Prior to the growth of industrialization, environmental forces were less numerous and complex than they are today. Changes in wealth, power, and prestige were basically determined by those who had the best-trained and the-equipped armies to wage war and plunder the countryside. Other leadership positions were filled by priests who often used various religious myths to gain power. With the introduction of mechanization, however, leadership positions were to be filled by the risk takers, engineers, and professional managers who created and directed a growing industrial complex.
Current interest in the challenging future of management is based on many of the same problems and issues that concern the average citizen. The energy crisis has touched all of our lives and will continue to do so for years to come. Technology, productivity, and the economy present new challenges almost daily. At the same time, government bureaucracy continues to control many of the actions of organizations and individuals throughout society. For managers to meet these and other challenges, they must realize that the future has already arrived. Time, as stated by Saint Augustine, is a threefold present: the present as we experience it, the past as a present memory, and the future begins with the present and is influenced by decisions that managers make today.
Gazing into the future is important because it provides managers with some information about the possible results of their present actions. By anticipating the future, problems are not as likely to appear as surprises. With some advance notice, managers can begin looking for contingent solutions to future problems, thus providing their organizations with more options to consider in adapting to changing environmental conditions.
The following sections will not attempt to make precise predictions concerning management's future since there is no forecasting method that can be so exact. Therefore, the "world tomorrow" will be left to the philosophers, theologians, and futurologists. Our discussion will be limited to a brief review of current trends that appear likely to influence the future.
Current interest in the challenging future of management is based on many of the same problems and issues that concern the average citizen. The energy crisis has touched all of our lives and will continue to do so for years to come. Technology, productivity, and the economy present new challenges almost daily. At the same time, government bureaucracy continues to control many of the actions of organizations and individuals throughout society. For managers to meet these and other challenges, they must realize that the future has already arrived. Time, as stated by Saint Augustine, is a threefold present: the present as we experience it, the past as a present memory, and the future begins with the present and is influenced by decisions that managers make today.
Gazing into the future is important because it provides managers with some information about the possible results of their present actions. By anticipating the future, problems are not as likely to appear as surprises. With some advance notice, managers can begin looking for contingent solutions to future problems, thus providing their organizations with more options to consider in adapting to changing environmental conditions.
The following sections will not attempt to make precise predictions concerning management's future since there is no forecasting method that can be so exact. Therefore, the "world tomorrow" will be left to the philosophers, theologians, and futurologists. Our discussion will be limited to a brief review of current trends that appear likely to influence the future.
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