Running Head: FINAL RESEARCH PAPER 1

Final Research Paper

Francisco G. Perez

October 2, 2017

Dr. Emma Miller

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Abstract

While many leadership theories have evolved throughout the last century, a few have

become or inspired standard practices in the modern business world. This paper will study the

Administrative Theory by Henri Fayol, Bureaucratic Theory by Max Weber, and the Human

Relations Theory by Elton Mayo. Each theory will be compared to the current leadership

practices of South Texas College with the goal of discussing how some of the practices in these

theories can improve my production as an employee of the institution. Through this paper, I find

that by taking the best practices of these theories, leaders and employees can inspire and

establish significant change in their organizations. Some of the practices in these theories, I find

defective and therefore conclude that they must not be practiced. Although these theories are

widely known, they are yet to develop and modify with the changing attitudes of the present

society. Changes such as technology and evolving social needs, shape the needs of institutions

and their leadership. Even as widely used theories, these are not unsusceptible to todays or

tomorrows change.
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The Administrative Theory by Henri Fayol

Section I

Henri Fayols Administrative Theory calls for a hierarchal form of management in an

organization. The Administrative Theory is the traditional structure of organizations, with high

level leaders and lower level leaders, both demanding obedience from their employees through a

sense of formal discipline. Fayol's ideas so permeate modern management thinking that they

have become an unquestioned part of todays received knowledge on how organizations should

be designed (Bedeian, 2001). This structure allows organizations to assign specific leadership

roles and objectives to employees, giving the organizations greater control over their employees

and their practices.

The Catholic Church is an example of this theory, although their hierarchal structure is

over a thousand years older than the theory itself. The church has been able to maintain its

structure by disseminating its power through the formal appointment of leadership figures such

as cardinals and bishops. These leadership figures oversee their areas of decree with clear

separations between leaders, yet working in unison for a common goal under the direction of the

pope. Through this trickle of power in their chain of command, the institutions presence can be

seen in almost every country of the world.

Section II

Most large institutions today follow Henri Fayols Administrative Theory with formal

chains of commands and clearly distinct responsibilities between the organizations departments.

An example of some of the most common departments in large organizations, there is the Human

Resources department and the Public Relations department. Where the Human Resources

department is responsible for the maintenance of employee records, such as payroll and benefits,
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the Public Relations department is responsible for the organizations image, working closely to

media outlets and publicity. This clear distinction allows the employees in those specific areas to

concentrate in reaching a specific goal that works towards the organizations overall goal, yet

without reaching aimlessly for that common goal.

Section III

South Texas College as any other academic institution, can be compared to the Henri

Fayols Administrative Theory by the institutions use of a formal chain of command. This chain

of command automatically calls for a respectful, professional environment due to the nature of

leading and following. As a leader, or employee, you, by instinct know that there is a clear

division between yourself as a leader and your lower levels of employees. This idea is clear at

South Texas College, where administrators are clearly separate from lower level staff. The only

negative aspect of this is that power distance creates a lack of social connection from follower to

leader, resulting in a lack of both loyalty and productivity.

The Bureaucratic Theory by Max Weber

Section I

The Bureaucratic Theory by Max Weber calls for a hierarchal organization, a formal

chain of command, specific assigned tasks, and many regulations. The goal of this theory in

many cases is equal treatment for all. What made the prospect of bureaucratization so

frightening in Webers eyes was its promise of an era of political stagnation where rationallegal

forms of rule would be wholly unchallengeable (Magalhes, 2016). This theory creates a clear

separation between rational decisions and emotional decisions, completely obliterating the use of

the latter. This disregard of emotion can have adverse effects on institutions whose goal is to

attract customers and welcome ideas.

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Section II

Similar to Henry Fayols Administrative Theory, Max Webers Bureaucratic Theory calls

for hierarchal management, which plays a key role in todays organizations. The hierarchal

structure is an aspect of this theory that is unlikely to cease in practice, due to its ease of creating

order from a complicated web of employees necessary to run a large institution in an efficient

manner. Creating a chain of command allows management to delegate tasks to other employees,

granting some employees with supervision over lower level employees and so on, as a sort of

trickle-down effect of tasks throughout the organization.

In the Bureaucratic Theory, there is no place for emotion, which as explained by Elton

Mayos Human Relations Theory, results in a great decrease of employee loyalty and interest in

their organizations. The lack of emotion in Webers theory can greatly decrease an

organizations production, leaving the management of the organization debating whether the

strict discipline and order are worth the consequences. For this reason, the Bureaucratic Theory

is not a widely-used theory in its entirety. Bits and pieces of this theory are used to influence

ideal behaviors in organizations, but only by combining them to other more widely accepted

practices. Few organizations are currently run in the strict manner in which this theory

recommends.

Section III

Similar to Max Webers Bureaucratic Theory, South Texas Colleges structure runs

through a clear chain of command that trickles down responsibilities and objectives through its

departments. Recent changes in South Texas College have left a few responsibilities as topic of

debate between departments. Examples of these tasks are the issuing of student identification

cards or the outreach responsibilities to the community. This lack of clear division between the
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tasks of the departments, in my opinion, affects the productivity of the institution. Applying a

definitive and clear description of each departments responsibilities will surely end this recent

issue. A strict set of rules and regulations can also be applied to important tasks such as the

issuing of photo identifications. Although there are rules in place, there still lacks a definitive

manual on which employees can depend as reference when in doubt of certain policies. This, as

well, would end the miscommunication in the area.

The hiring process of many institutions, including South Texas College can be compared

to Max Webers Bureaucratic Theory, where task specialization plays a key role. Employees are

selected based on their knowledge and their experience with the tasks at hand. This selective

process for hiring employees, based on this theory, is yet lacking of todays necessary social

aspect of the hiring process. It is in the previously mentioned social aspect that South Texas

Colleges hiring process differs from Max Webers theory. Employees at South Texas College

are sought for their approachability and social skills, additional to their work experience and

knowledge in the area. This is one strongpoint for South Texas College. By taking one of the few

positive aspects of this theory and combining it to the true social needs of todays society, South

Texas College has, what today is an ideal hiring process.

The Human Relations Theory by Elton Mayo

Section I

Elton Mayos Human Relations Theory claims that humans by nature need to be part of a

group of people and feel as if they play an important role in that group. Most men are impelled

by their own natures to seek some bases for social alliance and productive cooperation with one

another (Sarachek, 1968). This cooperation and interaction drives employees to work harder

due to increased encouragement from the feeling of importance and belonging in their institution.
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Mayos investigations led to the discovery of the importance of social interaction in the

professional work environment of an institution. In his research, he concluded that even by

changing the physical work environment, at the end, the social aspect has the greatest impact on

the typical employees productivity.

Section II

Today, major organizations implement new programs into their areas of labor that allow

employees to grow both professionally and socially. Satisfying employees social needs is more

easily achieved thanks to the development of Professional Development programs. These

programs play a key role in motivating and educating employees through the organizations

efforts of increasing productivity and employee satisfaction. These trainings are really dedicated

to increasing the employees knowledge, specific to their area of work, yet at the same time,

these programs fall in line with Elton Mayos theory by providing a foundation for growth with

the secondary purpose of increasing employees personal social needs through the use of

professional trainings.

The decrease of power distance, in many organizations, allows employees to have closer

communication with its administrators, allowing employees to give quicker feedback, giving

them a true sense of satisfaction in doing so. This is why many leaders are chosen not only by

their experience, but also by their social behavior. Charismatic leadership plays a large role in

allowing employees to feel welcomed and encouraged in taking part of their organizations. When

employees dont feel encouraged to express themselves to their leaders, their social needs are not

being met, quite often affecting their overall productivity. As stated in the textbook The Art and

Science of Leadership, one underlying factor that might stop many leaders from delegating is

their personality style, their need for control, and their fear of losing it (Nahavandi, 2015). This
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behavior or personality from a leader impedes the growth of the organization by negating the

organization from accessing new ideas.

Section III

South Texas College administrators make a great effort to listen to employees concerns

and ideas, although they dont always make it to the discussion table. The one issue in my

organization regarding the Human Relations Theory, is the lack of ability for staff to have input

into administrative decisions. The administration should create a new method of sharing decision

options with staff to receive a broad array of feedback in which they can base their decisions. For

example, the recent renovation of the Enrollment Center or the placement of the new cafeteria

would certainly have had different outcomes had the staff been aware of those plans beforehand.

A formal collection of opinions and ideas could have made a true difference in the decisions of

these projects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, South Texas College can increase its production and employee satisfaction

by combining several aspects of the three theories. As a community college and academic

institution, our goal is to welcome the community and encourage them to continue their

education. In order to do this, South Texas College must borrow the Human Resources Theory to

appeal to the community with friendly and encouraging attitudes. Yet it must borrow the rigid

structure of regulations from the Bureaucratic Theory in order to maintain the organization in

compliance with college regulations. Finally, it must also borrow the formal structure of the

Administrative Theory to maintain the organization in order, as to efficiently delegate tasks and

give a solid description of responsibilities throughout the organizations departments. I believe

that by adapting these areas to the institution, the productivity of South Texas College can be
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raised, possibly encouraging other institutions to adopt our practices as well, in an effort to raise

their own productivity.

By taking the structure and clear delegation of tasks of Henri Fayols Administrative

Theory, the clear rules and regulations of Max Webers Bureaucratic Theory, and the social

aspect of Elton Mayos Human Relations Theory, we can create an ideal work environment that

will provide the necessary requirements of running a large institution. While maintaining a

professional environment, institutions can likewise maintain a socially suitable environment for

both its employees and for its clients.

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References

Bedeian, A. G., & Wren, D. A. (2001). Most Influential Management Books of the 20th Century.

Organizational Dynamics, 29(3), 221-225.

Magalhes, P. T. (2016). A Contingent Affinity: Max Weber, Carl Schmitt, and the Challenge of

Modern Politics. Journal of The History of Ideas, 77(2), 283-304.

Nahavandi, A. (2015). The Art and Science of Leadership (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson Education Limited.

Sarachek, B. (1968). Elton Mayo's Social Psychology and Human Relations. The Academy of

Management Journal, 11(2), 189-197.