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Management History in the Modern World: An Overview

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The Palgrave Handbook of Management History

Abstract

Management history as a discipline is different from business and economic history in that it is primarily concerned with the supply side of the economic equation, with the nature of work, the ideas that guide it, and the economic wealth that is produced as a result of managerial oversight and endeavor. In terms of theoretical perspectives, management history is associated with three main intellectual frameworks. The most significant of these has been associated with the founding figures of the Management History Division of the (American) Academy of Management, most particularly Claude George, Dan Wren, Ronald Greenwood, and Arthur (Art) Bedeian. Unabashed enthusiasts for free market capitalism, this US tradition is most interested in the intellectual history of management, with the ideas that shaped managerial practice. By contrast, a different British tradition of management history associated with Sidney Pollard has been more interested in managerial practices, arguing that “modern management” is fundamentally different from earlier iterations found in pre-industrial societies. More recently, a critical or postmodernist tradition has gained influence in management history, an intellectual perspective that views management in largely negative terms. In this introductory preface, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these three management history perspectives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia

    Bradley Bowden

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  1. Bradley Bowden
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Correspondence to Bradley Bowden .

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Bowden, B. (2020). Management History in the Modern World: An Overview. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Management History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_117-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_117-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62348-1

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