Modern Management Theories

Lecture slides on the theories and approaches used to explain management in the modern era, beginning from definitions of the modern, of management as the administration and regulation of resources under one's control, and of a theory as a supposition or system of ideas. Covers the systems and contingency approaches and the learning organisation as a place where people expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new patterns of thinking are nurtured and collective aspiration set free, and where people continually learn to see the whole. Includes the behavioural side: Theory X and Theory Y assumptions about whether employees dislike work or want to make useful contributions, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Colour Works models used to help teams understand their similarities and differences, and Tuckman's 1965 model of how teams develop from formation to disbanding. Ends on the strengths claimed for the modern approach, adaptability to change, continuous improvement and survival across situations, and on the gaps left by the classical and neo-classical eras.