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Essay / Business Management Styles - 1228
Management can be described as “getting things done through people”. This means that there must be a manager to control and motivate these people or human resources. Although there are many styles of managers and management techniques, management theories are the most important. Management theories describe certain behaviors known to achieve the company's objectives. The four main management theories are classical scientific, behavioral, political and contingent theories. These all have different styles and outcomes and have many similarities and differences when put into practice in a business environment. Classical and scientific theories of management developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most workers were inexperienced and uneducated and therefore had little management experience. Democracy was not fully developed, so most owners and managers ruled with an "iron fist" and rarely consulted employees. However, from these roots, many different management techniques and styles have sprouted and will form the basis of management today. These include the hierarchical structure of the organization, division of labor, and autocratic and authoritarian management styles. The hierarchical organizational structure is the traditional form of organizing a business. This can be best represented as a pyramid, with the owner, CEO or board of directors at the top. This higher level of management deals with planning, organizing and controlling. They are generally required to develop long-term and short-term strategic plans to achieve business goals. They are also responsible for any changes in the company, such as a change in the main function or the introduction of a new product line. The second stage is Middle Management which coordinates the activities of supervisors. He prepares policies and plans, and is responsible for his budgets and the appointment of new employees. At the third level of the structure are supervisors who have competing power of control. They are the link between workers and the highest level of management. They are chosen for their technical skills and their ability to motivate others. An important management tool that developed from this time is called division of labor, which is found in many workplaces today. The idea behind division of labor is to divide complex tasks into several simpler tasks and assign a different person to each task..