History of Management Timeline

  • Scientific Management Theory (1890-1940)

    Scientific Management Theory (1890-1940)
    Frederick W. Taylor is best known for defining the techniques of scientific management which is the "systematic study of relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process to increase efficiency" (Jones, 2014).
  • Taylorism

    Taylorism
    Frederick Winslow Taylor publishes the book, The Principles of Scientific Management. Taylor encouraged managers to think of their employees as "specialized, replaceable components" (Tanz, 2003).
  • The Assembly Line

    The Assembly Line
    The assembly line was created by Henry Ford in 1913. The production of the Model T was broken up into many steps and each person had their own job to do on the assembly line.
  • Fordism

    Fordism
    Henry Ford reduced the hours in the work day from nine hours to eight hours and his company also doubled the basic wage from $2.50 to $5.00 per day (Jones, 2014).
  • Fayol's Principles of Management

    Fayol's Principles of Management
    Henri Fayol worked at the same time as Max Weber but Fayol identified 14 principles that he believed essential to increase the efficiency of the management process (Jones, 2014).
  • The Theory of Bureaucracy (1930-1950)

    The Theory of Bureaucracy (1930-1950)
    The Theory of Bureaucracy was proposed by Max Weber. "Weber developed the principles of bureaucracy - a formal system of organization and administration designed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness" (Jones, 2014). There are 5 principles of bureaucracy.
  • The Hawthorne Studies

    The Hawthorne Studies
    Elton Mayo becomes the first to question the behavioral assumptions of scientific management. The studies concluded that human factors were often more important than physical conditions in motivating employees to greater productivity (Clark, 2011).
  • Management by Wandering Around

    Management by Wandering Around
    David Packard and Bill Hewlett form Hewlett-Packard. Their supervisory style, "Management by Wandering Around," encourages bosses to leave their offices and chat with their employees (Tanz, 2003).
  • Fair Labor Standards Act

    Fair Labor Standards Act
    The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed on June 25, 1938 and the law "banned oppressive child labor and set the minimum hourly wage at 25 cents, and the maximum workweek at 44 hours" (Grossman, 1978).
  • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

    Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
    Maslow's Hierachy of needs deals with self actualization, esteem, belonging, safety, and Physiological needs (Clark, 2011).
  • The Practice of Management

    The Practice of Management
    The Practice of Management was written by Peter Drucker and it introduces the 5 basic roles of managers (Clark, 2011).
  • Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act

    Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
    The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act "holds labor leaders to stricker standards in handling union funds and requires them to file annual reports" (Shmoop, 2008).
  • Theory X

    Theory X
    Theory X was proposed by Douglas McGregor in 1960. According to Theory X, "the average worker is lazy, dislikes work, and will try to do as little as possible. To keep workers' performance at a high level, the manager must supervise workers closely" (Jones, 2014).
  • Theory Y

    Theory Y
    Theory Y was also proposed by Douglas McGregor. According to Theory Y, "workers are not inherently lazy, do not naturally dislike work, and, if given the opportunity, will do what is good for the organization" (Jones, 2014). This is the opposite compared to Theory X,
  • Contingency Theory

    The Contingency Theory was developed in the 1960s by Tom Burns and G.M.Stalker in Britain and Paul Lawrence and Jay Lorsch in the United States. "The characteristics of the environment affect an organization's ability to obtain resources" (Jones, 2014).
  • Equal Pay Act

    Equal Pay Act
    The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires that men and women in the same workplace get paid the same for the same amount of work.
  • The Civil Rights Act

    The Civil Rights Act
    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation and banned employment discrimination based on sex, race, color, and religion. The act was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson.
  • The Equal Employment Opportunity Act

    The Equal Employment Opportunity Act
    The Equal Employment Opportunity Act "gives the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) authority to sue in federal courts when it finds reasonable cause to believe that there has been employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" (USlegal, 2015).
  • Theory Z

    Theory Z
    Theory Z was proposed by William Ouchi in 1981. "Theory Z is an approach to management based upon a combination of American and Japanese management philosophies and characterized by, among other things, long-term job security, consensual decision making, slow evaluation and promotion procedures, and individual responsibility within a group context" (Barnett, 2015).
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act
    The Americans with Disabilities Act "prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental activities. The ADA also establishes requirements for telecommunications relay services" (Department of Labor).