Exploring Management Theory and Practice: Contingency Approach

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of management theory and practice, focusing primarily on contingency theory. It begins by introducing the importance of management and organization in various contexts, highlighting the necessity of applying relevant knowledge and expertise. The essay discusses how management theories are developed through observation and experimentation, but also acknowledges their limitations due to generalization. It emphasizes the contingency theory's flexibility in adapting management frameworks to different situations, particularly in convenience stores, where internal and external environments vary. The research approach used is interpretivism, which values subjective interpretation. The essay reviews classical, neoclassical, and institutional management theories, contrasting them with the contingency theory's situational approach. It presents evidence gathered through interviews, demonstrating how management styles in the stores adapt to different factors such as hierarchy, employee skills, and work environment. The analysis underscores the adaptability of management to optimize outcomes and motivate workers, concluding that effective management involves tailoring approaches to specific situations. Desklib offers students access to this essay and many other resources to aid in their academic studies.

Management Theory
and Practice
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Introduction
 Management and organization is vital in all corners of the globe.
 The circumstances or situations in the lives of people present them
with instances that necessitate prompt and proficient management
(Hill, Jones and Schilling, 2014).
 This means that management is a core feature in the day to day
experiences of individuals and entities.
 The process of management and organization requires application of
relevant knowledge, experience and expertise.
 As such, theories and concepts have been developed over the course
of time to inform the nature of management (Seitel, 2017).

Introduction
 Theories have been established through observation, collection of
information, questioning and experimentation of a phenomenon.
 The theories are based on practical situations in the real world
(Bratton and Gold 2017).
 They are in many cases applicable to real life scenarios.
 Development of theories also includes generalization which raises a
point of concern.
 Theories do not fit every practical situation.
 This introduces a contradictory aspect to the conversation (Heizer
2016).

Figure 1: Management Theories

Theme and Rationale
 The main theme of study revolves around eventuality of
circumstances.
 Future occurrences are built around uncertainties.
 The events cannot be predicted with absolute certainty.
 Flexibility is vital in the application and utilization of management
frameworks and theories for different situations as the future unfolds.
 The contingency theory is a rational way of ensuring each situation is
managed with the suitable framework (Hill, Jones and Schilling,
2014).

Cont’d
 This theory is significant given the different situations that have
required appropriate management during my work experience.
 A vital aspect in internships and jobs is the management of a team or
group of other interns/employees.
 Factors that determine the type of management for a particular
situation are organization culture, job specifications and hierarchies.
 Other elements are workplace relationships, environment and
structure of organization involved.
 Contingency theory is based on Carlisle Management Concepts and
Situations (Bratton and Gold 2017).

Cont’d
 Contingency is appropriate as it considers the internal and external
environments of organizations.
 The study is conducted in the setting of convenience stores.
 The stores provide different perspectives internally and externally
that can be used to base the utilization of the theory in real life.
 The elements of the theory and components of the convenience
stores are analyzed, compared and contrasted (Heizer 2016).

Structure
 Presentation of real world of management is initiated with definition
of a specific management theory and its application of the in real life.
 The theory is explained in its wholeness including pros and cons.
 Other management theories are also mentioned.
 Evidence of the theory is displayed through transcription of interview.
 Critical commentary is vital in the structure to gain full insight on the
theoretical and practical nature of management.

Research Approach
 The research approach that will be used is the interpretivist
philosophy.
 This approach requires use of interpretation by researchers.
 It is mainly based on social constructions.
 The approach is associated with idealism.
 The approach is more subjective than objective.

Literature Review
 Good theories and concepts display good fit in relation to practical
situations (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
 Bad theories do not fit their application in real world cases.
 The theories in management and organization include classical,
neoclassical and institutional theories.
 Other theories are modern theories, systems approach and
contingency theory.
 Real life situations provide basis for critical analysis of the theories
(Shafritz et al, 2015).

Contingency Theory
 This is also called situational theory.
 Organizations have structures that match the environment for success to
be enhanced.
 Management depends on the nature of situation presented.
 The environment presents the circumstances which determine the kind of
managerial action.
 Flexibility is applied as no particular style of management fits all situations.
 It is critical for organizations to mesh their internal and external
environments.
 Focus is on organizations thriving in varying environmental conditions
(Otley, 2016).

Contingency Theory
 Different solutions work for different situations.
 Different frameworks are utilized to manage situations as dictated by
conditions of the environment.
 The solutions of a problem vary from to time or may be the same for
different problems.
 The management in real world situations and in the theory both
embrace the utilization of different approaches.
 Aspects of behavioural, systems and classical management styles
make contingency potent and viable (Maxwell and Chmiel, 2015).