Topic

Applying Theories in Managing ECE

1
School/ Center

Objectives:

 Analyze different theories and their implications to effective

school/center management;
 Compare and contrast the ideas of the different theories in
managing a school /center; and
 Select a theory or theories that you think best support and
bring about continuous improvement initiatives in your
school/center.

Acquiring New Knowledge

Management is needed in every group to attain the desired goals with the least
expenditures of time, energy and money. Whether the operation is an agency, school,
business or family management is essential.
A manager is the person who applies management theory and uses
management techniques. A manager today maybe called the administrator, executive,
supervisor, director, or boss.
In addition, management is a science with a number of theories and volumes of
studies designed to test those theories. Different theories appear to describe
management of one type of organization better than another. However, there is no
specific number of management theory to use, in a management situations or
conditions. Hence, child development theories can also be incorporated to effectively
intensify the condition of inconclusiveness.
A management theory is an organized set of related ideas, concepts and
principles that describe the process of managing an enterprise. Management has been
growing in its recognition as a science.
A few people still consider managing as an art because it encompasses
creativity, where new approaches and new ways of looking at old procedures are
required. Many even argue that individuals should stay as managers for only a short
time because they use up their fresh ideas. However, even the most creative manager
must use management science as a basis for actions. A trial-and-error or intuitive
method alone will surely prove less effective.

Ten Theoretical Approaches

Fulmer outlines 10 approaches to managements:

1. Empirical or case approach – based on studying experience; focuses on

mistakes and successes.
2. Interpersonal behaviour approach – based on the idea that things get done
through people; thus, managers should study interpersonal relations.
3. Group behaviour approach – based on sociology and social psychology;
concerned with the behaviour of people in groups in the workplace
4. Cooperative social systems approach – based on the idea of giving emphasis to
well-organized cooperation
5. Sociotechnical systems approach – based on understanding how the technical
system (machines and methods) affects the social system of the workplace,
especially industry
6. Decision theory approach – based on the decisions that are most advantageous
in a given uncertain conditions and environment.
7. Management science approach – based on mathematical processes, concepts,
symbols, and models that eventually resolve problems arising in a specific
context of management.
 8. Contingency or situational approach- based on the assumption that leadership
styles vary greatly depending on the conditions and circumstances in the workplace.
9. Managerial roles approach – based on observation of managers and broadening
the concept of management beyond the fundamental functions of planning,
organizing, leading, staffing, monitoring, and controlling
10. Eclectic approach – based on using fundamental functions of management –
planning, organizing, leading, staffing, monitoring, and controlling – and parts of
other approaches.

Total Quality Management

One approach to management that has gained increasing popularity in the
United States recently is total quality management. Ironically, this approach is based on
the ideas of two Westerners, W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran, who developed it
in Japan more than 40 years ago. This was the time when U.S. industries were firmly
entrenched in a “top-down” approach to management. Japan’s achievements in gaining
a large share of the world market for automobiles and electronic equipment prompted
U.S. manufactures to take a closer look at Deming’s theories. The Ford Motor Company
hired him as a consultant in 1980, and his ideas have caught on from there.
Total quality management contrasts with traditional management methods in
several ways:

1. Power is shared. Ideas flow upward from the people actually doing the work as
well as downward from the organization’s leaders.
2. Responsibility is shared. Everyone is expected to understand and be committed
to the organization’s mission, spot problems, propose solutions, and take
appropriate action to solve them.
3. Customer satisfaction is the central focus.
4. Quality is achieved by doing even the small things right the first time. When
products or outcomes are faulty, the process is examined and altered as needed.
Successful businesses do not rest on their laurels but strive for continuous
improvement.
 Management theories are a collection of ideas that recommend general rules for how
to manage an organization or business. Management theories address how supervisors
implement strategies to accomplish organizational goals and how they motivate employees to
perform at their highest ability. Typically, leaders apply concepts from different management
theories that best suit their employees and company culture. Although many management
theories were created centuries ago, they still provide many beneficial frameworks for leading
teams in the workplace and running businesses today.