Individual Report: Management Approaches in the COVID-19 Era

This individual report for the Introduction to Management (UMCDMX-15-1) course analyzes the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on organizational function and management approaches. The report contrasts classical management, emphasizing scientific principles, efficiency, and bureaucracy, with post-bureaucratic approaches that focus on decentralization, empowerment, and flexibility. It explores the strengths and weaknesses of each model, particularly in adapting to rapid environmental changes. The report discusses the relevance of classical approaches for organizational stability and the advantages of post-bureaucratic structures in fostering innovation and employee autonomy. The report also references the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, using examples like Just Eat to illustrate the adaptability of post-bureaucratic models. The conclusion favors post-bureaucratic models for the modern world, emphasizing their flexibility and ability to encourage specialization, while acknowledging the importance of clear structure in classical management. The report is supported by various academic sources.

Introduction to management (UMCDMX-15-1) Rio Owen- 20028362
Word count- 1349
Individual report
The way that organisations function has dramatically changed since the outbreak of
Coronavirus. Some argue that a return to classical approaches to management is needed to
get organisations ‘back to normal’; whilst others argue that post-bureaucratic organisations
are still ‘the future’ of work.
Introduction
Within this report I am going to be talking about the way that organisations function and the
effect the current pandemic (coronavirus) has had on these organisations. I will be writing
about classical approaches to management and comparing them to post bureaucratic
approaches of management. I will be determined to understand each views prospective as I
go along.
Comparing classical approaches and post bureaucratic approaches
Classical approaches to management concentrate on scientific management, post
bureaucracy and mechanisation. The classical perspective of management, which emerged
from the Industrial Revolution, focuses on improving the efficiency, productivity, and output
of employees, as well as the business. However, it generally does not focus on human or
behavioural attributes or variances among employees, such as how job satisfaction
improves employee efficiency. In new modern life mechanisation has become a governing
feature. This is because it has been praised for being efficient, reliable, routinised and
rational. These approaches are designed and worked as if they are machines and they are
now called bureaucracies. Bureaucracy is a configuration of organizational design
established by a number of formal characteristics focused on centralization, authority,
impersonality and a rational career structure; all arranged in a hierarchical ascending order
with clear cut division of labour and specialized tasks in line with rights and entitlements
linked to the position in hierarchy (Clegg et al, 2008:486; Clegg and Hardy, 1999:8). A lot of
organisations are bureaucracies in some way or another. Bureaucracy has its own division of
labour which can make work easier and it can lead to specialization. Bureaucracies may
have positive effects on employees. Whereas the stereotype of bureaucracies is one of
suppressed creativity and extinguished imagination, this is not the case. Social research
shows that many employees intellectually thrive in bureaucratic environments. According to
this research, bureaucrats have higher levels of education, intellectual activity, personal
responsibility, self-direction, and open-mindedness, when compared to non-bureaucrats.
Bureaucratic organizations can be characterized through the formal aspects of Frederick
Taylor’s Scientific Management school of thought which is considered to be the foundation
of classical management theory and enhances the idea of improving efficiency and
productivity within the workplace (Dean, 1997). Mechanisation is shaped on the most basic
conceptions of what organisations are about, it makes things more efficient for managers to

cover responsibility instead of workers. This is shown on Taylors hierarchy pyramid, he
believed that “the principle object of management should be to secure the maximum
prosperity for each individual employee” however unfortunately the current world
pandemic (coronavirus) has forced organisations to let go of some of their workers. Classical
approaches can be relevant when the environment is stable, one of its biggest downfalls is
the lack of flexibility which may cause organisations to struggle when adapting to changes.
Currently it is difficult for us to somewhat see how we should organise in a different way
due to the impact coronavirus has had. If we want to see a more stable/firm environment
after coronavirus then possibly classical approaches may allow us to create a more solid
working environment. In a post- pandemic world, it’s hard to tell what will happen but we
may still see lots of perspectives based upon principles of bureaucracy by ‘applying learning
to new situations. Classical approaches to management will most likely be the prime option
for organisations to help them get back to normality.
Post-bureaucratic organisational structure is about moving away from bureaucratic
organisational structures and it is about decentralisation, corporation, and networking. Post-
bureaucracy blurs the boundaries between companies and countries, and post-
bureaucracy encourage interorganisational relationships which include strategic alliance,
joint venture, outsourcing/ subcontracting, unilateral agreement, and organisation
(Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004, p. 557-560). Alongside trust, empowerment is a major
component of post bureaucracy. It represents organisations awarding power and authority
to those lower in the organisational hierarchy (knights& Willmott 2007). The intention of
empowerment in society is to create an environment where the organisations employees
are empowered enough and are awarded the ability to make their own decisions, so that
they can begin to somewhat feel a sense of individuality and personal identification within
their organisation. (ledema 2003). Post-bureaucratic organisational structure stresses
spontaneity, empowerment, participation, decentralisation, flexibility, downsized and
delayered, and teamwork between the organisation and its environment (Ackroyd, 2002;
Maravelias, 2003). Post bureaucracy emerged as a response to the problems that were
associated with classical approaches. Bureaucracy within classical management has
encountered its fair share of criticism for being “ill-suited to cope with contemporary
democracies” (Olsen 2007). The dissolution of Bureaucracy is inevitable as it is viewed to be
incompatible with complex, individualistic societies and dynamic. Frequently linked to
Bureaucracy is Theory X (McGregor 1960) claims an authoritarian approach to management.
Managers adopt a pessimistic view of their workers, assuming they are unmotivated and
unskilled and consequently require constant supervision and reinforcement. Managers
within post-bureaucratic organisations adopt McGregor’s theory Y, with a confident view of
their employees. Managers promote autonomy, creativity, and individual initiative.
McGregor acknowledges that theory Y exceeds theory X as he says, “reduces workers to
cogs in a machine”, leading to employee demotivation. And an increased attrition rate.
Post- Bureaucracy focuses less on following rules and regulations. It follows a more flexible
and a much less hierarchical structure. The vanishing of bureaucratic “red tape” allows
employees to become self-governing, also it enables managers to accelerate their own skills

at a more operational level. The fundamental idea is that greater autonomy will somewhat
result in increased performance. Literary author Bauman (2000) predicted a shift from the
“iron cage” of Bureaucracy towards a dynamic era of “liquid modernity” in which
organisations experience a more unstable and unpredictable environment. Modern day
Bureaucracy is considered inflexible and a slow approach. Organizational success emerging
during the current pandemic needs to be solidified in the new operating model; leaders
must ensure that organisations don’t revert back to old operating models. Calling for
permanent structural changes that can accommodate for production speed, whilst also
continuing to motivate employees. Coronavirus has been a steep challenge for many
businesses and organisations, affecting them in pretty much every way possible. The spread
of Covid-19 and the actions to contain it have had a dramatic impact on the UK economy
and on many other countries around the world. The sectors most affected were those
where a relatively high proportion of consumer spending involves face-to-face contact
and/or social activity such as accommodation and food or recreational services. And those
that were most affected by government restrictions for example transport. (Nicholas Bloom
2020).
An example of a post bureaucratic structure is companies such as just eat. These companies
are considered as “gig companies” in which its employees are independent contractors and
are very often hired on a temporary basis when demand is high. Gig companies surfaced in
the fourth industrial revolution and they are considered natural monopolies in which
dominate their sector. By having adopted a remote working structure, just eat has managed
to stay operating throughout this current pandemic. Just eat relies on technology to run as a
company. Although gig companies rely heavily on modern day technology their origins are
actually based within bureaucracy, such as just eat. Just eat uses algorithms to track their
deliveries.
Conclusion
In conclusion post- bureaucracy is a response to the general problems believed to
characterise bureaucracy and its unstable and rapidly changing sectors. For bureaucracy this
means inertia will be a problem. Classical approaches have been proved to be outdated due
to them being too rigid and inflexible. Also, A bureaucracy creates numerous rules and laws
that must be followed to the benefit of all. The problem with this is that additional rules and
laws can be added at virtually any time, complicating the workloads that people must
endure. Which in the current society and environment is not the way forward? The classical
management theory does have some strong points, which include: A clear structure for
management and It has a clear hierarchy that defines who has authority and how much
each individual has. But post- bureaucratic approaches are best suited for the modern-day
world as they are more flexible and they centralize power, encourages specialization.

References
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