General Introduction

Abstract

The practice of organizing is ancient, but formal study of organizations is relatively new. The search for knowledge on organizations through scientific methods of investigation has received increasing attention since the beginning of the 20th century. Such investigations have found enough maturity and formality to constitute a new discipline known today as organization theory. Principles of organizations evolved with ancient and medieval civilizations, and developed and matured after the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century and latterly in the United States of America in the 19th century. Such a transformation flourished gradually after the apogee of the Renaissance in Europe which was marked by a period of revolution in thinking, supported by religious, economic, social and political changes (Wren, 1987).