There are four different contemporary approaches to management. These are known as: sociotechnical system, quantitative management, systems theory, and organizational behavior. The sociotechnical system approach to management recognizes the intricate and complex relationship between human and technology in workplaces. Sociotechnical system also is a term used for reference between humans in the workplace and society’s complex infrastructures. The term sociotechnical systems was first used in the World War 2 era by Eric Trist, Ken Bamforth, and Fred Emery. Sociotechnical theory is based on two facts. The first is that the interaction of social and technical factors creates the conditions for organizational performance whether successful or unsuccessful. This interaction consists partly of linear “cause and effect” relationships and partly from “non-linear”, complex, even unpredictable relationships. Whether designed or not, both types of interaction occur when socio and technical elements are put to work. The second of the two main principles is that the optimization of each aspect (socio or technical) tends to not only increase the quantity of unpredictable, “un-designed” relationships but those relationships that are injurious to the systems performance. Sociotechnical theory is about joint optimization meaning the theory designs the social system and technical system so that they collaborate and work smoothly together. Sociotechnical theory proposes a number of different ways of achieving joint optimization which are usually based on designing different types of organizations.
The systems theory approach to management is the interdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research. While it does not have a well-established, precise meaning, but