Henri Fayol

Henri Fayol

Henri Fayol (born July 29, 1841 in Constantinople , † November 19, 1925 in Paris ), French mining engineer, is the founder of (French) management and administration.

Life

Henri Fayol attended the Mining Academy of Saint-Étienne from 1858 to 1860 . As a young engineer, he laid out in 1860 on the coal mine in Commentry ( Houillères de Commentry ). Only 25 years old, he became its director in 1866. In 1888 he was appointed director of the mining company Société de Commentry-Fourchambault et Decazeville , to which the mine in Commentry belonged. He managed this company until 1918. He published his findings in corporate management in his book Administration Industrielle et Générale in 1916 , a few years after Frederick Winslow Taylor , the founder of scientific management .

plant

As one of the founders of management theory, Fayol emphasizes the role of the individual manager in contrast to the technocratic approach of scientific management and was one of the first to delimit the functions of the manager . Fayol recognized the commonalities of management regardless of the purpose of an organization and derived from this a need for management theory.

Fayol assigns the following functions to management among the universal functional groups that occur in all organizations :

1. Preview and planning (prévoir)
2. Organization (organizer)
3. Management (commander)
4. Coordination (coordonner)
5. Control (contrôler)

This classification has proven itself in its basic features and has since been expanded by various researchers (cf. Wolfgang H. Staehle 1999). Fayol developed fourteen management principles as guidelines for corporate governance. The best-known principle is the principle of the unity of order placement (“Un agent ne doit recevoir des ordres que d'un chef”) and the so-called Fayolsche Bridge .

Division of labor

Division of labor means increased productivity and leads to specialization of functions and separation of powers. There are limits to the division of labor.

Authority and accountability

“Authority is the right to command. Authority cannot be thought of without responsibility (principle of congruence ). Reward and punishment are the sanctions that accompany the exercise of violence. "

discipline

Discipline is following the rules. This is guaranteed by capable leaders, clear regulations and the fair application of sanctions.

Unit of order placement

“The employee may only receive orders from a manager for any kind of work.” The violation of the principle leads to confusion and friction and dissatisfaction.

Unity of leadership

There can only be one leader and one plan to join forces. This principle is a prerequisite for the principle of placing orders.

Subordination of the special interest to the interest of the community

The company has priority over the individual interests of management and employees. Let the leader lead by example.

Remuneration of the staff

A mix of daily, work and piece wages, bonuses and profit sharing, compensation and awards should stimulate the zeal of the employees and reward them appropriately, but not excessively.

centralization

“The question of centralization or decentralization is simply a question of measure. The point is to find the limit that is favorable for the company. ”The more highly qualified the staff, the more decentralized decisions can be made.

Hierarchy

The ranking is the row of employees, which leads from the highest authority to the lowest employee. The official route along this row is too slow. The so-called Fayol Bridge shortens this through lateral communication.

order

“A place for every thing and every thing in its place.” This applies to both things (material) and people (social). The manager bears a great deal of responsibility in filling vacancies.

equality

"Equality is the union of benevolence and justice [...] To encourage its staff to do their jobs with all the dedication and loyalty they can muster, they must be treated with kindness."

Stable leadership team

It takes a lot of time for the manager to find his way around. "[High] staff turnover is both a reason and a consequence of bad business."

initiative

“Devising a plan and executing it successfully is one of the most vivid gratifications a clever person can experience and at the same time one of the most powerful incentives.” A valuable leader awakens the initiative of his employees.

Community spirit ( esprit de corps )

Unity makes you strong, so your own staff must not be divided. Second, oral communication is faster, clearer, and more personal than correspondence and therefore preferable.

Fonts (selection)

• Administration industrial et générale - prévoyance organization - commandement, coordination - contrôle . Dunod, Paris 1916.
  • German edition: General and industrial administration . 2nd edition. Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich 1929 (translated by Karl Reineke).
• Tâches actuelles et futures des dirigents . CNBOS, Bruxelles 1967 (Études et Documents du CNBOS; 281).

literature

• Arthur G. Bedeian: The administrative writings of Henri Fayol. A bibliographic investigation. Vance Bibliographies, Monticello, Ill. 1979 (Public administration series; 220).
• Jean-Louis Peaucelle (Ed.): Henri Fayol. Inventory of the outils des gestions. Economica, Paris 1963.
• Wolfgang H. Staehle : Management. A behavioral perspective. Vahlen, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-8006-2344-7 .
• Horst Steinmann, Georg Schreyögg: Management. Basics of corporate governance; Concepts, functions, case studies. 6th edition, Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-409-63312-X .
• Henri Verney: Le fondateur de la doctrine administrative Henri Fayol . Dunod, Paris 1925.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Henri Fayol: General and Industrial Administration , p. 3.
2. ↑ Stéphane Rials: Administration et organization. De l'organization de la bataille à la bataille de l'organization dans l'administration française . Beauchesne, Paris 1977, p. 89.
3. ↑ Horst Steinmann, Georg Schreyögg: Management .