Prevalence of the postulates of classical theory in an SME engaged in the foods industry in the city of Santiago de Cali

Abstract

This article describes the current applicability of some of the postulates of the classical theory of management proposed by Frederick Taylor (scientific management), Henry Fayol (industrial and general management), Max Weber (bureaucracy), Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger (School of Human Relations), and their presence in an SME in the foods industry in the city of Santiago de Cali. It uses a methodology that is qualitative in nature, with the design and administration of in-depth interviews as well as participatory observation of organizations for the purpose of identifying practices, activities, and behaviors that make it possible to affirm that the classical theory of management is still applicable to the strategies and operationalization of this SME. The main findings reveal that postulates such as the distribution of work, the separation of intellectual work, legal domination, and the application of the 14 principles of management continue to be a part of the organizational design of the company being reviewed.