Critically appraise the different approaches to management

The core of the essay is to answer the question “Critically appraise the different approaches to management and how these can identify and correct latent failures within an organisations”. To do this you need to focus on 3 primary issues. The first is to consider differing management/leadership approaches such as processes, practices and systems of management. Please note this is not an essay on the history of management theory but how management/leadership and followership can aid in occupational health and safety improvement. The second area is to consider management interventions and measurements that can be employed to monitor, evaluate, support decision making and improve occupational safety and health. Some issues with safety management include the tendency to rely on lagging data such as accidents; use of a top down approach remote from workers and work without engaged consultation; and choice of poor indicators unlinked to better proven measures of safety performance. Thus to answer marking criteria 3 and 4 you need to think about Key Performance Indicators and how they are identified and understood so that there is measurement of leading safety indicators effectively. Discussions around management, latent failures and proactive management approaches should use the legal framework as one component to inform organisational occupational health and safety practice. The final criteria must consider how the threat of redress and penalties play into safety management responses.