Behavioral Theory of Management

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Abissatova Akmaral

Umarova Nurgul

Kalimullina Malika


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One of the schools of management

thought involves a principle known asthe behavioral management theory.This theory is the school of thought thatfocuses on the way people work, andhow employers could manage theiremployees. During the development of

the behavioral management theory, ascientist named Elton Mayo developedan experiment that showed thatincreasing human motivation andsatisfaction would have a concurrentrole in increasing productivity. Bymaking employees feel like they had a

valued role in business operations,Mayo and his group of colleaguesobserved that psychological needs andwants had as much a role in the successof the workplace.


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is considered to be the father ofindustrial psychology and isregarded by students of psychologyas an important figure as FrederickTaylor is by students ofmanagement. Munsterberg

attempted to develop practicalapplications of psychology. Heargued that psychologists couldhelp industry in three major areas:a. Finding ways to identifyindividuals best suited to particular

jobs. b. Identifying thepsychological conditions foroptimum efficiency. c. Findingways to influence individualbehavior to be congruent withmanagements objectives


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(1868-1933) brought to managementthe perspectives of political scienceand social work. She identified: a. Theimportance of the functioning ofgroups, not just individuals, in

organization. b. The principle ofpower with rather than Powerover in managementemployeerelations. c. Conflict resolutionthrough integration, i.e., finding asolution to a conflict that would satisfy

both parties. d. The achievement ofintegrative unity, whereby theorganization operates as a functionalwhole, with the various interrelatedparts working together effectively toachieve organizational goals.


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developed a theory of motivation that was basedon three assumptions about human nature.

a. Human beings have needs that are nevercompletely satisfied.

b. Human behavior is aimed at satisfying the needsthat are yet unsatisfied at

a given point in time. c. Needs fit into a somewhat predictable hierarchy

ranging from basic, lower-level needs to higher-level needs:

1) Physiological (lowest) 2) Safety

3) Belongingness or social 4) Esteem 5) Self-actualization (highest and NOT achieved by

everyone)


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developed the Theory X and Theory Y

dichotomy about the assumptionsmanagers make about workers and howthese assumptions affect behavior.

a. Theory X managers tend to assume thatworkers are lazy, need to be coerced, havelittle ambition, and are focused on securityneeds. These managers then treat theirsubordinates as if these assumptions weretrue.

b. Theory Y managers tend to assume thatworkers do not inherently dislike work,are capable of self-control, have thecapacity to be creative and innovative, and

generally have higher-level needs that areoften not met on the job. These managersthen treat their subordinates as if theseassumptions were true.

c. Workers, like all of us, tend to work upor down to expectations.


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Without question, the most importantcontribution to the developing

Organization Behavior field came outof theHawthorne Studies, a series of studiesconducted at the Western ElectricCompany Works in Cicero, Illinois.These studies, started in 1924 andcontinued through the early 1930s,were initially designed by WesternElectric industrial engineers as ascientific management experiment.They wanted to examine the effect ofvarious illumination levels on workerproductivity. Control andexperimental groups were set up withthe experimental group being exposedto various lighting intensities, and thecontrol group working under aconstant intensity.


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Hawthorne studies reflected the scientific managementtradition of seeking greater efficiency by improving the toolsand methods of workin this case, lighting.

1. In the first set of studies, no correlation was foundbetween changes in lighting conditions and individual workperformance. In fact, performance nearly always went upwith any changebrighter or darkerin illumination.

2. In the second set of studies, the concept of the Hawthorneeffect emerged. The Hawthorne effect refers to the

possibility that individuals singled out for a study mayimprove their performance simply because of the addedattention they receive from the researchers, rather thanbecause of any specific factors being tested in the study.

3. The third set of studies centered on group productionnorms and individual motivation.

4. Although simplistic and methodologically primitive, theHawthorne studies established the impact that social aspectsof the job (and the informal group) have on productivity.

5.Human Relations Movement: This movement was an attempt to equip managers with the

social skills they need.


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The classical theory is a school of thought that preceded the behavioralmanagement theory, different on a number of fundamental aspects. Oneof the main characteristics of the classical management theory is that itwas devised to increase productivity and efficiency. In order to find thebest way to manage workers, employers would develop almost scientificsolutions, such as standardizing methods and training employees on asingle task. In addition, the classical management theory also producednew administrative methods geared towards efficiency, such as creatingrecords and competence standards.

The classical method focused mainly on achieving results, ignoring themotivations and the will of the workers. However, the behavioralmanagement theory addresses this dynamic, taking into accountemployee behavior and expectations. One of the main characteristics ofthe behavioral management theory is that in order to more adequatelyachieve success, it is critical to recognize the human relations behind acompany. Studies during this period showed that employees, when givenattention and privileges, would perform better, thus allowing thecompany to achieve higher results.


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It emphasizes scientific research as the basis fordeveloping theories about human behavior inorganizations that can be used to develop practicalguidelines for managers.

1. The emphasis is upon developing useful tools formanagers. Unlike Scientific Management from theClassical Era, the findings in behavioral studies areoften somewhat difficult to find with mathematicalcertainty. That does not mean however, that thescientific approach should not be attempted nor that

the findings of such an approach are any less useful. 2. An example is the idea of improving performance by

setting goals the individual finds to be attainable yetnot too easy.


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1. Spotlight the managerial importance of suchfactors as communication, group dynamics,motivation, and leaders.

2. Articulates practical applications ofbehavioral studies.

3. Draws on the findings of a number ofdisciplines such as management, psychology,

sociology, anthropology, and economics. 4. Highlights the importance of an

organizations members as active humanresources rather than passive tools.


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The development of the behavioralmanagement theory has had anumber of lasting effects oneveryday business operations. Oneof the main benefits of the

behavioral management theory isthe human relations movement, inwhich researches would study thebehavior of groups in workplacesettings. These researchersdetermined that it was important tonurture communication andinterpersonal relations within aworkplace, instead of focusingsolely on mindless production.


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In almost every company today exists a human relationsdepartment, designed for addressing the needs of theworkers. One of the main goals of the human relationsmovement was to create an efficient workplace withoutsacrificing the motivations of the employees. Satisfaction

played a role in productivity, and thus companiesaddressed this by implementing incentives programs andother benefits. However, the behavioral management theoryis flawed in that it ignored external elements, assuming thatthe outside environment was static. In addition, futurestudies would show that satisfaction only plays a role in

certain situations. Nonetheless, the lasting effects of thebehavioral management theory can be seen in theimplementation of human relations practices in manybusinesses today.


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Behavioral Theory of Management

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