Most Influential Books of 21st Centuary

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SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE:

 “WE LIVE AFTER THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE US, WE MUST BE WISER, BETTER AND DIFFERENT.”

This article is written by Arthur G. Bedeian a Boyd professor Louisiana state university with specialization in the study of work place behaviour while Daniel A. Wren is the David Ross Boyd Professor of Management-Emeritus and curator of the Harry W. Bass business history collection at university of Oklahoma. The study was conducted by preparing a list of the influential management books which were given to a panel of consultants from various subject areas. They could nominate other books to the list if they considered them to be influential. A sample size of 50 book titles were selected and out of those 25 most influential management books of 20th Century had to be selected.

1. FREDERICK W. TAYLOR, THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT (1911)

This book is considered the most influential management book because Taylor applied engineering and scientific knowledge to management and developed scientific management theory. The scientific management was a theory that analysed and synthesized workflows that improved the economic efficiency.  Practices descended from scientific management are even used today in offices, medicine, sports, military etc.

1. CHESTER I. BARNARD, THE FUNCTIONS OF EXECUTIVE(1938)

This book is focussed on “theory of cooperation and organization” and “a study of the functions and of the methods and operation of the executives in the formal organization. This book has considered leadership from a social and psychological viewpoint. It conveys aesthetic feel of managing.

1. PETER F. DRUCKER, THE PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT(1954)

This book looks at management as a whole and being the manager as separate responsibility.  The ideas of Drucker had an enormous impact on shaping the modern corporation.

1. DOUGLAS M. MCGREGOR, THE HUMAN SIDE OF ENTERPRISE(1960)

This book deals with the policies and practices in the management of human resources in business and industrial organization, examining them in the light of current social science knowledge about human nature and behaviour. The book presents the famous Theory X and Theory Y.

1. HERBERT A. SIMON, ADMINISTRATIVE BEHAVIOUR: A STUDY OF DECISION MAKING PROCESSES IN ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATIONS(1947)

This is a doctoral dissertation of Simon. The theory of administration is a theory of human decision making which must be based on economics and psychology. This book addresses a wide range of human behaviours, cognitive abilities, management techniques, personnel policies, training goals and procedures, specialized roles, criteria for evaluation of accuracy and efficiency and how these factors influence the making of decisions both directly and indirectly. This has become the mainstream of business community.

1. PAUL R. LAWRENCE JAY W. LORSCH,ORGANIZATION AND ENVIRONMENT: MANAGING DIFFERENTIATION AND INTEGRATION(1967)

This book was a key step in the study of organizational integration. They defined integration as the "state of collaboration that exists among departments that are required to achieve unity of effort." and measured it by asking people to rate the state of interdepartmental relations on a seven-point scale going from "serious problems exist" to "full unity of effort is obtained". They used the term differentiation to refer to different departments having different structures and orientations. Lawrence and Lorsch believed that integration required resolution of conflicts between departments through the efforts of teams and individual managers working both inside and outside of formal channels. The primary weakness in their work is that it focuses overwhelmingly on only one organizational integrating mechanism, namely the use "integrators" to resolve interdepartmental conflict.

1. JAMES G. MARCH AND HERBERT A. SIMON,ORGANIZATIONS(1958)

This book is a classic in management science, or more specifically with the branch of the discipline that concentrates on explaining organizational behaviour. It examines such concepts as bounded rationality, satisfying, inducement/contribution balances, problem solving and uncertainty absorption. The text also explores organization theory, decision making, bureaucracy, and conflict, cognitive limits on rationality, planning and innovation in organizations.

1. ABRAHAM H. MASLOW MOTIVATION AND PERSONALITY(1954)

Motivation and Personality is a book on psychology by Dr. Abraham Maslow, first published in 1954. Maslow's work deals with the subject of the nature of human fulfilment and the significance of personal relationships, implementing a conceptualization of self-actualization. In Motivation and Personality, Maslow argues that in order for individuals to thrive and excel, a health-fostering culture must be created. Maslow considers human beings to be energized by an actualizing tendency and believe that well-being occurs to the extent people can freely express their inherent potentials.

1. MICHAEL E. PORTER COMPETITIVE STRATEGY TECHNIQUES FOR ANALYZING INDUSTRIES AND COMPETITORS (1980)

This book delves into the theory, practise, and teaching of business strategies all over the world. The author analyses the complexities of the industrial world, and its cutthroat competition in five underlying forces. These forces are the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of customers and that of suppliers, the imminent threat of substitute products or services and the intensity of competitive rivalry. The author asserts that thinking about a company’s competitive strategy explicitly is crucial, because it aligns the individual functional departments of the organisation, to a set of common goals and objectives.

1.  FRITZ J. ROETHLISBERGER AND WILLIAM J. DICKSON ,MANAGEMENT AND WORKER(1939)

This is the official account of the experiments carried out at the Hawthorne Works of the Eastern Electric Company in Chicago. These were divided into test room studies, interviewing studies and observational studies. The final phase of the Hawthorne experiment focused on social factors, using techniques of cultural anthropology to observe small working groups. The results of these experiments profoundly influenced the Human Relations movement.

1.  ALFRED D CHANDLER STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE: CHAPTERS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN ENTERPRISE(1962)

Alfred D. Chandler (d. 2007) is considered the founder of the modern field of business history. The book Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the Industrial Enterprise (1962) examined the organization of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Standard Oil of New Jersey, General Motors, and Sears, Roebuck and Co. He found that managerial organization developed in response to the corporation's business strategy.