Critical Analysis of Management Theories in Social Work Settings

This report critically analyzes the application of Human Relations and Bureaucratic Management theories within a social work context, specifically examining their use in a hospital setting. The analysis includes a detailed description of each theory, supported by relevant literature, and provides concrete examples of their implementation in the hospital environment, such as employee motivation strategies and hierarchical organizational structures. The report also discusses the benefits of each theory, such as improved employee appreciation and clearly defined management roles, as well as the challenges, including difficulties in predicting employee behavior and potential discouragement of innovation. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of adapting these theories to the specific needs and context of the social work environment to maximize their effectiveness.

Running head: MANAGEMENT THEORIES
Management Theories
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

MANAGEMENT THEORIES 2
Human Management Relations Theory
This theory has been in existence for quite a long time. It has been used greatly in the
hospital working environment. The hospital working environment is largely composed of
health care workers, support staff and patients/clients. It is true to say that employment of the
theory in the hospital setting has changed management of healthcare facilities for the better.
The Human Relations Theory of Management was developed in the 1920s (Armstrong and
Taylor, 2014). At that time, the main goal of management was to ensure maximum
productivity. It follows that most of the management practices were constructed in such a
way to ensure maximization of production. It was at that time that studies were carried out
and showed that people were the important factor in production and not machines. While
machines are good in making work easier, it was noted that putting focus on the employees
and their welfare greatly improved production.
The theory stipulates that people are generally motivated when working in supportive
teams and where the relationships in the work environment are at their optimum (Bratton and
Gold, 2017). Human beings have emotions that are stimulated by various circumstances.
Since human beings are emotional by nature, they cannot be compared to machines for they
have feelings. If these employees are treated well and in a manner that shows that they are
significant, then they are likely to appreciate the work that they do and become more
productive (DuBrin and Geerinck, 2015). This is as true to the hospital environment as it is
true to other social care environments.

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Evidence/Examples of Application of the Human Relations Management Theory
is Used in the Hospital Setting
There are several strategies that the management to motivate the workers. The
workers in the hospital setting are mainly healthcare professionals such as the physicians,
nurses, pharmacists, nurses and dietitians. There are also support staff such secretaries and
workers who clean various places within the hospital. The discussion above has shown the
importance of motivating workers- both the healthcare professional and the support staff.
Ensuring that employees are motivated goes a long way in ensuring that productivity is
increased. Some of the ways used to motivate the employees are going to be discussed next.
One of the ways is through which the welfare of employees is taken care of is
ensuring that they receive a good pay. It would be almost true to say that almost every worker
would like the best possible pay. A good pay ensures that the workers can settle their bills
and carry out other endeavours comfortably. This contributes to more concentration on their
work leading to better results ((Jesinoski, Miller and Volker, 2016). Another way the hospital
motivates the workers is by ensuring that there are adequate employees so that workers are
not overworked. For instance, there are employees for the night shift and those who work
during the day. Promotions are also another in which healthcare workers are motivated.
Sometimes, the hospital also facilitates the employees (health professionals) to do further
studies. The facilitation involves funding them for that purpose, such as providing the funds
needed for education, house allowance etc. In a nutshell, the hospital seems to appreciate the
importance of motivating its employees and this has led to improved services. This is pure
application of human relations management theory which stipulates that the employee is the
most important factor for ensuring success/achievement of goals.

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Benefits and Challenges of Human Relations Management Theory
There are several benefits accrued through application of this theory to hospital
environment. One is that the employees are appreciated. Appreciation refers to
acknowledging the contribution of the employees. In the hospital environment, this is carried
out through such ways as promotions and salary increase. Another benefit is that the
wellbeing of the hospital employees is considered. While the main aim remains enhancing the
services, the hospital ensures that the well being of the employees is catered for. This could
be through increasing their pay, allowing them to work for only reasonable amounts of time
and facilitating them for further studies. The other benefit is that a good relationship is built
between the hospital workers and the management. When the hospital employees are
appreciated, and their welfare catered for, they see the role of management as that of caring
and a good rapport is developed.
There are also challenges associated with application this theory of management in
the hospital work environment. One is that it is difficult to tell how the hospital employees
will behave. The expectation is that motivating the workers would result in better services
(Khorasani and Almasifard, 2017). Sometimes however, some employees may end up
expecting more motivation rather than improve service delivery. The other disadvantage is
that the theory is based on strategies of predicted behaviour versus observed behaviour. This
theory does not have scientific basis and though it has worked in many cases, it has failed in
some others. For instance, some hospital employees improve the way they lender their
services when motivated while others do not.

MANAGEMENT THEORIES 5
Bureaucratic Management Theory
This theory is not popular in the contemporary society, but it is still used. It is applied
in the hospital environment in several ways that will be discussed next. The theory was
developed by Max Weber ((Niskanen, 2017)). Weber defined six characteristics of a
bureaucracy. One is hierarchical structure of management. This means that there are levels of
management and each level is controlled by the one above it. The healthcare facilities are
organized into levels from the primary health (level 1) care to the highest level (level 6
hospitals). The second is division of labour where each employee specializes in a certain area.
The specialist gains that status by gaining the appropriate skills (West, 2016). The hospital
staff undergo specialised training before they commence working at the health care facilities.
There are also formal appointments. This implies that such appointments are purely based on
competence, skills one has or experience. Such factors as nepotism or preferential treatment
do not have a room in this type of management. The fourth is that there is a sharp difference
between management and ownership. The managers are not necessarily owners but
individuals who have the expertise required for the manager career (Tuczek, Castka and
Wakolbinger, 2018). The fifth is that there are rules established to guide the bureaucracy.
These rules are formal and with them in place, it is easy to predict the action of employees.
The last characteristic is referred to as impersonality. This means that the set rules apply to all
individuals without favour or preferential treatment.
Evidence of Use of Bureaucratic Management Theory in the Hospital Setting
Although this theory of management is not popular in the contemporary society, it still
applies and is used in several situations. The reason for unpopularity is that many views it as
complex and one that does not favour creativity and innovativeness. Taking a close look at

MANAGEMENT THEORIES 6
my setting (the hospital) it is obvious that this theory applies. It may not apply in its entirety,
but it applies all together. In the hospital environment, there is a hierarchy of health care
institutions. There are levels running from the primary health care institutions and
dispensaries to level VI hospitals (Ginter, Duncan and Swayne, 2018). Each higher-level
handle more complex conditions and situations. There is also the division of labour. In the
health care environment, a patient sees the physician for diagnosis, a pharmacist for
prescription of drugs, a nurse for administration of drugs or feeds (for patients who may
require this) and a nutritionist/dietitian for food and dietary advice. There are also other
specialists such as oncologists, eye specialists etc. Appointments are also done in a very
formal manner and is based on experience/skills/competence. There are set guidelines to
determine various operations (Thompson, 2017). For instance, in management of severe acute
malnutrition, there are certain guidelines followed. A nutritionist can therefore predict the
interventions that will be carried out to a child who presents with malnutrition. The
illustrations above point out the aspects of bureaucratic management used in the hospital care
setting.
Benefits and Challenges of Bureaucracy
One of the benefits this theory is that the role of the hospital management is clearly defined.
For instance, the role of the medical superintendent or that of the nurse are well known. The
clarity ensures that there are little or no conflicts in the workplace concerning who is
supposed to be playing a certain role. Another benefit is that the organisation of hospitals into
levels leads to efficiency. The lower levels are many and near the villages or estates where
people live. They deal with the common conditions. The organisation is in such a way that
the more complex conditions are handled at higher levels. The theory also ensures increased
effectiveness of administration.

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There are also some disadvantages/challenges associated with this theory. One of such
challenges is that it is difficult to adopt the theory in its entirety (Shafritz, Ott and Jang,
2015). For instance, some health facility owners are also part of the management of the
facility. Another disadvantage is that it discourages innovation and creativity. This is because
there are set guidelines that stipulate what should be done under certain circumstances. For
instance, the nurse may not carry out the role of a physician even when the physician is not
available, and intervention is critical. Another disadvantage is that the welfare of the
employees in not given a priority. The greatest determinant of productivity of an
institution/organisation is the employees (Maylor, Meredith, Söderlund and Browning, 2018).
Failure to motivate the hospital employees may lead to poor services.

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References
Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
DuBrin, A. J., & Geerinck, T. (2015). Human relations: Interpersonal, job-oriented skills.
Pearson.
Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2018). The strategic management of health
care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Jesinoski, T., Miller, G. J., & Volker, J. X. (2016). Entrepreneurial Human Relations and
Organizational Behaviour. Business Journal for Entrepreneurs, (4).
Khorasani, S. T., & Almasifard, M. (2017). Evolution of management theory within 20th
century: A systemic overview of paradigm shifts in management. International
Review of Management and Marketing, 7(3), 134-137.
Maylor, H., Meredith, J. R., Söderlund, J., & Browning, T. (2018). Old theories, new
contexts: extending operations management theories to projects. International
Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(6), 1274-1288.
Niskanen, J. (2017). Bureaucracy and representative government. Routledge.
Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (2015). Classics of organization theory. Cengage
Learning.
Thompson, J. D. (2017). Organizations in action: Social science bases of administrative
theory. Routledge.

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Tuczek, F., Castka, P., & Wakolbinger, T. (2018). A review of management theories in the
context of quality, environmental and social responsibility voluntary standards.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 176, 399-416.
West, W. F. (2016). Controlling the Bureaucracy: Institutional Constraints in Theory and
Practice: Institutional Constraints in Theory and Practice. Routledge.