The article critically examines the positive and negative consequences of labor productivity growth at mining enterprises in the conditions of the old industrial region. It is suggested that for enterprises of the middle Urals it is necessary to form a mining production development strategy based on the directions of the regional strategy, which is not always connected with labor productivity growth by increasing mining volumes. The article is aimed at studying the factors affecting the prospects of mining enterprises activity from the standpoint of choosing strategic alternatives to their development. The methods of analysis: logical analysis, structural analysis, logical modeling, literature analysis. Using the logical modeling method, the following hypothesis was verified: that mining enterprises strategic development features in the conditions of an old industrial region should consider the strategy of municipalities in which these enterprises are located. For such mining enterprises, the increase in productivity through increased production is not unequivocally positive. It is concluded that in order to ensure the activities coherence of regions and enterprises, it is necessary to ensure balanced development, which can be achieved through the application of a managed strategy attenuation of the mining enterprise.

The article defines the main stages of management’s automation development issues and presents their periodization. The works of the classics of modern management as Peter F. Drucker, Henry Ford, and other authors is critically comprehended on the subject of their opinion about the management’s automation process. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that the classics were generally positive about automation and computerization of management. The study aims to conduct a theoretical analysis of classical works in the field of management for their attitude to the automation of the management process. The research methods are the method of theoretical analysis and the method of induction. However, taking into account the specifics of modern automation aimed at total algorithmization (computerization) of all business and technological processes without exception, such a doctrine is being questioned by the authors. According to the authors, total automation is not advisable especially in conditions of creative work or flexible organization of the production process. The reason for this is the artificial limitation of the creative management decisions by algorithm standards. An opinion is expressed about the need to justify the criteria for a balance between a creative and a standardized (algorithmized) component in making a managerial decision.