*Approaches to Management Thinking

Unit I: Business Management and Managerial Economics

Management thought has evolved over more than a century. Each approach arose in response to the specific social, economic, and technological challenges of its time. Below is a structured explanation of the key approaches, including when, why, and how each developed.

📅 Timeline of Major Management Approaches

Approach	Period	Core Focus	Key Thinkers
Scientific Management	1880s–1920s	Efficiency through scientific work methods	F.W. Taylor
General Administrative	1910s–1940s	Principles of organization and universal management functions	Henri Fayol, Max Weber
Human Relations Approach	1920s–1940s	Social/psychological needs in work environments	Elton Mayo
Organizational Behavior	1930s–Present	Motivation, behavior, and leadership	Maslow, McGregor, Herzberg
Management Science Approach	1940s–1960s	Applying mathematical and statistical techniques to decision-making	George Dantzig, Harold D. Smith
Quantitative Approach	1940s–1960s	Data-driven decision-making using mathematical models	George Dantzig, WWII OR teams
Operational Approach	1940s–Present	Focus on improving operational efficiency and effectiveness	Peter Drucker, W. Edwards Deming
Decision Theory Approach	1950s–Present	Focus on making decisions based on systematic models and analysis	Herbert Simon, James March
Systems Approach	1950s–Present	Organization as an interdependent system of subsystems. All parts of an organization are interrelated and dependent on one another	Ludwig von Bertalanffy
Contingency Approach	1960s–Present	Situation-based management, “it depends” on context. Based on open-systems theory and recognizes that there are many, internal and external factors that influence organizational behaviour	Fiedler, Woodward, Burns & Stalker
Quality Revolution	1980s–Present	Continuous improvement, customer focus, quality assurance	W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, Kaoru Ishikawa
Globalization Approach	1980s–Present	Managing across cultures and borders	Hofstede, Bartlett & Ghoshal
Human Resource Development (HRD) Approach	1980s–Present	Focus on employee learning, development, and career growth	Leonard Nadler, Richard Knowles
HRD Scorecard Approach	1990s–Present	Measuring the effectiveness of HRD programs using metrics	David Ulrich, Jack Phillips
Organizational Design Approach	1980s–Present	Concerned with formal patterns of arrangements and relationship developed by management	Henry Mintzberg, James Thompson, Richard Daft