Management has been practised in some form or the other since the dawn of civilisation. Ever since human beings began to live and work together in groups, techniques of organisation and management were evolved. The Summerian Civilization dating back to 300 B.C. had an efficient system of tax collection. The pyramids of Egypt, the Chinese Civil Service, the Roman Catholic Church, and military organisation offer good examples of the application of management in ancient times. Kautilya's Arthashastra, the Bhagwat Gita, the Holy Bible and other epics contain references to the management of public affairs.
The early contributions to management thought came from Roman Catholic Church, military organisations and Cameralists. The principles of hierarchy of authority, territorial organisation, functional specialisation, etc. developed in the Roman Catholic Church. Military organisations contributed division of work, secular principle and staff concept. The Cameralists were a group of Austrian and German public administrators and intellectuals from sixteen to eighteen centuries. They stressed systematic administration of the State affairs. They formulated the principle of functional specialisation, proper selection and training of administrators, work simplification, effective control, etc.
Thus, the art of management has ancient origins. However, the science of management developed largely after the Industrial Revolution which established the factory system. Scienfitic management movement laid the foundations of management as a science. Prior to this movement several early pioneers like Robert Owen, Charles Babbage, Henry R. Towne, Henry V. Poor, James Watt Jr., Matthew R. Boulton and Charles Dupin made significant contributions during the pre-scientific management era.
