UPSC Optional - Public Administration Thinker - Henry Fayol(1841-1925)

 

Henry Fayol

UPSC Optional Notes Free Download - Public Administration Thinker 

Henry Fayol(1841-1925)

 Published a book titled-General and Industrial administration (1916) which later translated

into English in1929 as General and Industrial Management.

 He opined that administrative science is universally applicable to each field and each level of

it.

 Divided managerial function into six groups:-

1. Technical Activities- Production, manufacturing

2. Commercial activities-Buying and selling of products

3. Financial Activities- Optimum use of capital

4. Security activities- Safeguarding personnel and property

5. Accounting activities-To keep an account of all financial transactions

6. Managerial Activities- Key of organization, performing-POCCC(Planning, Organizing,

Command, Coordinating, Controlling

 14 principles of administration:-

1. Division of work

2. Authority and responsibility

3. Discipline

4. Unity of command

5. Unity of direction

6. Subordination of Individual interest to General interest

7. Remuneration

8. Centralization

9. Scalar Chain or Hierarchy-also suggested the concept of “GANG PLANK”

10. Order(placement)- Right person at right job

11. Equity-Good employee-employer relationship, sense of justice and kindness

12. Stability of Tenure

13. Initiative- free to share ideas and opinions for improving the work culture

14. Esprit de corps

 He said that this is not an exhaustive list, as more principles can be added and subtracted according

to the need of one’s need and suitability.

Critics of Henry Fayol:

 Theory based only on personnel experience related to mining industry, he is said to make efforts to

improve the overall administrative organizations through the theories drawn from a single

organization

 Peter Drucker described 14 principles to be overlapping with each other, and said if we apply these

principles to a more dynamic or more entrepreneurial organization then it would be a real concern

for performance capacities.

 Chester Barnard and Herbert Simon have argued that he has overlooked behavioral and emotional

aspect