Introduction to Management & History of Management Theory

These flashcards cover major concepts, definitions, principles and historical contributions from the lecture notes on management, including basic meanings, functions, roles, skills, and early to modern management theories.

What is the basic meaning of management?

Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups.

According to Henry Fayol, what does it mean ‘to manage’?

To forecast and to plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control.

Which four broad resources are emphasized in the definition of management as an activity?

Men, Money, Material and Machine.

Which characteristic of management highlights that it never stops and involves continuous planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling?

Management is a continuous process.

Which factor of production does management itself represent alongside land, labour and capital?

Entrepreneurs (management).

What is the primary profit-related aim of management?

Maximizing profits.

Which management characteristic reflects the constant need to choose among alternative courses of action?

Management involves decision making.

What are the five primary functions of management identified by Koontz & O’Donnell?

Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing and Controlling.

Define planning in management.

Systematic thinking to determine courses of action for achieving predetermined goals.

What is the purpose of organising?

To bring together physical, financial and human resources and develop productive relationships to achieve goals.

Which management function ensures “right person, right job”?

Staffing.

Name four major activities included in staffing.

Manpower planning, recruitment/selection/placement, training & development, remuneration, performance appraisal, promotions & transfer.

Which function of management includes supervision, motivation, leadership and communication?

Directing.

List the four basic steps in the controlling process.

Establish standards, measure actual performance, compare with standards & note deviations, take corrective action.

What does the acronym POSDCORB stand for?

Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Co-ordination, Reporting, Budgeting.

Why is management considered an art?

Because it involves personalized, skillful application of knowledge, creativity and practice to achieve results.

Why is management considered a (social) science?

It has a systematized body of knowledge and principles developed through observation and experiment, though not as exact as pure sciences.

Give two reasons management is not yet a full-fledged profession.

Entry is not completely restricted and there is no single, universally enforced professional association with compulsory code of conduct.

In practical terms, how are ‘administration’ and ‘management’ related?

Top-level managers handle broader administration while middle & lower levels perform management; in practice the two overlap.

How many managerial roles did Henry Mintzberg identify?

Ten roles in three categories (interpersonal, informational, decisional).

Name Mintzberg’s three interpersonal roles.

Figurehead, Leader, Liaison.

Which Mintzberg role involves seeking and receiving information to act as the nerve centre?

Monitor (informational role).

Which decisional role makes or approves major resource allocations?

Resource Allocator.

What Mintzberg role handles unexpected disturbances?

Disturbance Handler.

List the four core managerial skills.

Technical, Human, Conceptual and Design skills.

Which managerial skill becomes more important at higher organizational levels—technical or conceptual?

Conceptual skills.

What epoch of management thought precedes scientific management?

Pre-scientific management era.

Who is known as the forerunner of scientific management and emphasized work measurement and profit sharing?

Charles Babbage.

Who is considered the ‘Father of Personnel Management’ and stressed worker welfare?

Robert Owens.

What was Andrew Ure’s main contribution to management thought?

Promoting managerial training and moral education.

State F.W. Taylor’s definition of scientific management.

The substitution of exact scientific investigations for the old individual judgment in all matters related to the work done in the shop.

List three primary objectives of scientific management.

Higher productivity, cost reduction, elimination of wastes (also quality control, right man for right job, incentive wages).

Taylor Principle: What replaces ‘rule of thumb’ in scientific management?

Decisions based on science through study and analysis.

Taylor Principle: What mental change does ‘Mental Revolution’ call for?

A change in attitude of both management and workers toward cooperation and mutual benefit.

Taylor Principle: How should employee development be maximized?

Through scientific selection, training and bringing each person to highest efficiency.

Who is called the ‘Father of Modern Management’ and proposed 14 principles?

Henry Fayol.

Fayol Principle: What does ‘Unity of Command’ state?

Each employee should receive orders from only one superior.

Fayol Principle: Define ‘Scalar Chain’.

A clear, unbroken line of authority from top to bottom for communication.

Fayol Principle: What does ‘Esprit de Corps’ emphasize?

Team spirit, harmony and unity among employees.

Which classical school researchers focused on motion studies to improve efficiency and worker welfare?

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.

What modern discipline was influenced by the Gilbreths’ motion studies?

Ergonomics (and industrial psychology).

Which large factory complex was home to the Hawthorne studies?

Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works in Chicago.

Who led the famous Hawthorne experiments beginning in 1927?

Elton Mayo (with Fritz Roethlisberger).

What key conclusion emerged from the Hawthorne experiments?

Employee productivity is strongly affected by social satisfaction and group dynamics, not just physical conditions or pay.

Name the four parts of the Hawthorne studies.

Illumination Experiment, Relay Assembly Test Room, Interviewing Programme, Bank Wiring Test Room.

Managerial Skill: What is meant by ‘human skills’?

The ability to work well with others, communicate, motivate and lead both individuals and groups.

Managerial Skill: Give an example of a technical skill a first-line manager might need.

Proficiency in accounting, engineering, manufacturing processes, computer systems, etc.

Which decisional role involves seeking opportunities and initiating projects for change?

Entrepreneur role.

In POSDCORB, what does ‘R’ stand for and what does it imply?

Reporting – keeping those to whom the manager is responsible informed about what is going on.

What management function involves measuring performance and taking corrective action?

Controlling.

Why is remuneration important according to Fayol’s principles?

Fair monetary or non-monetary compensation motivates workers and increases productivity.

Which principle of scientific management stresses ‘Harmony, not Discord’?

Management and workers should maintain cordial, mutually beneficial relations.

What does the term ‘centralization’ refer to in management?

Concentration of decision-making authority at the top levels of the organization.

Name one key difference between Taylor’s and the Gilbreths’ focus within scientific management.

Taylor emphasized productivity and profitability; the Gilbreths also prioritized worker welfare by reducing unnecessary motions.