Cagayan State University – Carig Campus

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE

Conceive Design Implement Operate
Tel. No.(078) 304-1205 loc 035/036 Cp. No. 0966-3795741 Transforming Lives

CSU Vision
Transforming
lives by
Educating for ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT
the BEST. (ES 003)
First Semester, School Year 2022-2023
CSU Mission
CSU is
committed to
transform the
lives of people
and communities
through high
quality
Critical Reflections
instruction and
innovative in
research,
development,
Evolution of Management
production and
extension.

CSU – IGA
Competence
Social Responsibility
Unifying Presence
By:

Pierre Jahn G. Tayaban

COE – IGA
Innovative Thinking
Synthesis
Personal
Responsibility
Empathy
Research Skill
Entrepreneurial
Skill

Engr. CAESAR P. LLAPITAN

Instructor

Date Submitted: October 18, 2022

Critical Reflections
I. ‘It is often claimed that what leading writers say is an important part of the study
of management and organizational behavior. Others say that all these different
ideas are little more than short-term fads and have little practical value.’
What do you think? What role does management theory have in helping us solve
problems we face in our organizational lives today?

I think that leading writers are essentials in improving management

because they offer various approaches based on their views of organizations. As
such, managers reading the work of leading writers on the subject might see in
their ideas and conclusions a message about how they should behave. This will
influence their attitudes towards management practice.

Management theory helps in understanding the interrelationships

between the development of theory, behaviour in organizations, and
management practice. Its role in understanding principles underlying the
process of management guides managers in their managerial role. As such, these
theories teach managers how to make the most out of the assets at their disposal
in dealing with various problems. Managers act based on assumptions,
generalizations, and hypothesis --- in short, theories. That’s why management
theory is an essential tool used in decision making since it provides different
approaches in solving problems that organizations face.

II. ‘Despite the strong criticisms of scientific management, in the right

circumstances the underlying principles still have relevance and much to offer
business organizations today. It is just that many commentators appear reluctant
to openly admit that this is the case.’
What are your views? Where could scientific management be applied for the best
overall effect?

Scientific management speeds up the production process by intensifying

the workloads of the workers in order to reach the set standard output for a given
time. Although production reaches the desired quantity of output or maybe even
more, the quality becomes questionable and the health of the workers is
compromised due to stress and fatigue. Due to overwork, workers also become
hostile to their managers which breaks down teamwork and coordination. As
such this type of management isn’t sustainable in the long run.

Scientific management can only be applied after thorough observation,

experimenting, and analysis. To gain the best overall effect, it’s best applied on
labor-intensive industries especially those with specific clients since scientific
 management prioritizes cost controls over customer service. In addition, to
sustain the production rate and activeness of workers, workers must have a
proper hours of rest. This can be done by dividing the workers into two teams.
The first team is for the day shift while the other is for the night shift; the roles
are reversed for a given week interval to maintain fairness and satisfaction.

III. ‘Despite the frequent criticisms of bureaucratic structures, it is difficult to

envisage how large-scale organizations, especially within the public sector, could
function effectively without exhibiting at least some of the features of a
bureaucracy. Demands for alternative forms of structure are unrealistic.’
How would you attempt to justify the benefits of bureaucratic structures?

Bureaucracy runs the administration of large-scale organizations in

accordance to set laws, policies, rules, regulations, and decisions of the superior.
All processes and procedures follows these set standards. With these as guides,
members of the organization can carry out their everyday duties effectively. A
bureaucratic structure has a wide scope due to the division of labor which gives
birth to numerous departments where each specializes in conducting their task
independently but interconnectedly with other departments. Thus, government,
universities, and many institutions are bureaucratic in nature since it’s the most
effective way to manage a large-scale organization.

IV. ‘The human relations approach to organizations and management makes all the
right sounds with an emphasis on humane behavior, considerate management
and recognition of the informal organization. However, it is more about what
people would like to believe and lacks credibility and substance.’
To what extent do the criticisms and shortcomings of the human relations
approach detract from its potential benefits?

Human relations approach becomes detrimental when the organizational

needs are getting compromised due to excessive emphasis on the human side. It
is undeniable that human element should be given importance and recognition
since the organization’s productivity is also based on the wellbeing of the
workers, may it be psychological, physical, or social. However, the organizational
needs are the top priority while other elements are only secondary.

V. ‘The idea of postmodernist organization can be likened to the “Emperor’s new

clothes”. In reality it is too theoretical and too vague, and lacks any real adaptive
value for the practical manager.’
How would you attempt to challenge this assertion? What is your own opinion of
postmodernism?
 Postmodernism concept goal is to cultivate employees and promote
management through training, career pathing, development of incentive
systems, and consideration for employees’ needs in order to increase their
productivity. Moreover, division of labor focused more on collaboration and
teamwork, i.e., a team-based approach. As such postmodernism management
becomes more concerned with motivation and communication rather than the
classical hierarchal and rule system. Modern problems require modern solution.
Jobs in the present require expertise and skill due to the increasing technicality
and complexity of processes, as such employees are the key element in most
organizations. Employees want to feel that they’re needed, to be appreciated,
rewarded for their efforts, and designated on tasks that are engaging. By
understanding postmodernism, modern managers can understand employees
better and will be able to bring out the best in them and increase productivity.

VI. ‘The historical study of different approaches to organization and management

and the development of organization theory have no practical relevance for
today’s managers. It is really no more than a luxury for students and the time
could be spent better on the study of more important topic areas.’
How would you present a counter argument?

To avoid repeating our mistakes, we learn from our past experiences. In a

similar way, managers in the present can learn from historical studies and
organization theory made by people with managerial experiences who
encountered failures and tried innovating and presenting their own approach in
dealing with organization problems. Using these historical approaches as basis,
managers today can integrate their own finding and modernize the outdated
theories and approaches. These modernized approach and theories will in turn
be used by future managers as study materials and basis for innovation. As such,
saying that historical study of different organizational and managerial approach
and development of organization theory have no practical relevance for today’s
managers is akin to saying that historical methods, findings, theories, or
concepts have no credibility.