Management and the Organisation

The practice of management, which is very much a product of the 20th century, has evolved from respectable historical antecedents. In the Old Testament, (Exodus Chapter 18, verses 17–26), Moses was faced with management problems, and the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans also showed evidence of administrative, if not management knowledge. Prior to the industrial revolution the main administrative institutions were government, the military and the church. These organisations were fairly flexible, operated according to strict rules and demanded unquestioning obedience from their members. However, developments in command and control of military institutions, especially as they became larger and more diverse, were characterised by many of the management principles adopted by modern organisations; (e.g. the scalar principle, centralisation of command with decentralisation of operations, line and staff etc.).