouraged to take initiative in the work assigned to them. It means eagerness to initiate actions without being asked to do so. Fayol advised that management should provide opportunity to its employees to suggest ideas, experiences, and new methods of work. It helps in developing an atmosphere of trust and understanding. People then enjoy working in the organization because it adds zeal and energy.

  • Order:

This principle is concerned with proper and sysytematic arrangement of things and people. Arrangement of thongs is called material order and placement od people is called social order.

  • Stability of tenure:

Fayol emphasized that employees should not be moved frequently from one job position to another i.e. the period of services in a job should be fixed. According to fayol.” Time is required for an employee to get used to a new job and succeed to doing it well but if the is removed before that she will not be able to render worthwhile services”. Stability in a job creates team spirit and a sense of belongingness among workers which ultimately increases the quality as well as quantity of work.

  • Scalar chain:

Fayol defines scalar chain as “the chain of superiors ranging from the ultimate authority to the lowest”. Every order, instruction, message, request, explanation etc has to pass through the scalar chain.

  • ‘Espirit De’ Corps:

It refers to team spirit i.e. harmony in the works groups and mutual understanding among the members. Espirit De Corps inspires workers to work harder. To inculcate Espirit De Corps the following steps should be undertaken:

  • There should be proper coordination of work at all levels.
  • Subordinates should be encouraged to develop informal relations and themselves.
  • Efforts should be made to create enthusiasm and keeness among subordinates that they can work to the maximum ability.
  • Efficient employees should be rewarded and those who are not up to the mark should be given a chance to improve their performance.

Subordinates should be made aware that whatever they are doing is of great importance to the business and society

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