Utilizing people's and organizations' energies to attain greater efficiency

Purpose - To describe six management thoughts that evolved during the past century in the USA and to link them to the concept of cybernetic-scanning management (CSM) and to vaguely explore the extent it is practiced in today's organizations. Design/methodology/approach - Employed MBA students were asked to rate the extent their corporations, as they perceive it, practice the CSM framework. The framework was fully discussed in class prior to the ratings. Students were asked to prepare a term paper describing the rationality for their ratings. Findings - Today's organizations pay a lot of attention to the external environment, their organizational structures are still too tall, and the Theory X managerial mindset is still more prevalent than the Theory Y mindset. Research limitations/implications - The study involved only MBA students enrolled in the writer's management and organization course in the school of business at Montclair State University. Therefore, the study's findings cannot be generalized. Practical implications - Organizations need to establish a system where there is more internal communication, cooperation and collaboration among their subunits (e.g. 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina). Originality/value - The study tells us how the past influences the present and the future.