Definition of Management & Management Theory
Management is ‘The art of getting things done through people’. (Follett et al., 1973)
‘Managers give direction, provide leadership & decide how to use resources to accomplish goals’. (Drucker, 1954)
‘Management is the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organising, leading and controlling organisational resources’. (Daft and Marcic, 2009)
There are many definitions of management. Classical theorists such as Fayol and Taylor believed in applying universal principles to achieve ‘one best way’ of management. Henri Fayol emphasised ‘command and control’ and taught the five functions of management as; planning, organising, commanding, co-ordinating and controlling. Taylor in the Principles of Scientific Management (Taylor, 1911) taught that there was ‘one best method’ of management based on the scientific study of each task. Taylor would not have approved of the focus on the individual, as later developed by Elton Mayo using the Hawthorne experiments which highlighted the importance of social interaction (Mayo, 1949). The work of Mayo was a radical concept in its timeframe. In a review of approaches to management Crainer states that Mayo’s studies ‘were important because they showed that views of how managers behaved were a vital aspect of motivation and improved performance’ (Crainer, 1998). Given Taylor’s obsession with control and self-discipline, it is unlikely that he would have understood such a theory. The work of the classical theorists is often criticised for ignoring and being unaware of the complexity of human behaviour and the importance of worker’s feelings and the work environment. Despite criticism the ‘one best way’ theory receives a considerable amount of support. Peter Drucker states that ‘Taylor may prove a more useful prophet for our times than we yet