To what extent is the study of Management scientific

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To what extent is the study of Management scientific?

If it is not a science, then what is it?

Introduction

It is broadly agreed that certain aspects of management study are perfectly scientific, for example computer and mathematical solutions to management problems subject to quantitative constraints. This essay however, is mainly concerned with management study within an organisational behaviour context; it argues that many theories outlining human responses to management policy are unscientific, and those which do follow scientific methodology produce results with limited applications.

The aims of management study will firstly be discussed, with a consideration of what constitutes scientific research, and how a scientific nature helps achieve these aims. A management policy which aims to scientifically measure the success of management strategies will then be evaluated. The main body of the essay evaluates two types of management approaches, those which focus on productivity levels and the formal organisation, and those which take a more holistic view by taking into account human factors and the informal organisation as well.  Finally, a case study known as the ‘Hawthorne research’ has been used to support the assertions made above, as the findings relate to both scientific and observational studies.

The study of management

The development of management theory began in the late nineteenth century, with the emergence of large industrial organisations, and the ensuing problems associated with their structure and management. It was hoped that the management theories devised would be able to improve organisational functioning whilst improving the quality of life of those who work in organisations (Mullins, 1999:52).

The management theories which will be most useful to organisations are those which are scientific in nature, i.e. those studies where a causal relationship can be established between two variables. Scientific research allows changes to the independent variable to be objectively linked to changes in a dependant variable. For example, in a natural science such as chemistry it can be observed that combining certain chemicals always gives certain products. The results will never change. This constitutes reliable research; the product created will always be the same if the study is repeated. It also valid research, the cause has been firmly established. The same principle can be applied to management studies. If they always yield similar results, theories will be extremely valuable to organisations as opposed to theories which yield inconsistent results and will not always provide a solution to business problems.

MBO: A scientific means of evaluating management strategies?

One attempt to scientifically measure the success of management strategies is Management by objectives (MBO). This is a scheme whereby lower level managers jointly participate in setting measurable and tangible goals for their departments. These targets (e.g. cut costs by 10%) are explicit, in the hope that management strategies used to meet the targets can be scientifically evaluated. If targets are being met it would appear that the strategies are working (Robbins, 1993:249-250).

However, managers may set targets at a lower level than could be achieved, as a failure to meet targets reflects badly on them. This suggestion is supported by Burawoy’s (1979) research into a US manufacturer of railroad supplies. Lower-level supervisors colluded with workers to restrict output levels, so that the output targets set by senior management remained low (just 70% of the maximum possible production levels). The workers were rewarded for producing extra output beyond the target, so on certain weeks the group would decide to produce extra units and obtain the bonus (Thompson & McHugh, 2002:113). This demonstrates the illusion of high productivity which can be created if targets are set incorrectly.

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The MBO strategy is also limited in terms of the objectives it can measure. For example, if the company wishes to improve customer service it could set the objective that all calls must be answered within a certain amount of time. Yet it’s very difficult to measure the quality of service in terms of the politeness of the member of staff taking the call, without a subjective judgement being made by a supervisor. This shows that the value of MBO is limited without successful policies to underpin it, and that the scheme cannot be used to quantify successes in ...

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