The invention of managements (#17)

The history of management is, and has been the story of two distinct, opposing schools of thought: Mary Parker Follett and Frederick W. Taylor.

Published April 2021

The history of management needs to be rewritten. Management science does not, as it is usually depicted, begin with Taylor and Fayol, continuing through the Human Relations movement, in the meanwhile coalescing into the classical school, and eventually diversifying into different post-classic branches. Instead, the history of management is, and has been the story of two distinct, opposing schools of thought that emerged side-by-side, at the dawn of the 20th century. Pioneered by two practical philosophers: Mary Parker Follett and Frederick Winslow Taylor.