The Theory of Management Fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Theory of Management Fashion - Essay Example The essay "The Theory of Management Fashion" concerns the theory of fashion management. In view of this, the theory of management fashion states that management fashion is in principal a cultural happening structured by the rule of rationality. This means that the management must be perceived to be always looking for perfection. The primary belief in management is that over a given span of time, a particular management fashion will be out of trend, and a newer one will replace it. Based on this school of thought, certain management fashions last for a short time while other stay for a long period and attain widespread acceptance. In various management segments, several successions of management creativity are seen whereby as one goes out of trend and declines in popularity, the trendsetter initiates a novel innovation, thus resulting into a graphical representation of the trend as a rising and declining curve.Management fashion has been studied over the years through an examination o f two comparable life patterns. The first parallel is the discourse life pattern, which is an approach employed to study the volume as well as the natural world of disclosure concerning a particular trend over time. It employs bibliographic and subject matter breakdown, separating the assorted forms of discourse such as the Internet, business book, journal and magazines as well as the mass media. The dissemination life cycle is the second parallel. This strategy is employed to determine the level. to which management creativity is taken up by organizations, which follow fashion and the extent of use over a given period. Based on the innovation form and type, the analysis can be executed through case study surveys or the scrutiny of secondary facts such a sales figures and services supplies among other market indicators. Literature review Across generations, social science scholars have been captivated by fashion and fads. However, it is only recently that theories and schools studyi ng these two aspects in management emerged with scholars like Abrahamson (1996) pioneering in the field of study in addition to other scholars like Fairchild (1999) following suit. These scholars and their studies among others attend to the hype centered on organizational management models and tools namely knowledge management and quality circles among others (Herzhoff 2010). In view of this, four themes have been identified which are applicable to the study of management fashion. Fads and fashion in academic research There has been a divergence in view points concerning management fashion with scholars like Cole (1999) observing management fashion studies as an expensive pastime while Abrahamson (1996) acknowledges the importance of examining fashion, claiming that publicized themes of management should not just be disregarded. In view of this, other scholars like Collins (2000), support Abrahamson’s viewpoint. Abrahamson, who is a supporter of the management fashion theory, contends that philosophers and academicians ought not to be indifferent to trends, since they are not only restricted to aesthetics. Abrahamson (1996), further states that there exist two clear differences between trends and aesthetics. Trends in aesthetics necessitate only to be recent and attractive, whereas trends in management need to be not only logic but also progressive. Secondly, the demand for aesthetic fashion is influenced by social