Henri Fayol, practitioner and theoretician – revered and reviled

Abstract

Purpose -Fayol's theories were the original foundation for management as a discipline and as a profession. Also Fayol was the first to advocate management education. Yet he has critics who revile him (or at least disparage his work) as well as followers who respect and revere him. This paper intends to enlighten today's practitioners and academicians about the relevance and value of Fayol's theories today. Design/methodology/approach -The paper addresses Fayol's contributions as well as the disparagement and the reverence. It compares Fayol's work with that of Follett, Mintzberg, Taylor, and Porter. In addition, it demonstrates the original and current interpretation and application of his theories. Finally, it indicates the alignment of Fayol's theories with strategic leadership and management. Findings -Fayol's theories are valuable and relevant for organizational leaders because Fayol was a practitioner who documented theories that worked best for him and his co-workers. While there are those who criticize Fayol's theories, there are many others who respect them and find them useful as academicians and as practitioners. The theory of management functions aligns well with strategic leadership and management models and theories. Originality/value -The paper is the first to integrate Fayol's theories with a strategic leadership model.

Private Schooling and Fayol's Principles of Management: A Case from Nepal

“…Henri Fayol developed his administrative theory of management during the time when there was a vacuum with regards to management theory (Pryor & Taneja, 2010). Even though his original work Administration Industrielleet Generale was published in French in 1916, the English translation of his work was not available until 1949.…”

“…Fayol's work has been compared with different contemporary management models from Mintzberg, Kotter and Hales (Fells, 2000;Pryor & Taneja, 2010). Wren (1995) argues that an understanding of Fayol's work provides an important landmark in the development of management theory.…”

“…Henri Fayol (1841-1925 was the first person to advocate management education that laid the foundation of management as both discipline and profession (Pryor & Taneja, 2010). Henri Fayol, popularly known as the founder of administrative management, developed his theory on the basis of his practical experience in the field of management (Fells, 2000;Pryor & Taneja, 2010).…”

“…Fayol argues that remuneration/wages/ salary of the personnel working in the organization needs to be fair to provide satisfaction to both the employees and employers. It depends on general economic condition of the organization, cost of living and the capacity of the individual employees (Fayol, 1949;Pryor & Taneja, 2010;Wren, 1979Wren, , 1995.…”

“…Whenever authority is exercised, responsibility arises. So there needs to be a proper balance between authority and responsibility (Fayol, 1949;Pryor & Taneja, 2010;Wren, 1995Wren, , 2001.…”