The Growth of Management Through Time

There has been much of an argument to whether management is an art or a trade. There are many aspect that good management requires, but whether the majority fall under art or trade is the true question. But when you hear art, you think someone painting the next Mona Lisa, but it is much more than that. Now there are many different forms of management, and it has a history of its own of its evolution. So, the ultimate question again: is management an art or a science?

Looking back at the history of how management became prominent in our modern-day world can give us more of an inside look on whether it is art or science. According to Kevin O’Gorman in The Global Management Series: Introducing Management in a Global Context, there is no real record of management being apparent when the Great Pyramid of Egypt and the Great Wall of China were built, but the framework needed for these great monuments was key for being still existent and standing tall today. The Egyptians had a “...centralised bureaucracy that permitted only Pharaohs to make policy, and Viziers ran the administrative system that allowed large scale buildings to be undertaken” (O’Gorman 3). Now for the period, it surely was a work of art that the Egyptians were able to create a governmental system so structured basing off little or nothing to our modern-day knowledge. It’s almost certain that they had the key skills of management built into their souls, even if it wasn’t a sound framework idea.

Moving forward in time to the Industrial Revolution, Rita Gunther McGrath in Management’s Three Eras: A Brief History, says that before and after the Industrial Revolution, there was a shift and an introduction to three management themes were introduced: execution, expertise, and empathy. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, many things were up to individuals to plan and do as they see fit with a few exceptions. For example, because of government law slavery was legal, so it was all up to individuals to implement slavery usage in their businesses. And at the time, a lot did, which is where the moral and ethical areas come into play in management. It was a time for the growth of management, ethics and morals specifically, because it made some people question whether those of a different color should be treated any less even if it was considered unlawful at the time. The conscience of those saw that this was wrong helped shape the leaders of the future and helped make real change.

After the Industrial Revolution however, there was huge progression in the practice of management. According to McGrath, when the Industrial Revolution rose, “…these larger organizations, owners needed to depend on others, what economists call ‘agents’ and the rest of us call ‘managers.’ This is very similar to the most common form of management structure today, especially in large scale businesses to be able to successfully execute their plans. And at the time, most businesses were of large scale and had growing competition, so the agents and managers were key in making sure labor, quality, and other daily operations are kept to a higher standard to stay competitive in the market. And that is still very prominent today in any kind of consumer market today. Grocery stores for example all have something they try to promote about themselves to make consumers buy from their stores over their competitors.

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