The Paradox of Our Time

By George Carlin
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider
freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more
degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems;
more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too
angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom,
and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new
neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better
things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not
to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever,
but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits
and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses
but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a
time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when
technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this
insight, or to just hit delete.
Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around
forever.
Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person
soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can
give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember to say "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss
and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there
again.
Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath
away.

THE ROLE OF THEORY AND

HISTORY IN MANAGEMENT
The importance of theory and history
Theory provides a simple conceptual framework for organizing knowledge and for providing a
blueprint for action to help guide organizations toward their goals.
Contributions from past industrialists have molded the organizational culture and managers can
benefit from an awareness of these contributions.

The historical context of management

Social forces are the norms and values that characterize a culture. Early social forces allowed
workers to be treated poorly; however, more recent social forces have provided for more
acceptable working conditions for workers. Social forces have influenced management theory in
areas such as motivation and leadership.
Economic forces are the ideas behind the concept of a market economy such as private
ownership of property, economic freedom, competitive markets, and a limited role for
government.
Political forces such as govemmental regulations play a significant role in how organizations
choose to manage themselves. Political forces have influenced management theory in the areas
of environmental analysis, planning, control, organization design, and employee rights.

Precursors to management theory

While the practice of management can be traced back to 3000 B.C., it was not given serious
attention until the 1 800s when large organizations emerged.

Early management pioneers

The early pioneers include:
Robert Owen was one of the first managers to show respect and dignity to workers in
his factory. He implemented better working conditions, raised the minimum age for child
labor, reduced hours, and supplied meals.
Charles Babbage applied mathematic principles to find ways to make the most efficient
use of facilities and materials. He also advocated profit-sharing plans.
Andrew Ure was one of the world's first professors to teach management principles at
Anderson's College in Glasglow.

THE CLASSICAL PERSPECTIVE

Scientific management
Scientific management focuses on ways to improve the performance of individual workers.
Some of the major contributors are:
Frederick W. Taylor saw workers soldiering or deliberately working beneath their
potential and designed a 4-step method to overcome this problem
o It begins with breaking the job into its smallest pieces.
o The second step is to select themost qualified employees to perform the job and
train them to do it.
o Next, supervisors are used to monitor the employees to be sure they are
following the methods prescribed.
o Finally, continue in this fashion, but only use employees who are getting the
work done.
The Gilbreths, a husband and wife team, also helped to find more efficient ways for
workers to produce output. Frank Gilbreth made his most important contribution in the
field of bricklaying. He changed an 18-step process into a 5-step process and increased
productivity by about 200 percent.
Henry Gantt introduced the Gantt chart, which is a way to schedule woric. Thistype of
chart is still used today.
Harrington Emerson was an advocate of specialized management roles in organizations.
He testified before the Interstate Commerce Commission that the rail road could save $1
million a day by using scientific management.

Administrative management
Administrative management focuses on managing the total organization.
Henri Fayol was the first to identify the four management functions-

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

planning,
organizing
leading, and
controlling,

and he developed guidelines for managers to follow. These guidelines form fourteen
principles for effective management.

Lyndall Urwick is best known for integrating scientific management with administrative
management.
Max Weber outlined the concept of bureaucracy based on a rational set of guidelines for
structuring organizations in the most efficient manner. His work is the foundation of
contemporary organization theory.
Chester Bamard wrote about the acceptance of authority and how managers get
employees to do what they ask in a book called The Functions of the Executive.

Contributions

Laid the foundation for management theory.

Identified key processes, functions, and skills of managers that are still important today.
Made management a valid subject of scientific inquiry.

Limitations

Best used in simple, stable organizations.

Provided universal procedures that are not appropriate in all settings.
Most viewed employees as tools rather than resources.

THE BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE

The Hawthornestudies
The Hawthome studies were held at Westem Electric and sponsored by General Electric. Elton
Mayo and his colleagues controlled the lighting in one room of workers but not in another.
When the illumination was increased in the experimental group, productivity increased in both
groups. The increase in productivity was attributed to the fact that the workers were having extra
attention paid to them, maybe for the first time.
Other studies found that employees will not work as fast as they can when beingy paid piece-rate
wages. Instead, they will perform to the level informally set by the group in order to be accepted
by the group.
These two studies, and others, led Mayo to the conclusion that individual and social processes
played a major role in shaping workers attitudes and behavior at work.

The human relations movement

The human relations movement, which stemmed from the Hawthome studies, is based on the
idea that a manager's concem for workers will lead to their increased satisfaction and improved
perforrnance.
The movement includes the need theories of motivation, such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
and McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y.

The emergence of organizational behavior

The emergence of organizational behavior occurred because of the too simplistic descriptions of
work behavior by the human relationists. Organizational behavior takes aholistic view of
behavior by addressing individual, group, and organization processes.

Contributions

Gave insights into interpersonal processes in organizations such as motivation and

group dynamics.

Focused managerial attention on these processes.

Challenged the view of employees as tools and not resources.

Limitations

The complexity of human behavior makes prediction difficult.

Managers may be reluctant to adopt some of the behavioral concepts.
Contributions are often not communicated to the practicing managers in an
understandable form.

THE QUANTITATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Management science
Management science focuses specifically on the development of mathematical models. These
models help organizations to try out various activities with the use of a computer. Modeling can
help managers locate the best way to do things and save money and time.

Operations management
Operations management is an applied form of management science that helps organizations
develop techniques to produce their products and services more efficiently.

Contributions

Developed sophisticated quantitative techniques to assist in decision making.

Models have increased our awareness of complex organizational processes and has
aided in the planning and controlling processes.

Limitations

Cannot fully explain or predict behavior of people.

Mathematical sophisticalion may come at the expense of other important skills.
Models may require unrealistic or unfounded assumptions.

INTEGRATING PERSPECTIVES
The systems perspective

A system is an interrelated set of elements functioning as a uhole. An organization as a system

is composed of four elements:
inputs (material or human resources),
transformation processes (technological and managerial processes),
outputs (products or services), and
feedback (reactions from the environment).
Open systems are systems that interact with their environment. Subsystems are systems within
a broader system. Synergy are units that are more successful working together than working
alone. Entropy is the process that leads to decline.

The contingency perspective

Appropriate managerial behavior depends on the elements of the situation. Universal
perspectives tried to identify the "one best way" to manage organizations. Contingency
perspective argues that universal theories cannot be applied to organizations because each is
unique.

An integrating framework
Managers need to include the parts from each perspective that are relevant to their situation and
apply them using both a systems and contingency approach.

CONTEMPORARY MANAGEMENT
THOUGHT
Popular management theory
Type Z model organizations attempt to integrate parts of the Japanese model of management
(collective decision making, slow evaluation and promotion, and holistic concem), individual
responsibility from the U.S. model of management, and variations of other aspects of
management models to create a hybrid model of management.
The concem for excellence is an approach used by firms who have a basic set of characteristics
that leads them to excel. These characteristics include getting things done on time, staying close
to the customer, using hands-on management, and doing what the company knows best among
others.