A theoretical development of relation-oriented organizational management

A Theoretical Development of Relation-Oriented Organizational Management involves a study of management theory in an effort to ascertain to what extent various theorists--Rice and Bishoprick, McGregor, Morse and Lorsch, Katz, Tannenbaum and Schmidt, Reddin, Likert, Argyris, and Hersey and Blanchard--advocate task orientation and/or relation orientation in their management theory. Having explicated the various theorists' stances, the author presents a critical analysis of their writing relative to their success or failure in delineating the presuppositions inherent in a relation-oriented theory of management. The study indicates that all the theorists examined to some extent fail to explicate the presuppositions upon which relational theory is grounded. The author, therefore, describes the relational theories of Martin Buber and Paul Tillich and indicates how their theories can provide the presuppositions which are lacking in the various theories examined but are needed to provide the presuppositional understanding requisite for a full understanding of their theories.