Even though most of the discussions on evolution of management thoughts start with the classical approach, we have acknowledged briefly the contributions of some of the contributors of the pre-classical management thought in Table 2.1 to enable a better appreciation of the process of development of management thoughts.
Pre-classical thoughts:
Robert Owen (1771-1858)
He is considered as a pioneer in the field of human resource management process. He advocated the necessity of concern for the welfare of workers.
Charles Babbage (1792-1871)
As an inventor and management scientist, he built the practical mechanical calculator, which is considered as the basis of modern computer. Further, he also advocated the ideas of specialization of mental work and emphasized the necessity of profit sharing.
Andrew Ure (1778-1857) and Charles Duplin (1784-1873)
They emphasized the necessity of management education, which paved the way for professionals manning the management positions.
Henry Robinson Towne (1844-1924)
On reviewing the contributions of pre-classical theorists, it is clear that their emphasis was more on developing some specific techniques to solve some identified problems. Because of their obvious technical background, they could not think of management as a separate field.
By and large, they integrated management with their respective areas of specialization. It was Andrew Ure, Charles Duplin, and Henry Robinson Towne who laid the foundations of the management theories that ultimately shaped the management thoughts as we see today.
