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Topic outline

    • Time: 12 hours
    • Free Certificate
    The more complex an organization and its operations, the more active a role management plays. Successful management imposes a degree of order and discipline so that work can be accomplished efficiently, regardless of the size of the organization, how many countries it operates in, or how much of its work is performed virtually.

    In this course, you will explore various theories of management throughout history. Learn about early management principles, including Frederick Winslow Taylor's scientific management theory widely practiced in the industrial age of the 20th century and the shift to more contemporary, 21st-century approaches to management, which tend to be better-suited to knowledge-based industries. Finally, you will examine management from a global perspective.


  • This unit gives an overview of management theories, from early management principles to more recent frameworks and trends, and goes into a deep dive on the P-O-L-C framework, which is used today by companies around the world.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.
  • In this unit, we discuss how theories of management have changed over time, and what modern theorists have drawn from those to develop the approaches that many firms use today.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour. 

  • In this unit, we take a look at Henry Ford's Scientific Management Theory, which he used to revolutionize the Ford Motor Company's manufacturing processes.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 30 minutes.

  • In this unit, we take a look at Henry Mintzberg's modern views on management, including the use of technology in the workplace and the idea that management is a result of an individual's experience and the situation in which they find themselves. 

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 30 minutes.

  • This unit dives into business in the global environment, discussing how globalization affects management and the challenges and opportunities of operating in international business.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours. 

  • Course Feedback Survey

    Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

    If you come across any urgent problems, email contact@saylor.org.

  • Certificate Final Exam

    Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

    To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

    Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.