Abraham Harold Maslow

Abraham Harold Maslow (1908 - 1970)


Abraham Maslow developed a theory of personality that has influenced a number of different fields. He has set up a hierarchic theory of needs. All of his basic needs are instinctive, equival to instincts in animals.

According to Maslow, if the environment is right, people which started with a very weak disposition will grow straight and beautiful. However, if the environment is not right they will not grow tall and straight and beautiful.

Maslow has set up a hierarchy of five levels of basic needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied

Here are the list of Maslow's basic needs:

-Physiological needs,
-Safety needs,
-Needs of Love, affection and belongingness,
-Needs of esteem,
-Needs for self-actualization.

The hierarchic theory is generally assimilated as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-performance. Maslow believes that the only reason that people would not move in direction of self-performance is because of difficulties placed in their way by society. He states that education is one of these difficulties. He recommends ways education can switch from its usual person-stunting tactics to person-growing approaches.

Frank Bunker Gilbreth - Lillian Moller Gilbreth

Frank Bunker Gilbreth -
Lillian Moller Gilbreth

Just like Taylor, another scientists who was also in the process of development of industrial engineering are Frank B. Gilbreth and Lillian M. Gilbreth.

Frank Gilbreth started his working career as a bricklayer. He always asked questions about his work to increase speed. With the studies they made (with his wife Lillian Moller Gilbreth), they became very successful and got their own constructing company. Normally a bricklayer had been using 120 bricks per hour. But as a result of their studies, 350 bricks started to be using per hour. It means they increased the working speed almost 200%.
From their various studies the Gilbreths developed, the laws of human motion from which evolved the principles of motion economy.

More effort by the workers is not needed for the increament in the work speed. Moreover, exhaustion is decreased, too.

Another subject that Frank Gilbreth studied on is "the analysis of the basic human motions". He categorized the basic human motions and these are named as "Therblig". Also he continued his study in this subject with "Micro Motion Study".

While Frank Gilbreth was studying on more technically subjects, Lillian Gilbreath was studying for human psychology as a behavioural researcher. According to Lillian, the purpose of the scientific management was to help people to increase their abilities.

Gilbreths also improved a promotion plan. According to this plan, workers do their job, prepare themselves for promotion and teach others at the same time.

Max Weber

Max Weber (1864 - 1920)


Weber, German thinker and sociologist , introduced common conceptual borders of sociology, developed a coherent social sciences philosphy and finally he declared the characteristics of the modern industrial society. Because of these, he is known as the father of modern sociology.

Weber claimed that sociology cannot reach general-current laws as natural sciences do. According to this, we try to reach universal laws in natural sciences. However it can't be the purpose of social sciences which tries to understand social activities in historial context.

Weber catagorized the social activity under 4 main titles. These are , with numerical order, traditional activity, emotional activity, rational activity and instrumental activity. Weber tried to find the origin of rationalism and saw it in the Protestant culture. Seeing this, because Protestant culture underlines self-confidence and rational science he thought Protestant Etiquettes had an important role in birth and development of capitalism.

Henri Fayol

Henri Fayol (1841 - 1925)


He born in Paris in 1841. He has worked in Commentary Fourchambault Coal Company from 1860 to 1918. He promoted and became head manager in 1888. Just before he became head manager, company was almost bankrupted. However in Fayol's management, company made big rushes. He announced his ideas to world with his article 'Administration Industrielle et Générale' in 1916. He had been continuing his study on management in 'Centre de l'Admisitration Scientific' before his death.

Executive Theory

Taylor's study on scientific management was limited to employees. Taylor saw that this system could be applied to upper degrees,too. But he did not make any special study on upper management.

According to Fayol , there has to be six different functions in a business:

1. Technical Functions
2. Commercial Functions
3. Financial Functions
4. Security Functions
5. Accounting Functions
6. Management Functions

Fayol dwelled upon the management functions and positted that there are five processes of management, basically.

Fayol's Ideas About Management Functions

-Planning

Planning was very important for Fayol. He thought the word "management" means prevision. Remembering about resources, possible problems in the future was vitally important while doing a plan.

-Organizing

Fayol suggests that there should not be more than six degrees of employees under the direction of a manager. Fayol also says it is useful for a organization diagram to show the ways of communication, to avoid coincidences between departments and show responsibilities of workers clearly.

-Implementation

Implementation function has to be used by the directors in a way which helps business to increase it's profit according to Fayol.

-Coordination

Fayol described a business which satisfied good coordination like that: All departments know about what the other departments had done. Sourcing Department knows what and when to buy, Production Department knows how much to generate, Financial Department knows when it must find money.

-Control

The purpose of the Control Function is to find inaccuracies and be sure about it to not to be made again.