Fundamental concepts: The solution to contemporary management problems – A sine qua non or non sequitur?

Abstract

The last quarter of the 20th century, particularly the last decade - with the advent of more sophisticated technology, rising educational levels amongst workers and globalisation - saw the arrival of a plethora of management tools and theories; and notwithstanding the sometimes their contradictory nature; an even stronger and louder message being spread viz. that management in the 21st century would have a different face from that worn in the 20th century. This paper raises various questions: Is contemporary management theory nothing more than an accumulation of contradictory fads? Can universal management principles be extracted from the accumulated mass of information? Do the classical writers have words of wisdom to impart to the manager of the 21st century? In so doing, this paper traces a trajectory of management thought by examining the place of the seminal work of Chester I Barnard of the classical school of thought, in the light of contemporary trends and problems; and debates the currency of fundamental management principles.

Learning organization: a fine example of a management fad

“…Scholars have discovered fads not only in the social sciences, but also in some disciplines of the natural sciences (Abrahamson, 2009), but some authors (Bort & Kieser, 2011) argue that in organization theory fads are prevalent. The last decade of the 20 th century saw the arrival of a plethora of management tools and theories, often conflicting, and the question arises (Naidoo, 2004): Is modern management theory nothing more than an accumulation of contradictory fads? That accumulation of fads forces practicing managers to check through trial-and-error the value and application of some management theories.…”

“…The vast majority of managers, even 96% of them, were familiar with Total Quality Management (TQM) technique, which in theory had been recognized as a fad, while 94% of them felt that TQM was still applicable for use (David & Strang, 2006). A global survey of 708 companies from five continents found that managers were using more tools than ever (Naidoo, 2004). Of the 25 different management tools used on average, the companies used 16 such tools, with the greatest emphasis on compass-setting tools as mission and vision statements and strategic planning, while managers rejected as ineffective tools such as stock buybacks, corporate venturing, and merger integration teams.…”