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1.3 The evolution of management thought

Current management theory and practice did not just eventuate. It evolved over many years. The evolution of the discipline of management has helped to develop a body of knowledge about the practice of management. Within the field of management, eight schools of thought have contributed significantly to the development of management.

The following table brings together the theories of management and the issues that they address. You should be aware that the main features and theoretical perspectives of each school are not necessarily mutually exclusive and in many cases a particular theory has built upon and refined the work of researchers in other areas.

Table 1.2: Theories of management and the problems they address

Theories of management skills

 

the human relations school

the motivational problem

the organisation behaviour school

improving the integration of people into organisations

the information and decision school

the management decision-skills problem

Theories of management functions

 

scientific management

the human productivity problem

the quantitative school

the application of objective functions to management

the strategic management school

the organisation long-range planning problem

Theories of organisation systems

 

administrative management

the organisation problem

the organisation theory school

the organisation design problem

 

The following chapter of your textbook discusses the historical origins of management principles and practices. Included are the diverse schools of management thought. The background for each school, its effect on management and its main contributors are identified.

Read this chapter with the view to acquiring a basic understanding or a 'feel' of how the discipline has developed. You may find the material interesting, particularity the work of Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Experiments, Weber's Bureaucracy , Fayol's Principals of Management and Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management Theory . Note the contemporary viewpoint starting on page 49, and in particular, Deming's 14 points on how to improve quality.

In your text

Bartol, K M; Martin, D C; Tein, M H and Matthews, G W (2001), pages 31-59.

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