Discipline in Business Management
Importance of Discipline in Business Management
Importance of Discipline in Managerial Business
Management is the process of delegating tasks to groups that are meant to achieve an overall goal. It is a popular, worldwide practice that pertains to versatile cultures and civilizations. Organizations under every sphere and scope of work employ this tool to function efficiently and productively. It is "an art of getting things done through and with the people in formally organized groups. It is an art of creating an environment in which people can perform and individuals and can co-operate towards attainment of group goals." (Harold Koontz, 2007)
According to the great mind of Frederick Winslow Taylor, "Management is an art of knowing what to do, when to do and see that it is done in the best and cheapest way." Labeled as the "Father of Scientific Management" (as says so on his gravestone), he was an engineer who educated himself to be an engineer. Taylor commenced his professional career through diligent work on a factory floor as an apprentice pattern maker, an "experience that infused everything he achieved after." Moving up the business ladder, he invented time and motion studies at the Bethlehem Steel Company. Armed with a simple, manual notepad, he would walk around noting labor intensive tasks that could be broken down into a sequence of constituents and accomplished more efficiently. The idea of piece work grew through this exercise. As this paper is meant to discuss the importance of discipline in business, it was necessary to divert back to the very roots of management. It is clearly evident that the man who is said to have created the initial concepts of this study was indeed an extremely disciplined man. By adhering to this practice and remaining committed to it, his mind was able to explore and formulate the notions of early management. His work "The Principles of Scientific Management" is deemed to be the pioneering best seller in business related books. (Frederick Winslow Taylor, 2009)
Another prominent and forward thinking soul was Peter Drucker. Born in Vienna in the year of 1909, he began his work in Frankfurt as a reporter until Hitler's rise to power. Then, he moved to a London based investment firm before emigrating to the United States of America in 1937. Six years later, he was pronounced a citizen. He published his first book "The End of the Economic Man" in 1939 and was so well received by Churchill, that it was made mandatory reading for every British officer.
However, it was his second book that launched the introduction of modern management and consulting-"The Concept of the Corporation" in 1945. Not was Drucker a revolutionary thinker, but a visionary who created the abstract yet powerful theory of management being a social force as well. This book was published after Drucker conducted an eighteen month study on General Electric. He demonstrated true discipline when he insisted that both public and private entities operate within ethical barriers. Drucker's concepts took on more of a human theme and stressed vitality of the workforce as an asset, rather than as a liability. He cited the term "Knowledge Worker" as a basis how the workforce should think, function and exist. This, in turn, led to the establishment of discipline within the employees and a sense of ownership for the task they were meant to perform.
Although, Drucker's preaching was met by much protest from the executives and decision makers of his time, they understood his mind was a dimension of intellect that foresaw major business trends way ahead of their time. It is no wonder that there were objections as Drucker began to converse about such topics as early as the 1940s. (Sullivan, 2005) We are taught these concepts everyday in the contemporary world of business and how to conduct ourselves with discipline. Therefore, it is of no surprise that the early business individuals could not fathom the depth of these ideas and how widespread they would eventually become. He was a highly innovative thinker who practiced it as a pure discipline.
The figures that personify the history of management have been discussed in some detail. Now this paper will consider modern men who are believed to be visionaries of the 21st century to illustrate how they used discipline in their lives and management style. However, before we do that, it is crucial to comprehend the meaning of the word "discipline."
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now