The Capability of the General Manager to Lead BWTV

Joseph, the newly appointed General Manager ofrecognized the importance of knowing and
BWTV, must squarely face this issue. As Generalunderstanding the history of management theory to
Manager, he is accountable for the performance ofdraw lessons from the past and help move on to the
the company to achieve its goals. Joseph will havefuture.
profit and loss (P & L) responsibilities and mustAccording to Daft (1998), the classical management
therefore make sure that everybody in theperspective started the modern era of management
organization does the right things right efficiently to betheory during the early part of the 1900s. Various
effective contributors to the company's profitability andauthors say that scientific management and
growth.administrative management compose this
Case facts reveal that Joseph has a good grasp ofmanagement perspective. The authors noted that the
his responsibilities as General Manager of BWTV. Hisfocus of scientific management is on the individual
apprehensions and curiosity on some managementwhile administrative management concentrates on the
issues point to the fact that he knows what it takes toorganization.
manage an organization. For instance, JosephThe website El Rincon Del Vago (n.d.) and Davidson
immediately sensed that the company is disorganizedand Griffin (2006) cited the principles of management
by observing the staff and asking diagnostic questions.that Henri Fayol developed as one of the major
Davidson and Griffin (2006, quoted in Katz 1974) citescontributions of the classical management perspective
diagnostic skills as one of the essential skills that ato management thought that continue to be observed
manager should posses to operate an organizationeven by the managers of today. The 14 management
effectively.principles include division of labor, authority, unity of
Communication, decision-making, time management,command, subordination of individuals to the common
technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills form thegood, remuneration, centralization, scalar chain, order,
rest of the skills set that Joseph must posses. Theseequity, stability, initiative and esprit de corps.
are necessary skills that Joseph must have for him toAnother valuable contribution of the classical
competently perform his interpersonal, informationalmanagement perspective came from the proponents
and decisional roles.of scientific management. Davidson and Griffin (2006)
The case reveals that Joseph is uncertain if he hasand the website El Rincon Del Vago (n.d.) documented
what it takes to manage BWTV considering that hethe contribution of Frederick W. Taylor in improving
had only supervised a few people. He is not sure if heproduction efficiency through his principles of scientific
has the necessary managerial skills to manage themanagement.
company. De Bono and Heller (n.d.) emphasizes thatOther theories evolved from the classical
the fundamentals of business and management aremanagement perspective. One of these theories
universal, making them applicable to all organizations,represents the behavioral management perspective.
big or small. They believe that the growth of aThe Hawthorne Studies, according to Daft (1998),
company hinges on the ability of the manager toproved that the favorable treatment of people in the
translate his ideas into effective action. Joseph must,workplace increased motivation and productivity. The
therefore, put his best foot forward and translate hisstudy laid the foundation for other works in learning
thoughts into action. The owner of the company hasmore about leadership, motivation and human resource
full trust in him and that is a good starting point.management which continue to be a major concern of
Management theories can lay down the foundation oftoday's managers.
a successful business and Davidson and Griffin (2006)