History of Management

  • Taylor develops Scientific Management Theory

    Taylor develops Scientific Management Theory
    Taylor (also known as "the father of management) developed scientifically based management techniques which increased efficency by increasing the specialization and division of labor. He favored science over intuition and offered rewards for exceptional performance.(Jones, 2014)
  • Mary Parker Follett

    Mary Parker Follett
    Follett begins her work as a social worker, which was the beginning of her stance as a management theorist. She became known for pioneering ideas and introducing human psychology and relations into industrial management. (Lewis)
  • Fordism

    Fordism
    Henry Ford and his team develops the first moving conveyor belt and turns the world of manufacturing upside down. The concepts of mass production and assembly lines are officially brought to life. He also motivated workers by decreasing hours and raising wages. (Jones, 2014)
  • Fayol's Principles of Management

    Fayol's Principles of Management
    Henri Fayol, the CEO of Comambault Mining, identified 14 key principles of management, including division of labor, authority and responsibility, discipline, and initiative to name a few. He believed these principles were essential to increasing efficiency. (Jones, 2014)
  • The Hawthorne Studies

    The Hawthorne Studies
    A series of research investigations were conducted at the Western Electric Company's Hawthorne plant in Illinois which aimed to determine how work environment would effect productivity. Instead, they learned that productivity is more effected by the fufillment of the social and emotional needs of the workers. (Miller, 2012)
  • Black Tuesday

    Black Tuesday
    The stock market crashes,destroying the economic optimism which followed WWI. Poverty became rampant, jobs were scarce and the faith of the country was shaken.
  • Academy of Management is formed

    Academy of Management is formed
    Professors Charles L. Jamison and William N. Mitchell gathered teachers of management in order to form an organization of educators to advance the philosophy of management. It has grown from a group of 10 to over 19,000 members from nearly 120 countries. (AOM)
  • The U.S. enters World War II

    The U.S. enters World War II
    The U.S. officially enters WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. With so many men enlisting into the military, women step into the workforce to take their place. Eventually "nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home." (History.com, 2010)
  • Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs

    Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs
    Abraham Maslow develops a theory stating that humans are motivated by a 5 basic needs; physiological, safety, affiliation, esteem, and self-actualization. He proposes that once the first 3 lower-order needs are met, the final 2 higher-order needs can be fufilled. (McLeod, 2007)
  • Contingency Theory

    Contingency Theory
    Tom Burns, G. M. Stalker, Paul Lawrence, and Jay Lorsch develop a theory which states "how managers design the organizational hierarchy, choose a control system, and lead and motivate their employees is contigent on the characteristics of the organizational environment." ( Jones, 2014)
  • The Open-Systems View

    The Open-Systems View
    Daniel Katz, Robert Kahn, and James Thompson develop one of the most influential views of how an organization is affected by its external environment. A successful organization must be "open" meaning they take in resources from the external environment and transform them into goods which are then put back out. (Jones, 2014)
  • Douglas McGregor Theory X and Y

    Douglas McGregor Theory X and Y
    Douglas McGregor proposed two theories about how attitudes and behaviors dominate the way managers think and interact with employees. Theory X managers believe their workers are lazy, unmotivated and in need of constant supervision. Theory Y managers believe the opposite. Workers are not lazy and will take on responsibility when given the chance. (Jones, 2014)
  • Miles Publishes "Human Relations or Human Resources"

    Raymond Miles highlighted the issue of managers who practiced human relation activities(Theory Y) while still holding Theory X beliefs. Their actions were not genuine and therefore are ineffective. (Miller, 2012)
  • The Internet is born

    In 1969, ARPAnet delivered its first message: a “node-to-node” communication from one computer to another. This was the first step into digital communication, which has drastically changed management and business as a whole. (History.com)
  • Peters and Waterman's Excellent Companies

    Peters and Waterman's Excellent Companies
    "Tom Peters and Robert Waterman identified 62 organiations that they considered to be the best-performing organizations in the United States." They discovered that successful companies were managed by 3 sets of principles; emphasize managerial autonomy and entrepreneurship and encourage risk taking and initiative, put organizational goals at center-stage, and establish a division of labor and authority. (Jones, 2014)
  • TDIndustries is saved from bankruptcy

    TDIndustries is saved from bankruptcy
    When TDIndustries, an employee-owned company, was facing bankruptcy they turned to employees for help. They distributed retirement funds and the employees reinvested more than what was needed to save their company. Loyalty can go a long way. (Stanberry, 2010)
  • Starbuck's Shooting

    Starbuck's Shooting
    When three employees were shot and killed during a robbery in Washington D.C., "Instead of issuing a press release or calling legal counsel, CEO Howard Schultz flew straight to D.C. and spent the entire week with the employees and their families in the area." (Stansberry, 2010) This human-relations style of management shows the employees that they really do matter.
  • Southwest Airlines handles 9/11 aftermath

    Southwest Airlines handles 9/11 aftermath
    Airlines shut down immediately following the 9/11 attacks, leaving people stranded across the country. Southwest had employees take passengers out to things like bowling and movies to pass the time. They also declared that unlike the other airlines, they would not be cutting jobs to make up for decreased business following the terrorist attacks. (Stansberry, 2010)
  • First Blogging CEO

    First Blogging CEO
    Sun's former CEO, Jonathan Schwartz was one of the first Fortune 500 CEOs to start a blog. He believes strongly in corporate transparency. His openness and innovation paved the way for other CEOs. (Stansberry, 2010)
  • Undercover Boss

    Undercover Boss
    Undercover Boss is a T.V, show which follows C.E.O.s as they disguise themselves and go to work in their own companies. This allows them to see the true nature of their employees and business operations. (IMDb)