Evolution of Management Theory
Evolution of management theory: The case of production management in construction
Aguinaldo dos. Santos; Powell, James Alfred; Sarshar, Marjan. Management Decision40. 7/8 (2002): 788-796.
In the past 100 years production management has evolved from a set of heuristic ideas to a portfolio of somewhat developed concepts and principles. "Just-in-time" and "total quality management" integrate most of the modern concepts and principles in the field. Furthermore, seminal studies carried out within production, such as the Gilbreth/Taylor, Hawthorne and Tavistock studies, have given significant contribution to the evolution of management theory. This paper presents the context of production management evolution and assesses the application of some heuristic production approaches within construction sites of Brazil and England. The study revealed that, although the production management theory evolved significantly, construction practices do not apply the theory in a systemic and comprehensive manner. Clearly, lack of motivation and poor instruments for enabling "learning" are the central cause of this problem. According to McFarland (1979) the word "manage" seems to have come into English usage directly from the Italian word "maneggiare", that means "to handle". This word, in turn, traces back to the Latin word "manus" (hand). In the early sixteenth century the word "manage" was quickly extended into the common language of war situations and used in the general sense of "taking control", "taking charge", or "directing". Management is the fundamental integrating processes used to achieve organised, purposeful results.
This dynamic flow between practice and theory, and vice versa, is also one of the key virtues of disciplines relating to production management. Academics and consultants are continually developing new ways for solving production problems and marketing these solutions to practitioners. Occasionally, these solutions are transformed into books. In other
Aguinaldo dos. Santos; Powell, James Alfred; Sarshar, Marjan. Management Decision40. 7/8 (2002): 788-796.
In the past 100 years production management has evolved from a set of heuristic ideas to a portfolio of somewhat developed concepts and principles. "Just-in-time" and "total quality management" integrate most of the modern concepts and principles in the field. Furthermore, seminal studies carried out within production, such as the Gilbreth/Taylor, Hawthorne and Tavistock studies, have given significant contribution to the evolution of management theory. This paper presents the context of production management evolution and assesses the application of some heuristic production approaches within construction sites of Brazil and England. The study revealed that, although the production management theory evolved significantly, construction practices do not apply the theory in a systemic and comprehensive manner. Clearly, lack of motivation and poor instruments for enabling "learning" are the central cause of this problem. According to McFarland (1979) the word "manage" seems to have come into English usage directly from the Italian word "maneggiare", that means "to handle". This word, in turn, traces back to the Latin word "manus" (hand). In the early sixteenth century the word "manage" was quickly extended into the common language of war situations and used in the general sense of "taking control", "taking charge", or "directing". Management is the fundamental integrating processes used to achieve organised, purposeful results.
This dynamic flow between practice and theory, and vice versa, is also one of the key virtues of disciplines relating to production management. Academics and consultants are continually developing new ways for solving production problems and marketing these solutions to practitioners. Occasionally, these solutions are transformed into books. In other