Book Review: A History of Management Thought

Dr Kirsten Kininmonth, lecturer of Accounting and Finance, reviews ‘A History of Management Thought’ by Morgen Witzel.

As the title indicates this text by Morgen Witzel (CLS Fellow at the University of Exeter) aims to examine how thinking about management has evolved and changed throughout history.

In the abstract Witzel states that he believes that students taking classes in management thought will find this text to be the perfect accompaniment to their studies and will be a captivating read for anyone else.

Witzel explains that his writing style is narrative, utilising a quotation from Theodore Levitt’s that: “colourful and lightly documented affirmation works better than tortuously reasoned explanation”. This narrative style ensures that the text flows well and is enjoyable to read. There are various references to morality and the theme of good –versus- evil is muted on a number of occasions, enhancing the colourful affirmation Witzel strives to achieve. From a student’s perspective the writing style would make for an entertaining and ‘easy’ read.

Chapter one begins by providing an overview of the text itself, and touches on some of the main areas to be examined. It also clarifies which areas will not be covered, something which is helpful to know, lest the reader be confused by some of the work which is given little or no attention. Subsequent chapters explore the history of management thought in the context of some of its most important developments, with scientific management and human relations being amongst the developments to receive particular attention. Some chapters explore a particularly interesting time period, while others examine one particular aspect of management thought, delve into its history, subsequent development and resultant practices.

Witzel takes us on a journey from the very beginning of management thought, with the Egyptian, Indian and Chinese experience being examined in detail. Management thought in the age of commerce (chapter three) provides a number of perspectives, taking us from the monastic rules to the Islamic merchant amongst others. More ‘modern’ thinking is then explored, with the resultant changes in management thought being discussed in parallel with those writers and theorists Witzel deems significant. The examination continues with the birth of management disciplines and the concept of management gurus being espoused, culminating in a review of management thought in our internet age. The conclusions provided are helpful in reviewing the array of material discussed thus far, and although somewhat brief, do pinpoint areas of both crisis and development. Reflections sections are included within each chapter, and are used to highlight themes which Witzel feels deserve more detailed exploration.

This text provides a good overview of organisational and managerial evolution, making it useful to those who specialises not only in managerial history but also management accounting, as it would provide the accounting students an appreciation of the organisational context in which they will be operating. Those who teach on Business History or Economic History modules are also likely to find elements of interest, for instance, Taylor and Chandler and the background to the wider economic and structural changes. It is true that Witzel provides little about developments in accounting, but for those who teach on broader business courses it should not be dismissed out-of-hand.

Witzel does state that “The purpose, once again, is to come to a better understanding of management thinking in general terms rather than to explore each and every individual strand.” Overall the book provides a narrative on the evolution of management thought, contains some helpful examples to aid contextualisation and provides an exploration of some little known thinkers which expands readers knowledge of the emergence of some crucial ideas. However there is a sense of incompleteness, as some areas are merely touched upon and more detail would have enabled the reader to achieve greater understanding of some very important periods in history. Witzel is unapologetic when detailing the areas which are either given little attention, or ignored all together, but many readers will feel that the omissions are too large to achieve the aims discussed at the outset.