Management Thinking

Management Thinking

McDonald’s corporation, an American fast-food company, is the world’s largest chain of fast-food restaurants. This puts a lot of pressure on the management in not only achieving the organization’s goals but also handling the large groups of employees employed at the various branches of the restaurant. At each branch, there are several different stations that one could work including cook, drive-through-cashier, dishwasher, runner (bags food), and front cashier. Several connections exist between the thinking of management pioneers and the observations made at McDonald’s.

Discussion

• Most workers complained about nonexistent breaks with no flexibility in schedules. The employees felt as if they were slaves. The staff also felt under-payed for the work they did at Mc Donald’s. As a result, most of the employees were Soldering-deliberately slow their pace to restrict the work output. This observation is in line with Frederick W Taylor thinking on a fair day’s work. Taylor would advise McDonald’s on systemic analysis to identify the best methods in selecting training and developing workers. He would also encourage the management to promote co-operation between management and labor by setting specific tasks and goals and rewarding workers with financial incentives. Furthermore, Taylor would recommend the provision of breaks and flexible schedules to staff.

 

• The staff complained that the managers were rude to them and would yell at the staff for no reason. These observations may borrow from Mary Parker Follett’s contribution to management was in conflict resolution. Follett believed that the best way to deal with conflict was not in domination. McDonald’s managers are going against Follett’s ideas by being harsh to the employees and staff. Follett would advise the introduction of integrated conflict resolution by having both parties indicate their preferences and work together to find a common ground where employees would be happy. Additionally, Follett would recommend that instructions are discussed with the sub-ordinates so that any comeback or resentment is brought out in the open.

 

• The interaction between the employees was commendable with a majority of the employees appearing to like working with each other. The job satisfaction of the employees at McDonald’s appeared to be dependent on the management of each store. Elton Mayo would advise on the development of a sense of participation in critical determinations that leads to increased productivity. The Hawthorne effect- increasing productivity by paying more attention to workers through the creation of cohesive workgroups was also observed at McDonald’s. Hawthorne studies reveal that worker’s feelings and attitudes affected their work. Mayo concepts enable managers to better understand the effect of group social interactions, employee satisfaction, and attitudes on a group and individual performance.

 

• Chester Barnard’s theory on cooperation informal organizations is essential in the acceptance of executive authority. Cases of workers failing to show up and soldering are common in some branches of the fast-food restaurant. According to Barnard, McDonald’s should place more emphasis on cooperation which would improve on how staff perceive authority and are willing to accept it. Barnard would advise McDonald’s managers to provide managerial directives that are easily understood, consistent with the organization’s purpose, and compatible with the personal interests of the staff. Furthermore, managers should respect and treat the staff with the utmost professionalism as the superior authority is granted by the workers to the management.

Summary

Several changes in the classification of work have evolved throughout the years especially in the fields of Information Communications Technology. These changes are responsible for revolutions in the management approach from the days of the management pioneers. Some of the thinking of management pioneers have become obsolete as they fail to put into account the non-tangible aspects of work such as data processing. Furthermore, advancements in technology have enabled most organizations to carry out work from remote locations (Work-From-Home), as in the case of the Covid-19 virus. Management from these remote locations calls for transformative thinking on management practices by organizations.