The Evolution of Management Thought

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1、TheEvolutionofManagementThoughtThroughthepracticeofmanagementandthecontinueddevelopmentofcommerceandwealthwearetransformingourlives.InMassachusetts(USA)inthe1850sthelifeexpectancyofamalewouldhavebeen37yearsofageandafemale40:in1929itwas58foramaleand61forafemale;nowaday

2、slifeexpectancywouldbeintheregion70-80years.Whileappreciatingthepastsuccessofmanagement?wewouldalsorecognisethattoday’sacceleratingpaceofchangeisputtingpressureonourorganisationstobeattheforefrontofmanagementthinking.Ifwewanttomaintainourstandardoflivingourrateofchang

3、ehastobecomparativetotherestoftheworld.Butourpresentdaymanagementthinkinghasevolvedfromawholerangeofinfluencesoveranextraordinarylongperiodoftime.InhiscomprehensivebooktheEvolutionofManagementThought?DanielAWrenwrites:"Withinthepracticesofthepasttherearelessonsofhisto

4、ryfortomorrowinacontinuousstream.Weoccupybutonepointinthisstream.Thepurpose..istopresentthepastasaprologuetothefuture."Sowiththeaimofacceleratingthedevelopmentofourmanagementpracticeforthefutureletusexaminethatstreamofevolvingmanagementthoughtofthepast.OurChristianpas

5、thastaughtthatusthattherewasabeginning(Adam&Eve)andtherewillbeanend(Armageddon)andinbetweenweshouldhearthewordofgodandobeyhiscommandments.Wethereforetendtothinklinearlyaswellasintermsofauthorityandcompliance.IncontrastthereligionsoftheEastemphasisethecyclicalandregene

6、rativepropertiesofnature.TheythereforethinkintermsofcyclicalprocessesandofbeingatonewithGodandauthority.TheGreekinfluenceisevidentinthatweretaintheSocraticconceptofsearchingforthetruthbythejudgingofapropositionbystringentexaminationtoconfirmitsvalidity.Itisaprocessoft

7、hesis?antithesis?synthesis.Itisuncomfortablewithhalf-truthsandpooratbuildingupsolutionsfromparallelthoughts.FromAristotle’sanalyticalskillswehavedevelopedproblemsolvingmethodsthatbreakdowncomplexissuesintocomponentparts.Butinthisprocessweoftenlosesightofthewholeandhow

8、importantistheinterrelationshipofalltheparts.HierarchicalcontrolstructureswererecordedinthewritingsoftheChineseGeneralSunTzu