Historical development of management - Assignment Example

Historical development There are different views on the development of management as a field. There are those who see it as a modern concept and those who belief that it is an ancient concept and practice that can be traced back to Sumerian traders and the Egyptians as they built their mighty pyramids (Block, 1987). The practice of management is common to all organized work because it entails assessment, planning and control. This means that the slave trader, the pyramid builder, ancient traders of ancient times all engaged in some form of management whether they realized it or not. The most important contributions though were from the fifth to fifteenth centuries when the numerals of the Arabs were adapted and with it the adaption of the double- entry (1494). These tools greatly aided the practice of management. The industrial revolution was to further impact the theory and practice of management with its new demands during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries due to the opening of factories, which demanded new styles, and practices in order to monitor, control. The practice of managing initially fell on owners of commercial enterprises but was gradually expanded to incorporate employees who were recruited for the sole purpose of managing. The non-owner managers became more and more popular as commercial organizations grew in size and complexity. Early writing Though management as a practice according to some definitions has existed for many centuries, some written works have been thought to have great influence on modern management theories. In fact, even ancient military texts have been credited with having contributing to management practice by their emphasis on evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of one’s adversary as well as oneself. The great general Sun Tzu of China wrote of the great benefits of the correct evaluation of one’s foes and self in the “The Art of War”. Other works were written for the purpose of training and guiding leaders in the area of decision-making (F.Drucker, May 1993). Famous for Machiavellianism was Niccolo Machiavelli who is still talked of in modern management studies though in a negative sense for his promotion of mistrust of employees and class stratification based on economic and position power. 19th century The classical economists were responsible for the creation of management practices such as resource-allocation, production, and pricing. There at the same time were developments in technical production. These saw to the creation of standardization and quality control procedures. The practice of cost accounting, and work planning were also developed in the nineteenth century. A good number of these aspects of management existed in the slave-based sector. These complicated procedures made managers get recognition and the field became an art/ science, which added glamour and prestige to the job. The field of management came to have six broad divisions towards the end of the twentieth century. These were; financial management, human resource management, information resource management, marketing management, production management and operations management (K.Greenleaf, March 1983). 21 Century It became more difficult to subdivide the field of management into the six broad functional categories because of the increasingly overlapping processes. It became more acceptable to talk about management in terms of processes, objects and tasks. The field of management also spread to incorporate non-profit organizations and government in the areas of public administration. Even civil societies were not exempt from the practice of management. The most notable change of the twenty first century has been the move towards a more democratic form of management in most organizations (Hesselbein, September 1997.). Max Weber His theory of management is also known as the bureaucratic management theory. Weber built on the principles set forth by Frederick Taylor’s scientific management theory. Following in Taylor’s, way he advocated for a system with standardized procedures plus a clear chain of command. He highly emphasized efficiency, just like Taylor. To his credit, though he warned about the danger of emphasizing technology and ignoring human emotion. The main difference between Max Weber’s management, and other management theories, is that while he sought to outline the principles of the ideal bureaucracy. Further, he took it upon himself to point out the dangers true bureaucracies. Max Weber management theory emphasized the need for clearly defined job roles, which were a very essential part of his management theory. Then very important aspect of hierarchy in authority within the structure of any organization. The standardization of all procedures was also a crucial element in having the smooth running of an organization together with accurate and organized records (Kouzes, May 1995). Frederick Taylor It was only natural for Frederick Winslow Taylor who was an inventor and engineer to apply his knowledge to management. He developed a theory known as the scientific management theory. His wrote two classic books on management known as the Shop Management and, The Principles of Scientific Management. His management theory has been most effectively used by most modern manufacturing organizations as well as other businesses. He has had a great influence in the development and practice of production planning and production control. Other areas that have also benefited form his theory are process design as well as quality control. Even such fields such as cost account have been influenced by Taylor’s scientific management theory. This is because the principles of scientific management enable the understanding of manufacturing and production while at the same time managing employees in the manufacturing and production industries (F.Drucker, May 1993). This is because this management theory utilizes industrial engineering principles to maximize production, minimize costs and avoid wastage. This is done firstly through analysis where information/ data are used to formulate laws and rules (Block, 1987). Secondly, the scientific approach is used in the selection and training of employees. Thirdly the employees and the theory are brought together in order to develop better working techniques. Lastly, the management applies techniques while the workers perform their tasks as per the techniques. Henri Fayol Many consider Henri Fayol who was a French industrialist and a mining engineer as the father of modern management .He was concerned about the general principles of organization and function of management. He was responsible for establishing the fact that management was a separate field of knowledge. He emphasized scientific forecasting and the use of proper methods in management for the success and satisfactory results in the running of an organization and for profit. To him management skills were not because of personal talent but because of knowledge and its correct application (.Maxwell, September 1998.). His Administrative Management has six administrative activities. The first is Technical and is used in production and manufacturing. The second is managerial which sees to the functions of planning, controlling, and co-ordination within an organization (K.Greenleaf, March 1983). Then the third is commercial which the selling and purchasing function in an organization is. The fourth is the use of capital ann. is the financial. Accounting is the fifth in which assets, costs, liabilities and profits or loss are recorded and monitored. The sixth and last is security in which recourses. Fayol formulated fourteen principles of management: Division of work/ specialization: The division of jobs into small tasks Authority: The right to command and the power to delegate Discipline: Obedience and respect for superior authority Unity of command: Being directly answerable to only one boss Unity of direction: Everyone in the organization working towards a common objective Subordination of individual interest to common interest      Remuneration: pay that matches task Centralization: power should be at the center Scalar Chain: power flowing from upper levels towards lower levels Order Equity .Maxwell, J. C. (September 1998.). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You. chicago: Thomas Nelson,. Block, P. ( 1987). The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work. San Francisco: : Jossey-Bass. F.Drucker, P. ( May 1993). Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles. New York: Harper Business. Hesselbein, F. (. (September 1997.). The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies and Practices for the Next Era . New York: Drucker Foundation Future Series. K.Greenleaf, R. ( March 1983). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York: Paulist Press,. . Kouzes, J. M. ( May 1995). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Read More