Management Concepts in Use—A 12-Year Perspective

Many theories involving management practice have been taught in schools and seminars. Some have been popular with practitioners, while others have waned. This article reports a 12-year study of the knowledge and use of management concepts in technical organizations. Managers responding to a survey instrument reported their familiarity with and use of 17 management concepts. The data, collected between 1985 and 1997, included organization type and respondent's management level. The data were analyzed for trends, and observations on these trends are offered. The results indicate that 1985 was a year of significantly low familiarity with management concepts. The most well-known and used theories are management by objectives and quality circles. The least well-known theories are those of Vroom, Argyris, and Likert.