Social system approach
Closely resembling the human behavior approach and often confused or intermixed with it is the Social system approach. Although earlier pioneers in the behavioral approach showed reorganization of the system approaches to human relationships, the real pioneer of social systems approach is Wilfred Pareto, a sociologist. His ideas were later developed by Chester Barnard who has really developed the concept of the social system approach in the management. According to this approach, the organization is essentially a cultural system composed of people who work in cooperation. As such, for achieving the organizational goals, a co operative system of the management can be developed only by understanding the behavior of the people in groups. The major features of this approach are as follows:
1. Organization is a social system, a system of the cultural relationships.
2. Relationships exist among the external as well as internal environment of the organization.
3. Cooperation among the group members in necessary for the achievement of organization objectives.
4. For effective management, efforts should be made for establishing harmony between the goals of the organization and the various groups therein.
Uses: this approach is very much valuable to the practicing managers. The entire manager operates in a social system and the organization is likely to prosper most if the social demands of the society in which it operates are fully rec0ognized.
Limitations: it is not free from limitations. Well, the field of the management cannot be confused with the study of the sociology which is the one of the most important tools for understanding of the organization as a social entity. This approach tends to overwork many management concepts, principals, as techniques that are important to practicing managers.