Henri Fayol 's theory is extremely comprehensive as a way to deal with management techniques. It is also the most used because it has been proven to work. It’s being comprehensive as it covers just about anything one might need to do in a management position to ensure success.
WEAKNESSES 1. It is still based on human application
The weaknesses to the theory are that it is still based on humans. As humans we are naturally going to make mistakes. The theory works on the basis of having harmony among people in which unity forms to create a strong management team. However, when mistakes are made it can undermine the entire strength of the team.
Furthermore, if a person is found to be false and will not admit it, more problems can ensue. This is the same weaknesses of any system that relies on humans to be in control given various factors like personality and that mistakes can be made. 2. Reliance on experience Many of the writers in the management developed their ideas on the basis of their experiences as managers or consultants with only certain types of organizations. For instance, Fayol 's work came primarily from his experiences with large manufacturing firms that were experiencing stable environments. It may be unwise to generalize from those situations to others especially to young, high-technology firms of today that are confronted daily with changes in their competitors ' products. 3. Untested assumptions
Many of the assumptions made by classical writers were based not on scientific tests but on value judgments that expressed what they believed to be proper life-styles, moral codes, and attitudes toward success. For instance, the classical approaches seem to view the life of a worker as beginning and ending at the plant door. Their basic assumption is that workers are primarily motivated by money and that they work only for more money. They also assume
References: 1. http://www.vectorstudy.com/management_schools/classical_school.htm 2. http://www.vectorstudy.com/management_gurus/henri_fayol.htm 3. http://www.vectorstudy.com/management_schools/classical_school.htm 4.