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Behavioural Management Approach

The behavioral approach to management focuses on human behavior and emphasizes that behaviors can be learned and unlearned. It views organizations from the perspective of individuals and groups rather than just production. The Hawthorne studies in the 1920s-1930s provided evidence for this approach. The behavioral approach has two branches: the human relations approach which focuses on social and psychological factors influencing behavior, and the behavioral science approach which takes a multi-disciplinary view incorporating psychology, sociology, and anthropology to study and predict employee behavior. The behavioral science approach sees organizations as socio-technical systems and recognizes that goals must be harmonized with human needs. It focuses on leadership, motivation, communication, and group dynamics to improve performance.

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1K views5 pages

Behavioural Management Approach

The behavioral approach to management focuses on human behavior and emphasizes that behaviors can be learned and unlearned. It views organizations from the perspective of individuals and groups rather than just production. The Hawthorne studies in the 1920s-1930s provided evidence for this approach. The behavioral approach has two branches: the human relations approach which focuses on social and psychological factors influencing behavior, and the behavioral science approach which takes a multi-disciplinary view incorporating psychology, sociology, and anthropology to study and predict employee behavior. The behavioral science approach sees organizations as socio-technical systems and recognizes that goals must be harmonized with human needs. It focuses on leadership, motivation, communication, and group dynamics to improve performance.

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Anonymous v5QjDW2eHx
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Behavioral approach to management focuses on the fact that human behavior is

learned, thus all behavior can be unlearned and new behaviors learned in its place.
Behaviorism is concerned primarily with the observable and measurable aspects of human
behavior. Therefore when behaviors become unacceptable, they can be unlearned.
The Behavioral approach to management evolved mainly because the practicing
managers discovered that adopting the ideas of the classical approach failed to achieve total
efficiency and workplace harmony. The behavioral approach to management highlighted
what the classical advocates overlooked the human aspect. The classical theorists looked
at the organization from a production perspective; the behavioral advocates viewed it from
the individuals viewpoint. The behavioral approach to management highlighted individual
behavior & group processes, and acknowledged the importance of behavioral processes at
work. The Hawthorne studies (led by Elton Mayo and other experts and associates) in the
late 1920 and early 1930 helped to lend credence to the behavioral approach.
Some of the main behavioral researchers who made considerable contributions to the
progression of the behavioral approach to management are: Elton Myao, Mary Parker Follett,
Douglas McGregor, Kurt Lewin, Chester Barnard, Abraham Maslow, George Romans, etc.
Branches of Behavioral Approach to Management
The behavioral approach has been divided into two branches: the Human relations approach
and the behavioral science approach. In the human relations approach managers should
know why their subordinates behave as they do and what psychological and social factors
have an impact on them. Supporters of this approach make an effort to show how the
process and functions of management are influenced by differences in individual behavior
and the influence of groups in the office.
Human Relations Approach
The initial encouragement for the movement came from the Hawthorne experiments. The
term human relations mean the way in which managers connect to subordinates.
Managers face many difficulties because staff members usually do not stick to
predetermined and balanced patterns of behavior. Supporters of Human relations approach
feel that management should recognize employees need for recognition and social
acceptance. Management therefore involves getting things done with and through peopel.
Understanding worker response and inter-personal relations is essential in the development
of any management approach. Thus, managers must be competent in human relations skills
along with technical skills. The core of human relations approach is "being nice to workers"
and it focused on the following six propositions:
1. A focus on people, rather than upon machines or economics
2. People exist in an organizational environment rather than an organized social context
3. A key activity in human relations is motivating people

4. Motivation should be directed towards team work which requires both the coordination and cooperation of individuals involved.
5. Human relations, through team work,
organizational objectives simultaneously

seeks

to

fulfill

both

individual

and

6. Both individuals and organizations share desire for efficiency, that is, they try to
achieve maximum results with minimum inputs
Behavioral Science Approach
The Behavioral Science Approach is actually an extension of the Human Relations
Approach. It gave value to attitudes, behavior and performance of people and groups within
the organisations. The advocates of the behavioral science approach consider that humans
are much more complex than the economic man description of the classical approach and
the social man description of the human relations approach. This approach focuses on the
nature of work, and the degree to which it will satisfy the human need to show skills and
expertise.
The main propositions of behavioural science approach can be smmarised as under.
1. An organisation is a socio-technical system
2. Interpersonal or group behaviour of people in the organisation is influenced by a wide
range of factors.
3. The goal;s of the organisation are to be harmanised with an understanding of the
human needs
4. Multitude oof attitudes, perceptions and values are prevalent amongst employees
and these characterise thier behaviour and influence thier performance
5. As a result some degree of conflict is inevitable in the organisation and this need not
be viewed undesirable
The behavioural approach recognises the quality of leadership as a determining factor in
management success. It focuses on group relationship and recognises the role of individual
psychology and group behaviour in organisational effectiveness. It is thus an improved
version of human relations approach.
Abraham Maslow, Fredrick Herzberg, Douglas McGregor, Victor Vroom, James March, Herbert
Simon, Chestar Barnard, etc., made significant contributions towards the behavioural
science approach.
Contributions of the Behavioral Approach

Improved usage of teams to achieve organizational goals.

Emphasis on training and development of staff

Use of innovative reward and incentive techniques.

Furthermore the main focus on modern management theory led to empowering


employees via shared information.

Limitations of the Behavioral Approach to Management


Challenges for managers in difficult situations and the reality that human behavior is
complex. This complicated the problem for managers attempting to use insights from the
behavioral sciences that regularly changed when different behavioral scientists offered
distinct alternatives.

The human relations movement drew heavily in support of its findings on a


series of famouns experiments called the Hawthorne Studies which were
conducted from 1924 to 1933 at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric
Company in Cicero, Illinois. The neglect of human aspect and over-emophasis
machines, materials and abstract functions led to the development of this
approach. Prof. Elton Mayo is considered as the initial profounder of the
Human Relations or Behavioural Approach to Management

Management functions & processes are discharged by a number of individual


(human beings) and successful management is one that gets the best from
these individuals. Management therefore involves getting this done with and
through peopel. Understanding worker response and inter-personal relations
is essential in the development of any management approach. The core of
human relations approach is "being nice to workers" and it focussed on the
following six propositions:
7. A focus on people, rather than upon machines or economics
8. People exist in an organizational environment rather than an organized
social context
9. A key activity in human relations is motivating people
10.
Motivation should be directed towards team work which requires
both the co-ordination and cooperation of individuals involved.
11.Human relations, through team work, seeks to fulfill both individual and
organizational objectives simultaneously
12.
Both individuals and organizations share desire for efficiency, that
is, they try to achieve maximum results with minimum inputs
The human relations approach emphasises on the individual and focuses on
inter-personal approach. It studies the individual, his needs and behaviour. Its
main concepts are motivation and job satisfaction.
The human relations approach neglected behavioural pattern of groups. Man
is a social animal and her never thinks alone. He is greatly influenced by what
others with whom he is associated thinks or behaves. Thus it is the group that
sets the pattern of human behaviour. It is necessary to study the
organisational behaviour as a whole, involving the study of the attitude,
behaviour and performance of both individuals and groups in organisational
setting. This led to the more improved and modern approach called the
Behavioural Sciences Approach to Management.
Behavioural Sciences Approach to Management

The behavioural approach views the enterprise as a social organism. It is


termed as behavioural sciences approach because it adopts a multidimensional and inter-disciplinary study of employees behaviour applying
principles from behavioural sciences like psychology, sociology and
anthropology. The objective is not only to study, but to predict the future
behaviour of employees. Motivation, leadership, communication, group
dynamics and participative management are inbuilt in this approach, as
means of securing better employee performance and willing release extra
energy towards cointributuion to the accepted goals of the organisation.
Several sociologists and psychologists like Abraham H. Maslow, Douglass
McGregor, Frederic Herzberg, Chris Argyris etc. have contributed towards the
development and enrichment of this approach.
The main propositions of behavioural science approach can be smmarised as
under.
6. An organisation is a socio-technical system
7. Interpersonal or group behaviour of people in the organisation is
influenced by a wide range of factors.
8. The goal;s of the organisation are to be harmanised with an
understanding of the human needs
9. Multitude oof attitudes, perceptions and values are prevalent amongst
employees and these characterise thier behaviour and influence thier
performance
10.
As a result some degree of conflict is inevitable in the organisation
and this need not be viewed undesirable
The behavioural approach recognises the quality of leadership as a
determining factor in management success. It focuses on group relationship
and recognises the role of individual psychology and group behaviour in
organisational effectiveness. It is thus an improved version of human relations
approach.

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