Evolution of Management Thoughts

EARLY PERSPECTIVES

The first known management ideas were recorded in 3000-4000 B.C. One Pyramid built by Egyptian ruler Cheops required work to be done by 100,000 men for over twenty years in 2900 B.C. It covered 13 acres of land and measured 481 meters in height. The stone slabs had to be moved thousands of kilometres of distance. As folklore goes, even the sound of a hammer was not heard in the villages in the vicinity of the site of these pyramids. Such monumental work could not be completed without adherence to principles of sound management.

CLASSICAL MANAGEMENT THEORY
Rational economic view, scientific management, administrative principles, and bureaucratic organisation characterise this phase. While the rational economic view assumed that people are motivated by economic gains primarily; scientific management of F.W. TAYLOR and others emphasised one best way of production etc; administrative theorists personified by HENRY FAYOL etc looked at the best way to combine jobs and people into an efficient organisation; bureaucratic organisation theorists led by Max Weber looked at ways to eliminate managerial inconsistencies due to abuse of power which contributed to ineffectiveness. This was the era of the industrial revolution and factory system of production. Large scale production would not have been possible without adherence to the principles governing organising production based on division of labour and specialisation, relationship between man and the machine, managing people and so on.

NEO CLASSICAL THEORY — HUMAN RELATIONS APPROACH
This school of thought developed between 1920s to 1950s felt that employees simply do not respond rationally to rules, chains of authority and economic incentives alone but are also guided by social needs, drives and attitudes. Hawthorne Studies at GEC etc., were conducted then. It was quite natural that in the early phases of the industrial revolution, the emphasis was on development of techniques and technology. The attention to the human factor was the salient aspect of this school of thought. This attention was to serve as a precursor to the development of behavioural sciences.

MANAGEMENT SCIENCE/OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
It emphasises research on operations and use of quantitative techniques to aid managers to take decisions.

MODERN MANAGEMENT
It sees modern organisations as complex systems and underlies contingency approach and use of modern techniques to solve organisational and human problems.

 

In the modern organization change process an important aspect for the survival of its business. Change is the process which is applied for the organization development, these changes are not similar in nature, some are planned and some changes keep on happening in nature. The particular change is accepted as an exception, there is no change in ongoing aspects. Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. Change management (or change control) is the process during which the changes of a system are implemented in a controlled manner by following a predefined framework/model with, to some extent, reasonable modifications.

 

Besides understanding the change process, educators also need to become more skilled in its use. As Miles (1986) and Fullan (1991) have demonstrated, the change process consists of a series of three overlapping phases: initiation, implementation, and institutionalisation.
          The initiation phase is about deciding to embark on innovation, and of developing commitment towards the process. The key activities in the initiation phase are the decision to start, and a review of the organisation current state as regards the particular change. The lists of factors at this stage are:


• The innovation should be tied to a local agenda and high profile local need
• A clear, well-structured approach to change
• An active advocate or champion who understands the innovation and supports it
• Active initiation to start the innovation (top-down is OK under certain conditions)
• Good quality innovation.