Fayolism

A modern re-think of Fayolism

Summary

As a discipline, project management developed from several fields of application including civil construction, engineering, and heavy defence activity. [1] Snyder and Kline (1987) note that the modern project management era started in 1958 with the development of CPM/PERT. Morris (1987) argues that the origin of project management comes from the chemical industry just prior to World War II. However, some literature points the origin of project management to Henry Gantt, called the father of planning and control techniques,[2] also famous for his namesake, the Gantt chart; and Henri Fayol for his creation of the five managerial functions that form the foundation of the body of knowledge associated with project and program management. [3] Both Gantt and Fayol were students of Frederick Winslow Taylor's theories of scientific management.

Henri Fayol (1841–1925) was a French philosopher and management theorist. The Industrial Revolution in France inspired Fayol to create a theory which improved project management and created a more efficient workforce. As part of his theory, Fayolism, he also encouraged administration to use forecasting and planning to minimize workplace misunderstandings. Fayolism was flexible and could be applied not only to industrial settings, but also in the home, and in the government. To increase empathetic relationships at work, Fayol encouraged management and workers to replace workplace memos with verbal forms of communication.

Apart from his five managerial functions, Fayol also developed another 14 principles to help managers manage their affairs more effectively. However, as times change, people have begun to interpret these principles quite differently from the way they were interpreted during Fayol's time. Through this article, I hope to investigate how Fayolism is changing given the changing nature of the workplace and the breakdown of traditional roles. Are we now embarking upon a radically different path?