Free Custom «Personal Management Framework» Essay Paper

Introduction

A stone building is what is being considered as a personal management framework in this case. The design, quality of materials, number of stories and size vary depending on the purpose of the building and the available resources. Same way organizations structures, level of skills, geographical expansion and number or client it serves among others, all depend on the goals of that organization and available resources.

Background of the framework

In a stone building, all stones are the same however the placement of each stone is what can differentiate the roles each one of them plays. The foundation stones due to their location are very crucial to the strength of that building. These can be equated to the top most level of management (Miller 2011). As one moves up the building, the value, in terms of the consequences of weakening the stones or removing them, reduces. This symbolizes the chain of authority and the impact it can have if not properly utilized by various levels of management.

Underlying theories

This framework was developed from classical management theories by Henri Fayol and Max Weber. Henri Fayol developed the 14 principles of management which are:

Division of work, Authority , Discipline , Unity of command, Unity of direction , Subordination of personal interest in a common goal, Remuneration , Centralization , Scalar chain , Order, Equity, Stability of tenure , Initiative and Espirit de corps (Miner, 2006).

Max Weber majored on bureaucracy especially in the power hierarchy and following rules and procedures. He characterized bureaucracy as an organization founded on rules whose employees function within the limits of the specialization of the work, the degree of authority allocated and the rules governing the exercise of authority. He argued that there should be a hierarchical structure of authority, where technical competence is the only determinant of Appointment to offices. He pointed out that the authority was vested in the official positions other than the individuals who occupied those positions. He further points out that the ownership of the organization should be separated from its officials; an organization should be treated as an entity with its own legal rights to transact, sue and be sued (Miller 2011).

Fayol’s principles are based on bureaucracy which max Weber majors on. Hence both agree on certain features such as division of work and specialization, the scalar chain of authority, authority and responsibility to be used hand in hand, and defining jobs (Miner, 2006). Technical competence as discussed by Weber formed the basis of this management framework. He clarifies that at the place of work, what matters is how one is good at performing a certain task (Miner, 2006).

Interpretation of the building

The stones represent employees of an organization, who are considered to be homogeneous in terms of training, knowledge of organizational culture and practices. They may have the same experience, level of education among others. However the only difference is their position in the organization which is purely based on their technical competencies. This can be compared to building stones, whereby the best quality are placed in the basement and as the building progresses upwards, the quality of the stones does not have to be as good as that of the basement (Miner, 2006).  The cement represents the organization culture, rules and regulations that join and bind the members of the organization despite their position. The doors and windows represent other stakeholders who deal with the organization such as the suppliers and the organization’s clients. The roof is the external environment under which the organization operates, such as the political arena, social-cultural setup and religious and peoples’ beliefs.