Introduction

“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.” – Paul Hawken

Although, in the grand scheme of things, the management degree is relatively new, the practice of management, where an individual is directed to accomplish some task, probably dates back to when one Neanderthal instructed another Neanderthal to leave the comfort of the cave to fetch wood for the fire. Webster’s dictionary defines the word “manage” to mean.

1. To direct or control the use of
2. To exert control over (make submissive)
3. To succeed in accomplishing one’s purpose
4. To direct or administer.

No doubt, the Neanderthal who managed the other in getting the firewood had some form of executive skills. In a sense, he had accomplished his purpose by directing the process.

A career in management can be exhilarating, it can be exhausting, it can be emotional, and it can be lonely. But management can provide a sense of personal achievement as you discover new methods to accomplish a difficult task, to communicate a complicated message in simple words, or to lead the charge to rally those around you in a common goal. Management can also be financially rewarding, and it all starts with earning a management major.

In a business setting, successful management requires three primary steps. The first step is to establish a plan. This becomes the road map to how the work will be completed. The second step is for the management to allocate the proper amount of resources to accomplish the work that was established in step one. This also translates to not overloading the staff with work. The third and final step requires that management measure the final product against what was envisioned in step one. Step three also becomes the basis for the planning and increasing the efficiency of the process in the next task. Business management is all about going from point A to point B, but it’s also about selecting the proper procedure and increasing the efficiency of that procedure the next time.

A career in management, especially a successful one, begins with an education that teaches the fundamental principles of business and adds an additional layer of knowledge for a specific profession, or managing specialty. Management programs commonly fall into one of three categories: an undergraduate program that can lead to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree; a postgraduate program that leads to a master’s degree; and a doctorate program that leads to a doctor of philosophy degree.

An undergraduate management major can open up a wide range of possibilities for choosing a career. Management never goes out of style, but rather evolves to accommodate the influences that affect change in the marketplace, especially considering that the business community is in an evolution period for a new global renaissance of managing. A master of business administration degree, or MBA, as it is more called in the industry, is a graduate level of education beyond the bachelor’s level management diploma that opens up a professional’s career for climbing the corporate ladder. A doctor of philosophy degree, or PhD, is a doctorate level of education beyond the graduate course of an MBA that expands a professional’s career for positions outside of the normal range of business management.

History of Management

Modern business management theory is generally thought of as having evolved over four chronological eras, according to Raymond E. Miles in his 1975 book, Theories of Management. Miles contends that modern business management is based on three components: classical ideas, human relationships, and human resources to accomplish a task.

Miles defined the first phase as the prescientific management era, and it includes any management methodology before 1880. The second era, from 1880 to 1930, was defined as the classical management era. The third era was defined as the neoclassical management era, and it covers management methodology from 1930 to 1949. The fourth era, the modern management era, includes methods of management from 1950 to the present.

Miles went on to subdivide the classical management era (1880 to 1930) into three distinct schools of managing styles. The first style, termed scientific management, was developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, an American engineer who he published his ideas in 1911 in a book titled Principles of Scientific Management. Taking a cue from the industrial revolution around him, Taylor believed that employees could be perceived as specialized, but replaceable, components within the machinery of accomplishing work, looked upon by management as a cog in the gears of productivity. The goal was to maximize worker efficiency regardless of the cost to a worker's self-worth. Such insensitivity toward the employee ended up pitting worker against manager, and by the 1920s new ideas on how management should behave began to emerge.

In 1923, a new management style took root within the automobile industry that decentralized the authority of management and emphasized the law of situation—i.e., there is no one best way to do anything, the best techniques are dependent upon the situation. Miles called this administration management. Crafted by Alfred P. Sloan, president of General Motors, the thought was to delegate management to the individual car lines within GM that included Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile. Each division, or car brand, would be responsible to meet revenue expectations, under the authority of a higher central committee. The benefit would be that each division could spawn worker ingenuity and adjust to the individual demands or situations of their targeted car market.

Tucked within this same 1880 to 1930 time period, Miles also defined a third management style that he labeled bureaucracy management, where management would define, record, and promote in a systematic and authoritarian fashion. Everything would be clearly defined, legal authority would rule, a hierarchical format would take precedence, all rules and procedures would be written, employees would be appointed based upon technical expertise, promotions would be based upon competence, and there would be a clearly defined career path. In other words, everything would be cut and dry, and there would be no room in management for on-the-spot innovation or second-guessing.

Miles's neoclassical management era (1930 to 1950) saw a complete shift away from the earlier single authoritarian management style. In fact, after a social workplace study known as the Hawthorn Experiments that emphasized that workers were not machines, management began to move toward meeting workers' emotional needs by introducing the concept of group-wide decision-making. A new company department—human resources—was the outcome for most businesses. In his 1938 book, Functions of the Executive, Chester Barnard listed the three top objectives of the business executive with respect to employees as communicate, retain, and motivate. Barnard went on to state that managers only have as much authority as the employees. Conversely, Barnard listed four objectives that an employee would need to accept as a condition of subjecting themselves to management's authority: an understanding of their job role; a willingness to comply with a directive; an understanding that the directive is keeping with the organizational objectives; and that the directives are not contrary to their personal goals.

Miles labels the present-day business management era as the modern management era, which began around 1950 when a new direction emerged focused on quality management. Meeting a higher quality standard rather than a management-mandated sales quota became the emphasis for both the employee and the manager. The old top-down management ruling structure would be abandoned.

By the 1990s, the emphasis was still on quality, but the advertising message would be fine-tuned to say that the client was always right, and that the workers and management were bound together in a common cause of serving the customer.

Qualities Needed for a Degree in Management

If a person could select only one quality for a successful management career, what would it be?

That may be a very difficult question to answer, because a number of qualities are necessary in order to succeed in management. In fact, it's something of a trick question, because turning a degree in management into a successful career requires a person to have a lot of different skills, many of which are described below. However, each person will usually have one or more areas in which they're very strong, a couple areas where they're weak, and several in which they're competent but not outstanding. Because some management jobs will strongly emphasize one or two of these areas, it's good to know what's expected before taking the job, in order to make sure one's aptitudes and skills match the job requirements.

• Is being a planner the key quality? A good manager understands that a well thought out plan is required to get a project completed, but also instinctively knows that if the plan does not work out, alternate methods will be needed to accomplish the project successfully.
• Is being an organizer the key quality? A manager who is not organized is in fact really not a manager of anything but chaos. Organization is possibility the most important requirement of any successful manager; in fact, it might be considered the “holy grail” of management traits. Of course, earning a management degree will enhance anyone's organizational skills.
• Is being a leader the key quality for a management employee? The ability to be a leader among one's peers is not an easy task. In fact, it would be far easier to close the office door and ignore the issues going on outside, but that's not the role of the manager. A manager is a leader, and must lead by example. This may require making—and taking responsibility for—a tough decision.
• Is being a coordinator the key quality? Webster defines the word coordinate as “to work together in a common action or effort.” A successful manager understands how to operate with respect to coordination. Managing requires coordinating the work that is performed by other employees.
• Is being a motivator the key quality? How does a manager motivate employees? Well, that's probably a question that's been asked by every manager, and it probably ranks right up there with “What's the meaning of life?” But seriously, how do you motivate? The simple answer is: You motivate by your own actions and deeds.
• Is hiring the staff the key quality? A manager who is tasked with hiring staff, especially the hiring of those with whom the manager will work, has an opportunity to hire staff from his or her own perspective. However, this can be quite daunting if the manager doesn't understand the responsibilities of the position or how to be a good judge of character.
• Is being energetic the key quality? A manager who can be upbeat and energetic undoubtedly sets the tone for the rest of the staff, especially when the manager's positive attitude spreads to the rest of the group. It is a powerful message that is both simple and uplifting.
• Is being self-motivated the key quality? Self-motivation is at the heart of all successful managers. The ability to create your own internal drive and passion toward the completion of a goal or task is what self-motivation is all about. A manager who doesn't need to be told what to do or when the deadline is allows a company to focus valuable resources elsewhere. A degree in management can confer knowledge and skills, but self motivation is an internal quality.