Management and industrial revolution in Europe, United States of America and Japan

Abstract

The Industrial Revolution in Europe was the transitory phase from the manufacturing or putting-out system to the factory system. The present paper will attempt to show that management was relevant during the three epochs of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, United States of America and Japan and so it was more of a Management Revolution than an Industrial Revolution.The approach will be to glean management activities like marketing, human resources management, production, finance, functions of management and innovation from historical sources on the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution brought the growth of the factory system, enlarged markets and new scale technologies. The factory system brought large concentrations of workers and raw materials together, posing the problems of organizing, directing and controlling work. The Industrial Revolution was not merely technical but had impact on values, beliefs, social customs and societies at large. People saw hope in the emerging society for prosperity, wealth and welfare of all, through the ability of such a system to provide for the wants and needs of the people.All this would not have been possible without proper management and hence it is the contention of the author that it was rather a Management and not an Industrial Revolution.