What are the factors that led to the evolution of management?

The first
major factor in the evolution of business management was the growth in the size and complexity
of organizations following the industrial revolution. Although imperial administration in places
such as Persia, China, the Roman Empire, and even the Papal chanceries could be considered
important precursors to the development of management, modern management, with its emphasis on
efficiency, was really a product of manufacturing as an industry. Another major factor was the
rise of capitalism, which made the bottom line increasingly important.

Modern
management began in the early twentieth century with the effort to codify and apply scientific
tools to the problem of productivity. This was symbiotic with increasing automation of various
processes and the development of the assembly line. An important figure in this process was
Frederick Winslow Taylor, who innovated in the area of time and motion studies.

An increase in the power of computers allowed managers greater visibility and more
accurate information on which to base improvements in productivity. The twenty-first-century
improvements in technology have allowed increasing use of big data and fine-grained use of
algorithms as part of the management toolbox.