Evolution of Management Thought

The new edition of the canonical text on the history and development of management thought

Far more than a chronicle of the historical development of modern management’s many roots, the newly released ninth edition of The Evolution of Management Thought by Daniel A. Wren and Arthur G. Bedeian is a fascinating telling of how ideas about the nature of work, the nature of human beings, and the nature of organizations have changed throughout history.

Its methodology is analytic, synthetic, and interdisciplinary. It is analytic, in that it examines the backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs of people who made significant contributions to management thinking. It is synthetic, in that it weaves developmental trends, social movements, and environmental forces into a conceptual framework for understanding how management thinking has evolved within and across generations. It is interdisciplinary, in that it draws insights from economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology to explain why management thinking has developed as it has.

The authors trace the intellectual history of modern management thought as an activity and as an academic discipline in a way that makes reading The Evolution of Management Thought a thoroughly enjoyable encounter.

Designed for upper-level and graduate courses, this new edition further cements The Evolution of Management Thought’s place as the standard text in the field of management history for more than half a century.