Management theory has changed significantly over the last 50 years. As Laud, Arevalo and Johnson (2016) observe, whereas the traditional management theory focused on addresses the needs and interest of firms from a business perspective, the modern management theory is witnessing a significant shift towards approach such needs and interests from the employee perspective in terms of desires and their roles. This essay explores the changing nature of management roles and competencies in the 21st century.
管理理论在过去50年中发生了重大变化。正如Laud、Arevalo和Johnson（2016）所观察到的那样，传统管理理论侧重于从商业角度解决企业的需求和利益，而现代管理理论正见证着从员工角度处理这些需求和利益的重大转变，即在欲望及其角色方面。本文探讨了21世纪管理角色和能力的变化性质。
There are numerous changes that have occurred with respect to the nature of managerial roles over the last 50 years. To begin with, whereas the past management roles required the management to exhibit a high level of control and authority as a way to get the work done, this has since changed. On the contrary, managerial roles in the contemporary corporate world require people in such position to be able to facilitate, coach, mentor, motivate and support their subordinates and employees at large (Laud, Arevalo & Johnson 2016, p. 441). In addition, whereas there was a clear separation between the management and the rest of the organisation, this has since changed and the management in the modern corporate world have become critical team players rather than an external authoritarian force that demands things to be done in a particular way without being involved. Furthermore, managers are more involved in different organisational activities such as responding to messages and calls and dealing with human relations and organisational politics among other tasks and issues as compared to 50 years ago where responses to messages was the work of a secretary or a junior staff.
在过去50年中，管理角色的性质发生了许多变化。首先，过去的管理角色要求管理层表现出高度的控制和权威，以此作为完成工作的一种方式，但这一点已经改变。相反，现代企业界的管理角色要求处于该职位的人员能够促进、指导、指导、激励和支持其下属和广大员工（劳德、阿雷瓦洛和约翰逊，2016年，第441页）。此外，尽管管理层和组织的其他部门之间存在着明显的分离，但这一点已经发生了变化，现代企业界的管理层已经成为关键的团队成员，而不是要求以特定方式完成事情而不参与其中的外部威权力量。此外，与50年前相比，管理者更多地参与不同的组织活动，如回复信息和电话、处理人际关系和组织政治以及其他任务和问题。50年前，回复信息是秘书或初级员工的工作。
Importantly, there are different external and internal factors that are the driving the transformation that has been witnessed in the roles the management play over the last 50 years. To begin with, one of the internal factors driving these changes is changes in employee behaviour, expectations and attitude among others factors. According to Rajadhyaksha (2005, p. 47), employees in the modern world are seeking for opportunity that can enhance the development and growth of their professional skills and knowledge as opposed to the past where employees only focused on job security and expected their career path to follow a linear part. Similarly, the organisational structures of most businesses and organisations across the globe have changed significantly, moving away from an emphasis of hierarchical structures to embracing flatter structures. With this in mind, managerial roles that maintain an authoritative stance and seek to be separated from the rest of the organisation are highly likely to face challenges that will not only undermine their roles but also impact negatively on the overall performance of the organisation in question.
重要的是，有不同的外部和内部因素推动着管理层在过去50年中所扮演的角色的转变。首先，推动这些变化的内部因素之一是员工行为、期望和态度等因素的变化。根据Rajadhyaksha（2005年，第47页）的说法，现代世界的员工正在寻找能够促进其专业技能和知识发展和增长的机会，而不是过去的员工只关注工作保障，并期望他们的职业道路遵循线性部分。类似地，全球大多数企业和组织的组织结构也发生了重大变化，从强调等级结构转向采用更扁平的结构。考虑到这一点，保持权威立场并寻求与组织其他部分分离的管理角色极有可能面临挑战，这些挑战不仅会削弱他们的角色，还会对相关组织的整体绩效产生负面影响。