It’s good when there is an instruction on what to do in a given situation. So the man was mistaken, and he was immediately presented with an action plan - it’s convenient, and you don’t need to think. Only in the modern world does this not always work, the variability of human "stocks" is inexhaustible, so universal advice on the correct behavior has never existed and never will exist. The same applies to business development. Each company, like a person, is individual in its own way, therefore it is not surprising that standard managerial theories have sunk into oblivion, making room for a situational approach.
Brief introduction
The situational approach has made a great contribution to the theory of management . The central point here is the situation - a certain set of circumstances that affect the organization. Using this approach, managers can understand what techniques to use in order to achieve a goal in a given situation.
In exactly the same way as a systematic, situational approach is a peculiar way of thinking about organizational problems and their solutions, and not a set of rules and guidelines. This approach attempts to combine specific techniques with their respective situations in order to achieve the company's goals in the most effective way.
In general, this is the way to describe this technique in managerial activity: a situation develops in a company, the manager analyzes it, applies methods to eliminate problems, and makes staff work more efficient.
Start
By the beginning of the 60s of the last century, quite a lot of scientific schools of management had formed. Each of them in its own way demonstrated the process of differentiation in the field of scientific research of management problems. Perhaps this is precisely what led to the fact that scientists began to try to combine schools and schools on the basis of the same concepts. At that time, scientists tried to stop the rapid flow of scientific research, because of which management theory turned into a real jungle.
In 1964, at a meeting of the American Academy of Management, a resolution was adopted on the creation of a “Unified Management Theory,” which could explain all the phenomena that a manager may encounter in management practice. And also to coordinate different and sometimes conflicting concepts, creating the basis for the application of practical advice.
The single, so-called unifying theory turned out to be a new situational theory of control. Its author was Professor R. Mokler (St. Johns University, New York). Let the author say that it is foolish to consider the modern management theory in the jungle, while ignoring the situational approach, he did not recognize it as something fundamentally new.
First mention
P. Drucker mentioned the situational approach to management in 1954 in the book “Management Practice”, where he formed the main features of this theory. Together with the scientist and his school colleagues, other theorists advocated the need for situation analysis to make decisions. Mokler believed that the attempt to consider situational theory as a unifying concept is an entirely new trend in management. True, the scientist argued that the situational approach was formed not because the scientific community decided to create a single control theory, but rather because of the need to reorient theoretical developments in practical terms.
Studying the actual conditions
Mokler tried to explain the reasons for this attitude to managerial theory as follows. The situations in which the manager has to act are so diverse that existing theories cannot satisfy practical needs. Having established principles of government is good, but not enough in life. That is why, no matter how many different theories you develop, managers will not be 100% provided with practical guidance for action. It is much better to develop conditional, situational principles that can be used if necessary.
The development of a new situational approach began to focus on the study of the real conditions in which this or that company is located. Based on these situations, specific and unique organizational structures should be developed. A situational approach to management called on managers to build theoretical models of the organization, where external factors were characterized by a set of contextual, interrelated variables
Problem solving
Proponents of the theory of the situational approach said that management should solve three problems:
- Create a situation model.
- To model the functional relationships of relationships.
- Based on the data received, make and reproduce management decisions.
Push for development
The situational approach to management was most thoroughly considered in the work “Organization and Environment” by P. Lawrence and J. Lorsch. In the initial position of their theory it was said that a priori there is no single way of organizing, because at different stages of enterprise development it is necessary to introduce different organizational structures that meet the actual needs of companies.
This approach prompted other specialists to develop specific organizational structures. It is worth noting that the situational approach to management has affected all management schools. So, the work “Theory of Leadership Effectiveness” by F. Fiedler appeared. The scientist tried to determine the types and situations of group behavior and propose the style of government that would be most suitable.
Similar studies were used by W. White. He wanted to identify employee behaviors and how they would be influenced by various leadership methods. Such and similar studies suggest that the situational approach has begun to gain popularity. This meant that the scientific community moved away from the desire to form universal principles of managerial activity.
The essence of the situational approach
The following can be said about this theory: it has its own “inputs” and “outputs” and is actively adapting to a highly variable external and internal environment. Based on this, the main reasons for what is happening in the organization must be sought outside of it - where it really functions. In this approach, the key concept of a problem situation has become a key one. It is worth noting that the theory in no way disputes other management principles, but argues that in order to successfully achieve goals, an organization must apply not only general techniques.
Any management decision should vary depending on the situation, because the main art of leadership should be the ability to choose the right methods to cope with problem situations.
Key Points
The situational approach in the organization is based on four main provisions, and all of them relate to the work of the leader. After all, the fate of the company depends on him:
- Each leader must know effective professional management tools. He must understand the management process, the behavior of an individual and group, have analytical skills, know the methods of planning and control.
- The manager must anticipate the consequences of using one or another managerial method. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the applied concept and give the situation a comparative description.
- A correct interpretation of the situation will help the manager identify the most important factors.
- The leader must coordinate the selected management techniques with certain conditions in order to ensure the greatest effectiveness in achieving the goal.
For those who do not understand
Despite the fact that the situational approach, unlike other managerial theories, clearly shows that there is no better way to manage in principle, there were scientists who did not quite understand this. They continued to persevere in the need to rely on science. But if we briefly describe the actions of the manager, it becomes clear that it is the situational approach that is applicable in management, and not scientific dogma with its indestructible ways.
Evidence Odiorne
Take, for example, the research of a scientist who argued that a priori cannot exist in the science of management, for leadership is an art that is not amenable to rules and cannot be deciphered.
A professor at the University of Michigan, J. Odiorne, said that it was impossible to bring managerial activity to certain laws, norms, and rules. Existing theories very simply consider the variety of situations that a manager has to face. Odiorne's empiricism boils down to the unique and unique experience of leaders. To achieve this experience, you need not only to investigate the current situation, but also learn to survive.
Situational limitations
Odiorne also noted that most of the circumstances surrounding the manager cannot be analyzed at all, so he named 5 reasons why it is impossible to create a management science:
- The manager is in a state of constant situationality, that is, not having time to get out of one situation, he must immediately enter another. As soon as a person managed to make some kind of decision, he discovers that the number of difficulties has multiplied. Only with the help of past experience can a leader prepare himself for new changes.
- Luck is of great importance to the manager. It is a pity that most theories discard it.
- Competition and conflicts. Basically, the scientist focuses on the eternal conflict over the distribution of resources. It will never have winners or losers, and all managerial theories will only help to gain time in this dispute.
- Guilt. It is inherent in any manager and, since he never leaves it, has an impact on behavior and decision making.
- The death of a manager was Odiorne’s strongest argument against the possibility of a scientific management theory.
Man is complex in nature, and the conditions under which he has to constantly act will never become so simple that they can be considered in terms of mathematical formulas. As for the situational theory, it should be existentialist, since its starting point is man - the substance is unstable and ambiguous. This is the essence of applying the situational approach: only a person, his accumulated experience and ability to analyze will help in managerial activities.