Managerial Reflection: Application of Scientific & Admin Theories

This essay presents a reflection on managerial experience, focusing on the application of scientific and administrative management theories. It begins with an account of the author's experience as a team leader in a supermarket's research and development team, highlighting responsibilities such as...Read More

Running head: REFLECTION THEORIES
REFLECTION THEORIES
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The respective paper is a reflection of my managerial experience along with an essay about the
two different approaches and theory of management, scientific management and administrative
management, its definition and scope along with description of an established company that
utilizes the two management theories or perspective in their operations. The respective paper
concludes by providing an insight about personal pragmatic experience of management and the
theoretical perspectives at the same time.

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The respective paper is a reflection of my managerial experience along with an essay
about the two different approaches and theory of management, scientific management and
administrative management, its definition and scope along with description of an established
company that utilizes the two management theories or perspective in their operations. The
respective paper concludes by providing an insight about personal pragmatic experience of
management and the theoretical perspectives at the same time.
As an undergraduate management student, I have been facing theoretical as well as
pragmatic experiences during my coursework as I was bestowed with conceptual assignments,
paperwork and most importantly, practical management training in various organizations as a
management professional. During the end of the semester, I had been appointed as a team leader
of the research and development team of a supermarket in Australia for a week. Throughout my
internship, I had been subjected to various managerial tasks such as planning, organizing,
leadership and controlling. As a team leader of the research and development team of the
respective supermarket in Australia, even for a week, I have been bestowed with the duties and
responsibilities of the credibility of the team as well as accountability towards the performance
of the team and the employees and subordinates working under me. The research and
development team of an organization has numerous activities to perform. Indeed, the research
and development team of an organization is considered to be one of the most important organs of
an organization. Before a new product is developed, it is the duty of the research and team
development to conduct a thorough study and research in order to support the project (Shafritz,
Ott and Jang 2015). The research phases and levels include determining the specification of the
product, studying about the product in the details and determining production costs as well as

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production time line for the organization. The research and development department in an
organization seeks for the maximum and optimum information about the positive as well as
negative points of the respective market it is thinking of capturing through its services or
products. In certain organizations, the research and development team also handle the quality
checks on the products created by the company as it has certain intimate knowledge of
specification of the respective product. The research and development team of the respective
organization where I had been appointed is an apt one though there are numerous follies and
fallacies present within. As a management professional and a team leader, it was my duty and
responsibility to cater to the needs of the employees as well as the organization so that the short
term and long-term objectives of the organization is met. A new strategy that was taken up by the
research and development team of the respective organization where I was employed for one
week was introducing new technological tools in order to research the psycho-social and
behavioral tendency of the Australian women customers in the dress and apparel section of the
respective supermarket. The new technological tools that were introduced in the organization
were Artificial Intelligence tools and digital signage that would enable the department in
analyzing and conducting their research much easily and efficiently. In order to execute the
strategy, I had been taking up the responsibility of hiring the mechanics and digital experts who
would place, install and upload the technologies in the departments so that there is no confusion
regarding the installment and usage of the new gadgets. Apart from that, I have also taken up the
responsibility of conducting programs and training sessions that would provide the research and
development team employees opportunity to enhance their skills, learn new technological and
digital skills and get the knowledge and wisdom of technological synergies along with their
productivity. As far as planning and organizing is concerned, I had made a team of three

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members who would be looking after the matter of contacting the mechanics and technological
experts who would be placing and installing the hardware and software of the digital portals. I
had also formed a team of three members who have degrees in various technological fields who
would be assigned the duty of providing the novice and technologically ill-informed employees
the training sessions on how to utilize the digital portals effectively and efficiently. As a leader, I
guided them about how, when and in what way the task should be initiated and completed and I
kept a strict control over the teams with the help of proper surveillance and investigation
dynamics. The task went quite well and my performance as a team leader for one week in the
research and development department was successful. However, since the employees of the
department were diverse in terms of gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, there had been
certain miscommunication and problems of interpersonal communication among them and me
which could have been avoided by utilizing active listening, check on non-verbal communication
and feedback processes within the team. In a diverse workplace, cross cultural interpersonal
communication is of utmost importance because the companies in today’s world operate and
function not only locally but also in the global market. An effective cross-cultural
communication helps the companies to grow and develop on global platform. Therefore, I would
have made every possible way to improve cross cultural communication within the department if
I would have got another opportunity to work in the organization.
Serial Number Candidate’s name Contribution
1. Training Group Mrs. Thomas Supercomputer analyst and
trainer, had contributed in
training the employees about
the installation and usage of

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digital platforms introduced.
Mr. Thompson Expertise in Microsoft
software, trainer
Mr. Jackson Expertise in handling
websites, trainer
2. Technology support
group
Mr. Taylor Given the task to call the
mechanics
Mr. Winsey Contacting the technological
experts from websites and
newspapers
Mr. Cyrus Contacting the gadget experts
through phone calls and
emails.
TASK ALLOCATION CHART
The two management theories from “Evolution of Management thinking” that has been
taken in the assignment are: Scientific management and Administrative management. Scientific
management can be defined as theory of management that analyses and synthesizes workflow
with the help of scientific and logical calculations and scientific, rational mechanisms based on
probability and reasonable grounds (Morden 2017). The main objectives of scientific
management are to increase the credibility of the organizations with the help of bringing in
economic efficiency, especially labor productivity, which is an important organ of any
organization as labors are the most important resources in an organization. The application of
scientific mechanisms and frameworks in management arena is not new; it has been an ancient

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practice which aptly says that management is not only an art, but also science (Taylor 2015).
Management not only involves probability and skills, but also logic and reasoning in their
operations. It has to be remembered that logic, rationalism and empiricism are main factors that
are instilled in scientific management theory which is also called Taylorism as Fredrick Winslow
Taylor was the inventor of scientific management theory in contemporary modern world (Waring
2016). Microsoft is an America based multinational company formed in the year 1972 which
functions in the areas of framing, designing, developing, producing, manufacturing, licensing
and supporting computer software, electronics and other components for computer services
(Microsoft.com.2019). The respective company utilizes scientific management theory in the
areas of innovation of its products. However, it has to be remembered that innovation might not
be directly associated with scientific management, however, it requires undertaking of original
thoughts and non-standardized approaches to materialize them. Such constant innovation and its
strategies have given the company long-term competitive advantage over other software
manufacturing companies (Microsoft.com.2019).
Fayol has provided fourteen principles of administrative management in order to guide
the managers to interact with the employees (Peaucelle and Guthrie 2015). Henry Fayol was an
engineer, managing director, and an industrialist who is known as the contributor in the field of
management. Administrative management has fourteen pillars. Initiative, equity, scalar chain,
remuneration personnel, unit of direction, discipline, division of work, authority and
responsibility, unity of command, subordination of general interest, centralization, order,
stability of tenure and esprit de corps (union is strength) (Khorasani and Almasifard 2017).
These factors have been proven to be helping the organizations in becoming more efficient and
effective in terms of operations and management. One of the most established companies that

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uses Administrative management in their organization is Walmart, which is a listed company
under Fortune 500 (Walmart.com.2019). Walmart has a clear management strategy of taking up
the right initiatives with proper discipline, division of work, proper distribution of authority and
responsibility with the concept of esprit de corps that has helped the company achieve such huge
success. For instance, the “Green Project” of Walmart that has helped it to reach success, has
been carried out through administrative management and therefore, administrative management
is considered to be a key factor for the growth and development of an organization
(Walmart.com.2019).
The respective paper is a reflection of my managerial experience along with an essay
about the two different approach and theory of management, scientific management and
administrative management, its definition and scope along with description of an established
company that utilizes the two management theories or perspective in their operations. The
respective paper concludes by providing an insight about personal pragmatic experience of
management and the theoretical perspectives at the same time.

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References:
Khorasani, S.T. and Almasifard, M., 2017. Evolution of management theory within 20 century:
A systemic overview of paradigm shifts in management. International Review of Management
and Marketing, 7(3), pp.134-137.
Microsoft.com.2019. Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/
Morden, T., 2017. Principles of management. Routledge.
Peaucelle, J.L. and Guthrie, C., 2015. Henri Fayol. In The Oxford Handbook of Management
Theorists.
Shafritz, J.M., Ott, J.S. and Jang, Y.S., 2015. Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning.
Taylor, F.W., 2015. Fundamentals of scientific management. In Working in America (pp. 35-42).
Routledge.
Walmart.com.2019. Available at: https://www.walmart.com/
Waring, S.P., 2016. Taylorism transformed: Scientific management theory since 1945. UNC
Press Books.