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.