MANAGAMENT'S CHANGING ROLE AND SCOPE

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Due to varios envuromental changes,management theory and practice have also changed during the past 100 years.The first part of this priod saw mechanization and automation with industrial growth.Growth in industry,how ever,created promblems betwen management and labor.As noted in Chapter 1,management pratice was litle more than a day-to-day,fire-fighting operation at the begining of this century.Managers saw their duties as those of getting the most output from workers with as little labor cost as possible.only passing attention was given to any systematic planning,organizing,or controling of operations.Manufacturing activities,for example,were usualy not bassed on on standards were often esthablished subjektively with litle or no thought given to matchig the demands of a job with employee skills.Guesses,huncges,and past expriences provided the bases for must management decisions and amploye aliention was quiete common.
The practice of management changed dramatically when scientific management emerged during the first quarted of the 20th century.Intialy,the term referred to the sytematic study and measrument of work in oreder to achive maximum efesiency in production.Al thought these early efforts to improve productivity were carried out in factory settings,the results contibuted to an overall expansion of management knowledge.New insinght were provided in to the analyisis of work methods,authority relationship,production planning,and the elemination of wasteful efforts.Unfortunately,scientific management often gave major atnettion to the creation of the ideal organiztion,and if performance failed to meet standards,it was assumed to be the fauld of either unqualifed workers or improper egnineering methods.In either chase,employee social needs were considered to be far less imprtant than organizational goals.
By the early 1930s,more attention was given to the role of both individual and groups within organization.This changed the focus of management thought from an impersonal view of employes to one that considered their filings,attitudes,beleifs,perfection,and ideas.The later view was bassed on a belief that employees could be motivated to work more productively when prvided with opportutunities to stasify certain social and psychological needs.Consewuently,the human element was given major consideration their fellings,attitued,beliefs,perfection,and ideas.The later view was the bassed on a belief that employees could be motivated to work more produtively with opportunities to satisfy certain social and psychological needs.
Consecuntly,the human element was given major consideration while other environmental factors were pushed out of the ainsdtream of management thought for a decade or so.Since 1950,however,management theorists have been concorned with both external and internal environments as they infuends,and are influendced by,the human element.