Identify and Outline Briefly Major Trends in Approaches to Organisation and Management Since the Beginning of the 20th Century | MD2206 Management, Organisation and Strategy | David Forrest | Natalie Louise Jones 20494877 | Word Count: 1938 Pages: 8 |

Identify and Outline Briefly Major Trends in Approaches to Organisation and Management Since the Beginning of the 20th Century

Management was classically defined by Henri Fayol in 1916. He described managing as “to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate and to control”. It can be argued that this definition has held through time, however many other theorists have their own definition as to what management means, such as Breech (1957), Koontz and O’Donnell (1984) and Peters (1988). The definition of management can often depend upon the organisation it is within and the approach being taken. Throughout the twentieth century many managers and theorists have come up with their own approaches to management and organisation, many linked to the different trends of the time. One of the major trends to affect businesses is the development of technology. Kast and Rosenzweig (1970) believe that the advances made in technology represent the expansions and growth of large organisations. Dessler (1976) however, points out that the social and economic statuses at the time are closely linked with the development, in what he describes as a “chicken and egg” situation. The influences these all had on developing management and organisation theories will be looked at in more detail.

Before the end of the nineteenth century mass production and commercialisation didn’t exist. There were no big businesses to speak of, with the only large organisations being the military and the church. However, the end of the nineteenth century saw