List of business theorists
Encyclopedia
This is an annotated list of important business writers. It is in alphabetical order based on last name. To facilitate reading, only names are hyperlinked. For quick navigation, click on one of the letters:
Eight Mentions Peter Drucker
: Management theory
Seven Mentions James G. March
: Social scientist at Stanford
Six Mentions Herbert Simon
(1916–2001): Nobel laureate economist and organizational theorist at Carnegie Mellon
Five Mentions Paul Lawrence: Organizational researcher at Harvard Business School
Four Mentions Richard Beckhard
(1918–1999): Management theorist at MIT • Fernand Braudel
(1902–1985): French historian • Ian Koshnick: Attorney organizational designer at the University of Maryland; Henry Mintzberg
: Management writer and critic at McGill • Joseph Schumpeter
(1883–1950): Economist at Harvard • Karl Weick
: Social psychologist at the University of Michigan
Three Mentions Russell Ackoff: Operations and systems theorist at Wharton • Warren Bennis
: Leadership theorist and writer at the University of Southern California • Ronald Coase
: Nobel laureate economist at the University of Chicago • W. Edwards Deming
(1900–1993): Statistician and quality consultant • Erving Goffman
(1922–1982): Sociologist • Gary Hamel
: Consultant and management writer • Jay Lorsch: Organizational researcher at Harvard Business School • Michael Porter
: Professor of strategy and competitiveness at Harvard Business School • C.K. Prahalad: Management theorist at the University of Michigan • Jack Welch
: Former CEO, General Electric • Oliver Williamson: Organizational economist at the University of California, Berkeley
Two Mentions Chris Argyris
: Organizational psychologist at Harvard • Kenneth Arrow
: Nobel laureate economist at Stanford • Gregory Bateson
(1904–1980): Anthropologist • Daniel Bell
: Sociologist at Harvard • John Seely Brown
: Former chief scientist at Xerox • Alfred Chandler: Historian at Harvard Business School • C. West Churchman
: Systems theorist • James C. Collins
: Management writer and consultant • Eric Erikson (1902–1994): Psychological-growth theorist at Harvard • Michel Foucault
(1926–1984): French polymath • Anthony Giddens
: British sociologist • Andrew Grove
: Former CEO, Intel • Everett Hughes
(1897–1983): Sociologist • Michael Jensen
: Organizational strategist and former professor at Harvard Business School • Stuart Kauffman
: Biologist, chaos and complexity theorist • Kurt Lewin
(1890–1947): Social psychologist • Karl Marx
(1818–1883): German economist and social theorist • Douglas McGregor (1906–1964): Management theorist at MIT • Robert K. Merton
(1910–2003): Sociologist at Columbia • Geoffrey Moore
: Management writer and consultant • Richard Pascale: Management writer and consultant • Jeffrey Pfeffer
: Business professor at Stanford • Paul A. Samuelson: Nobel laureate economist at MIT • Edgar Schein
: Psychologist and management scholar at MIT • Adrian Slywotsky: Management writer and consultant • Frederick Winslow Taylor
(1856–1915): The “father of scientific management” • John Van Maanen
: Ethnographer at MIT • Sidney Winter: Economist at Wharton
A
- David A. AakerDavid A. AakerDavid Allen Aaker is a consultant and author on the field of marketing, particularly in the area of brand strategy. He is currently the Vice Chairman of Prophet, a global brand and marketing consultancy firm, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business of the University of California,...
- marketing strategyMarketing strategyMarketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.-Developing a marketing strategy:...
(1980s) - Russell L. AckoffRussell L. AckoffRussell Lincoln Ackoff was an American organizational theorist, consultant, and Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Ackoff was a pioneer in the field of operations research, systems thinking and management...
- operations researchOperations researchOperations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
and systems theorySystems theorySystems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research...
(1950s – 2004) - Karol AdamieckiKarol Adamiecki-External links:* * *...
- managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1890s–1930s) - Igor AnsoffIgor AnsoffH. Igor Ansoff was a Russian American, applied mathematician and business manager. He is known as the father of Strategic management....
- strategic managementStrategic managementStrategic management is a field that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments...
(1950s–1970s) - Chris ArgyrisChris Argyris-Bibliography:* Chris Argyris: Personality and Organization, 1957* Chris Argyris: Some Limitations of the Case Method: Experiences in a Management Development Program.” Academy of Management Review 5: 291–298, 1980...
- learning systems (1970s, 1980s, 1990s)
B
- Chester BarnardChester BarnardChester Irving Barnard was an American business executive, public administrator, and the author of pioneering work in management theory and organizational studies. His landmark 1938 book, Functions of the Executive, sets out a theory of organization and of the functions of executives in...
- managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1920s, 1930s) - Patrick Blackett, Baron BlackettPatrick Blackett, Baron BlackettPatrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett OM CH FRS was an English experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism. He also made a major contribution in World War II advising on military strategy and developing Operational Research...
- operations researchOperations researchOperations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
(1930s, 1940s) - Matthew BoultonMatthew BoultonMatthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
- labor productivityLabor productivityWorkforce productivity is the amount of goods and services that a worker produces in a given amount of time. It is one of several types of productivity that economists measure. Workforce productivity can be measured for a firm, a process, an industry, or a country...
(19th century)
C
- James A. ChampyJames A. ChampyJames Champy is a leading authority on the management issues surrounding business reengineering, organizational change, and corporate renewal. He consults with senior-level executives of multinational companies seeking to improve business performance...
- Business process reengineeringBusiness process reengineeringBusiness process re-engineering is the analysis and design of workflows and processes within an organization.According to Davenport a business process is a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome....
(1990s) - Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.Alfred DuPont Chandler, Jr. was a professor of business history at Harvard Business School and Johns Hopkins University, who wrote extensively about the scale and the management structures of modern corporations. His works redefined business and economic history of industrialization...
- ManagementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
- Pulitzer prizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business (1977) - Ronald CoaseRonald CoaseRonald Harry Coase is a British-born, American-based economist and the Clifton R. Musser Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Chicago Law School. After studying with the University of London External Programme in 1927–29, Coase entered the London School of Economics, where he took...
- Transaction costTransaction costIn economics and related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost incurred in making an economic exchange . For example, most people, when buying or selling a stock, must pay a commission to their broker; that commission is a transaction cost of doing the stock deal...
s, Coase theoremCoase theoremIn law and economics, the Coase theorem , attributed to Ronald Coase, describes the economic efficiency of an economic allocation or outcome in the presence of externalities. The theorem states that if trade in an externality is possible and there are no transaction costs, bargaining will lead to...
, Theory of the firmTheory of the firmThe theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that describe the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behavior, structure, and relationship to the market.-Overview:...
(1950s) (Nobel Prize in 1991) - James C. CollinsJames C. CollinsJames C. "Jim" Collins, III is an American business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth. Jim Collins frequently contributes to Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune and other magazines, journals, etc...
- vision statement, strategic planningStrategic planningStrategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
and BHAG (1990s)
D
- George S. DayGeorge S. DayGeorge S. Day is the Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor, Professor of Marketing and co-Director of the Mack Center for Technological Innovation at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania...
- marketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
(1970s) - W. Edwards DemingW. Edwards DemingWilliam Edwards Deming was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer and consultant. He is perhaps best known for his work in Japan...
- statistical quality control, (1950s, 1960s) - Peter DruckerPeter DruckerPeter Ferdinand Drucker was an influential writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist.”-Introduction:...
- managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s)
F
- Henri FayolHenri FayolHenri Fayol was a French mining engineer and director of mines who developed a general theory of business administration. He and his colleagues developed this theory independently of scientific management but roughly contemporaneously...
- managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1910s) - Armand V. FeigenbaumArmand V. FeigenbaumArmand Vallin Feigenbaum is an American quality control expert and businessman. He devised the concept of Total Quality Control, later known as Total Quality Management ....
- quality controlQuality controlQuality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
(1950s) - Ronald FisherRonald FisherSir Ronald Aylmer Fisher FRS was an English statistician, evolutionary biologist, eugenicist and geneticist. Among other things, Fisher is well known for his contributions to statistics by creating Fisher's exact test and Fisher's equation...
- statisticsStatisticsStatistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
(1920s) - Mary Follett - organizational studiesOrganizational studiesOrganizational studies, sometimes known as organizational science, encompass the systematic study and careful application of knowledge about how people act within organizations...
(1930s)
G
- J. K. Galbraith - The New Industrial StateThe New Industrial StateThe New Industrial State is a 1967 book by John Kenneth Galbraith. In it, Galbraith asserts that within the industrial sectors of modern capitalist societies, the traditional mechanism of supply and demand is supplanted by the planning of large corporations, using techniques such as advertising...
(1967) - Henry GanttHenry GanttHenry Laurence Gantt, A.B., M.E. was an American mechanical engineer and management consultant who is most famous for developing the Gantt chart in the 1910s....
- Gantt chartGantt chartA Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project. Terminal elements and summary elements comprise the work breakdown structure of the project. Some Gantt charts...
(20th century) - Michael GerberMichael Gerber (non-fiction writer)Michael E. Gerber is an American author and founder of Michael E. Gerber Companies, a business skills training company based in Carlsbad, California.Michael E. Gerber is a true legend of entrepreneurship. Inc...
- E-MythE-Myth'E-Myth' in the business vernacular refers to the Entrepreneurial Myth, and means that most businesses fail because the founders are technicians that were inspired to start a business without a true entrepreneur's outlook....
Revisited, others - Sumantra GhoshalSumantra GhoshalSumantra Ghoshal was an academic and management guru. He was the founding Dean of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, which is jointly sponsored by the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and the London Business School....
- - Frank Gilbreth - Time and motion studyTime and motion studyA time and motion study is a business efficiency technique combining the Time Study work of Frederick Winslow Taylor with the Motion Study work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth . It is a major part of scientific management...
(20th century) - Eliyahu M. GoldrattEliyahu M. GoldrattEliyahu Moshe Goldratt was an Israeli physicist who became a business management guru. He was the originator of the Optimized Production Technology, the Theory of Constraints , the Thinking Processes, Drum-Buffer-Rope, Critical Chain Project Management and other TOC derived tools.He authored...
- Theory of ConstraintsTheory of ConstraintsThe theory of constraints adopts the common idiom "A chain is no stronger than its weakest link" as a new management paradigm. This means that processes, organizations, etc., are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them or at least adversely affect the...
(1980s) - Vytautas Andrius GraiciunasVytautas Andrius GraiciunasVytautas Andrius Graičiūnas was a Lithuanian management theorist, management consultant, and engineer. Born to Lithuanian immigrants, he studied at the University of Chicago. During the World War I served in France...
- managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1933) - Erich GutenbergErich GutenbergErich Gutenberg was an influential German economist.He is considered the founder of modern German business studies after World War II. Gutenberg used microeconomy to explain the functioning of the enterprise. Therefore he also developed a new production function...
- theory of the firmTheory of the firmThe theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that describe the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behavior, structure, and relationship to the market.-Overview:...
(1950s)
H
- Gary HamelGary HamelDr. Gary P. Hamel is an American management expert. He is a founder of Strategos, an international management consulting firm based in Chicago.-Early life:...
- core competencyCore competencyA core competency is a concept in management theory originally advocated by CK Prahalad, and Gary Hamel, two business book writers. In their view a core competency is a specific factor that a business sees as being central to the way it, or its employees, works...
, strategic managementStrategic managementStrategic management is a field that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments...
(1990s) - Michael HammerMichael HammerMichael Martin Hammer was an American engineer, management author, and a former professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , known as one of the founders of the management theory of Business process reengineering .- Biography:Hammer, the child of Holocaust...
- business process reengineeringBusiness process reengineeringBusiness process re-engineering is the analysis and design of workflows and processes within an organization.According to Davenport a business process is a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome....
(1990s) - Charles HandyCharles HandyCharles Handy is an Irish author/philosopher specialising in organisational behaviour and management. Among the ideas he has advanced are the "portfolio worker" and the "Shamrock Organization" .He has been rated among the Thinkers 50, a private...
- organisational behaviour (1990s) - Frederick HerzbergFrederick HerzbergFrederick Irving Herzberg born in Massachusetts was an American psychologist who became one of the most influential names in business management. He is most famous for introducing job enrichment and the Motivator-Hygiene theory...
- two factor theoryTwo factor theoryThe states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction...
, motivation theory, job enrichmentJob enrichmentJob enrichment is an attempt to motivate employees by giving them the opportunity to use the range of their abilities. It is an idea that was developed by the American psychologist Frederick Hertzberg in the 1950s. It can be contrasted to job enlargement which simply increases the number of tasks...
(1970s) - Albert S HumphreyAlbert S HumphreyAlbert S Humphrey was an American business and management consultant who specialised in organizational management and cultural change. He also devised the SWOT analysis technique.- Education :...
- strategic planningStrategic planningStrategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
, SWOT analysisSWOT analysisSWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture...
(1970s, 1980s)
I
- Kaoru IshikawaKaoru Ishikawawas a Japanese university professor and influential quality management innovator best known in North America for the Ishikawa or cause and effect diagram that is used in the analysis of industrial process.- Biography :...
(1915–1989) - Ishikawa diagramIshikawa diagramIshikawa diagrams are causal diagrams that show the causes of a certain event -- created by Kaoru Ishikawa . Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention, to identify potential factors causing an overall effect...
in industrial processIndustrial processIndustrial processes are procedures involving chemical or mechanical steps to aid in the manufacture of an item or items, usually carried out on a very large scale. Industrial processes are the key components of heavy industry....
; quality circleQuality circleA quality circle is a volunteer group composed of workers , usually under the leadership of their supervisor , who are trained to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems and present their solutions to management in order to improve the performance of the organization, and motivate and...
s (1960s) - Masaaki ImaiMasaaki ImaiMasaaki Imai is a consultant in the field of quality management.Known as the “Lean Guru” and the father of Continuous Improvement Masaaki Imai has been a pioneer and leader in spreading the Kaizen philosophy all over the world....
(1930) - KaizenKaizen, Japanese for "improvement", or "change for the better" refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, game development, and business management. It has been applied in healthcare, psychotherapy, life-coaching, government,...
(continuous improvement) (1980s, 1990s, 2000s)
J
- Joseph M. JuranJoseph M. JuranJoseph Moses Juran was a 20th century management consultant who is principally remembered as an evangelist for quality and quality management, writing several influential books on those subjects. He was the brother of Academy Award winner Nathan H...
(1904–2008) quality controlQuality controlQuality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
, especially quality circleQuality circleA quality circle is a volunteer group composed of workers , usually under the leadership of their supervisor , who are trained to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems and present their solutions to management in order to improve the performance of the organization, and motivate and...
s (1960s), (1970s)
K
- Rosabeth Moss KanterRosabeth Moss KanterRosabeth Moss Kanter is a tenured professor in business at Harvard Business School, where she holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship...
- Business Management and Change Management (1977) - Robert S. KaplanRobert S. KaplanRobert S. Kaplan is Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School, United States, and co-creator, together with David P. Norton, of the balanced scorecard, a means of linking a company's current actions to its long-term goals...
- management accountingManagement accountingManagement accounting or managerial accounting is concerned with the provisions and use of accounting information to managers within organizations, to provide them with the basis to make informed business decisions that will allow them to be better equipped in their management and control...
and balanced scorecardBalanced scorecardThe Balanced Scorecard is a strategic performance management tool - a semi-standard structured report, supported by proven design methods and automation tools, that can be used by managers to keep track of the execution of activities by the staff within their control and to monitor the...
(1990s) - Philip KotlerPhilip KotlerPhilip Kotler is the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.-Early life:He received his master's degree at the University of Chicago...
- marketing managementMarketing managementMarketing management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm's marketing resources and activities...
and social marketingSocial marketingSocial marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as...
(1970s, 1980s, 1990s) - John KotterJohn KotterJohn Paul Kotter is a professor at the Harvard Business School and author, who is regarded as an authority on leadership and change. He outlines eight steps that organizations need to implement to successfully change:1...
- organizational behaviour and managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1980s, 1990s)
L
- William Henry LeffingwellWilliam Henry LeffingwellWilliam Henry Leffingwell was the founder of National Office Management Association. He was trained as a stenographer and "applied scientific management to the office."-Books:...
- office managementOffice managementOffice manager is a profession related to office supervisory positions.People that hold office management positions conduct special studies and based on the results of these special studies, they develop reports. Apart from developing reports, they also provide input to management on the...
(1910s–1940s) - Theodore LevittTheodore LevittTheodore Levitt was an American economist and professor at Harvard Business School. He was also editor of the Harvard Business Review and an editor who was especially noted for increasing the Review's circulation and for popularizing the term globalization...
- marketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and globalizationGlobalizationGlobalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
(1960s, 1970s) - John LintnerJohn LintnerJohn Virgil Lintner, Jr. was a professor at the Harvard Business School in the 1960s and one of the co-creators of the Capital Asset Pricing Model....
- capital asset pricing modelCapital asset pricing modelIn finance, the capital asset pricing model is used to determine a theoretically appropriate required rate of return of an asset, if that asset is to be added to an already well-diversified portfolio, given that asset's non-diversifiable risk...
(1970s)
M
- James G. MarchJames G. MarchJames Gardner March is Jack Steele Parker professor emeritus at Stanford University and the Stanford University School of Education, best known for his research on organizations and organizational decision making.- Biography :...
- theory of the firmTheory of the firmThe theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that describe the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behavior, structure, and relationship to the market.-Overview:...
(1960s) - Constantinos Markides - strategic managementStrategic managementStrategic management is a field that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments...
and strategy dynamicsStrategy dynamicsThe word ‘dynamics’ appears frequently in discussions and writing about strategy, and is used in two distinct, though equally important senses.The dynamics of strategy and performance concerns the ‘content’ of strategy – initiatives, choices, policies and decisions adopted in an attempt to improve...
(1990s) - Harry MarkowitzHarry MarkowitzHarry Max Markowitz is an American economist and a recipient of the John von Neumann Theory Prize and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences....
- modern portfolio theoryModern portfolio theoryModern portfolio theory is a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected return, by carefully choosing the proportions of various assets...
(1960s, 1970s) - Nobel Prize in 1990 - George Elton MayoElton MayoGeorge Elton Mayo was an Australian psychologist, sociologist and organization theorist.He lectured at the University of Queensland from 1911 to 1923 before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, but spent most of his career at Harvard Business School , where he was professor of industrial...
- job satisfactionJob satisfactionJob satisfaction describes how content an individual is with his /her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation or aptitude, although it is clearly linked...
and Hawthorne effectHawthorne effectThe Hawthorne effect is a form of reactivity whereby subjects improve or modify an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they know they are being studied, not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.The term was coined in 1950 by...
(1920s, 1930s) - Daniel McCallumDaniel McCallumDaniel Craig McCallum was a railroad engineer and manager.McCallum was born in Scotland in 1815. In 1822 his family emigrated to New York when he was still a boy. In Rochester he spend a few years at elementary school, and didn't follow his fathers footsteps to become a tailor...
- organizational chartOrganizational chartAn organizational chart is a diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships and relative ranks of its parts and positions/jobs...
s (1850s) - Leo MelamedLeo MelamedLeo Melamed is a former chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , current board member of CME Group and chairman of the CME Group Foundation. He is a longtime executive in the field of global derivatives....
- currency futureCurrency futureA currency future, also FX future or foreign exchange future, is a futures contract to exchange one currency for another at a specified date in the future at a price that is fixed on the purchase date; see Foreign exchange derivative. Typically, one of the currencies is the US dollar...
s and derivativesDerivative (finance)A derivative instrument is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties.Under U.S...
(1980s, 1990s) - Henry Metcalfe - the science of administration (1880s)
- Merton MillerMerton MillerMerton Howard Miller was the co-author of the Modigliani-Miller theorem which proposed the irrelevance of debt-equity structure. He shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1990, along with Harry Markowitz and William Sharpe...
- Modigliani–Miller theorem and corporate financeCorporate financeCorporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
(1970s) - Henry MintzbergHenry MintzbergProfessor Henry Mintzberg, is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management. He is currently the Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he has been teaching since...
- organizational architectureOrganizational architectureOrganizational architecture has two very different meanings. In one sense it literally refers to the organization in its built environment and in another sense it refers to architecture metaphorically, as a structure which fleshes out the organizations....
, strategic managementStrategic managementStrategic management is a field that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments...
(1970s–2000s) - Franco ModiglianiFranco ModiglianiFranco Modigliani was an Italian economist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT Department of Economics, and winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1985.-Life and career:...
- Modigliani–Miller theorem and corporate financeCorporate financeCorporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
(1970s) - Hugo MünsterbergHugo MünsterbergHugo Münsterberg was a German-American psychologist. He was one of the pioneers in applied psychology, extending his research and theories to Industrial/Organizational , legal, medical, clinical, educational and business settings. Münsterberg encountered immense turmoil with the outbreak of the...
- the psychology of work (1910s)
N
- Nicholas NegroponteNicholas NegroponteNicholas Negroponte is an American architect best known as the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, and also known as the founder of the One Laptop per Child Association ....
- human-computer interaction (1970s–1990s) - Nils BrunssonNils BrunssonNils Gustav Magnus Brunsson, born 1946 is a Swedish academic in business administration and organizational research. He is a professor and holds the City of Stockholm Chair in Management at the Stockholm School of Economics since 1986. He has published more than 20 books and numerous articles on...
- institutionalized hypocrisyHypocrisyHypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
of organizations (1990s onwards)
O
- Kenichi OhmaeKenichi Ohmaeis a business and corporate strategist who developed the 3C's Model.For twenty-three years, Dr. Ohmae was a senior partner in McKinsey & Company, the international management consulting firm...
- 3C's Model3C's ModelThe 3C's Model is a business model, which offers a strategical look at the factors needed for success. It was developed by Kenichi Ohmae, a business and corporate strategist....
and strategic managementStrategic managementStrategic management is a field that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments...
(1970s, 1980s) - Taiichi OhnoTaiichi Ohnowas a prominent Japanese businessman. He is considered to be the father of the Toyota Production System, which became Lean Manufacturing in the U.S. He devised the seven wastes as part of this system. He wrote several books about the system, including Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale...
- Toyota Production SystemToyota Production SystemThe Toyota Production System is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile manufacturer, including interaction with suppliers and customers...
, lean manufacturingLean manufacturingLean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination...
, just in time (1980s) - David Ogilvy - advertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
(1960s–1980s) - William OuchiWilliam OuchiWilliam G. Ouchi is an American professor and author in the field of business management.Bill Ouchi was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He earned a B.A. from Williams College , an MBA from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Chicago...
- Theory ZTheory ZTheory Z is a name applied to three distinctly different psychological theories. One was developed by Abraham H. Maslow in his paper Theory Z and the other is Dr. William Ouchi's so-called "Japanese Management" style popularized during the Asian economic boom of the 1980s. The third was developed...
(1980s) - Robert OwenRobert OwenRobert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
- cooperativeCooperativeA cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
s (1810s)
P
- Luca PacioliLuca PacioliFra Luca Bartolomeo de Pacioli was an Italian mathematician, Franciscan friar, collaborator with Leonardo da Vinci, and seminal contributor to the field now known as accounting...
- double-entry bookkeeping systemDouble-entry bookkeeping systemA double-entry bookkeeping system is a set of rules for recording financial information in a financial accounting system in which every transaction or event changes at least two different nominal ledger accounts....
and financial statementsFinancial statementsA financial statement is a formal record of the financial activities of a business, person, or other entity. In British English—including United Kingdom company law—a financial statement is often referred to as an account, although the term financial statement is also used, particularly by...
(1494) - Keith PavittKeith PavittKeith Pavitt was an English scholar in the field of Science and Technology Policy...
- Innovation clusters and innovation taxonomyPavitt's TaxonomyPavitt's Taxonomy categorizes mostly large industrial firms along trajectories of technological change according to sources of technology, requirements of the users, and appropriability regime . The taxonomy aims to classify innovation modes according to different sectoral groups and the flow of...
(1970s through 2000) - Edith PenroseEdith PenroseEdith Elura Tilton Penrose was an American-born British economist whose best known work is The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, which describes the ways which firms grow and how fast they do. Writing in The Independent the economist Sir Alec Cairncross, stated that the book brought Dr...
- Theory of the Growth of the Firm (1959) - Laurence J. PeterLaurence J. PeterDr. Laurence Johnston Peter was an educator and "hierarchiologist", best known to the general public for the formulation of the Peter Principle....
- peter principlePeter PrincipleThe Peter Principle states that "in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence", meaning that employees tend to be promoted until they reach a position at which they cannot work competently. It was formulated by Dr. Laurence J...
(1970s) - Jeffrey PfefferJeffrey PfefferJeffrey Pfeffer, Ph.D., is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, and is considered one of today's most influential management thinkers...
- organizational development (1970s–?) - Henry Varnum PoorHenry Varnum PoorHenry Varnum Poor was a financial analyst and founder of H.V. and H.W. Poor Co, which later evolved into the financial research and analysis bellwether, Standard & Poor's....
- the principles of organization (1850s–?) - Michael PorterMichael PorterMichael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...
- strategic managementStrategic managementStrategic management is a field that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments...
and Porter's 5 forces (1970s–1990s) - Thomas J. PetersTom PetersThomas J. "Tom" Peters is an American writer on business management practices, best-known for In Search of Excellence .-Life and career:Peters was born in Baltimore, Maryland...
- managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(1970s, 1980s) - C. K. PrahaladC. K. PrahaladCoimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad was the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Stephen M...
- core competencyCore competencyA core competency is a concept in management theory originally advocated by CK Prahalad, and Gary Hamel, two business book writers. In their view a core competency is a specific factor that a business sees as being central to the way it, or its employees, works...
(1980s) - Juan Antonio Pérez LópezJuan Antonio Pérez LópezJuan Antonio Pérez López was a Spanish business theorist. He was professor of Organizational Behavior at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa , where he became Dean . He was also a visiting professor at PAD Business School of the Universidad de Piura and IAE Business School of the...
- negative learning (1990s)
S
- Eugen SchmalenbachEugen SchmalenbachEugen Schmalenbach was a German academic and economist. He was born in Halver, and attended the Leipzig College of Commerce starting in 1898...
- economic value addedEconomic value addedIn corporate finance, Economic Value Added or EVA, a registered trademark of Stern Stewart & Co., is an estimate of a firm's economic profit – being the value created in excess of the required return of the company's investors . Quite simply, EVA is the profit earned by the firm less the cost of...
(1920s–?) - Walter Dill ScottWalter Dill ScottWalter Dill Scott was one of the first applied psychologists. He applied psychology to various business practices such as personnel selection and advertising.-Life:...
- the psychology of personnel management (1920s) - Oliver SheldonOliver SheldonOliver Sheldon was a director of the Rowntree Company in York, in the UK, in the 1920s.He was closely involved in restructuring the management and organisation of the growing confectionery company at a stage where its growth meant by necessity it had to move away from the personal, family-centred...
- business philosophy (1920s) - Walter A. ShewhartWalter A. ShewhartWalter Andrew Shewhart March 18, 1891 - March 11, 1967) was an American physicist, engineer and statistician, sometimes known as the father of statistical quality control.W...
- control chartControl chartControl charts, also known as Shewhart charts or process-behaviour charts, in statistical process control are tools used to determine whether or not a manufacturing or business process is in a state of statistical control.- Overview :...
s (1920s–1930s) - Shigeo ShingoShigeo Shingo, born in Saga City, Japan, was a Japanese industrial engineer who distinguished himself as one of the world’s leading experts on manufacturing practices and the Toyota Production System. Shingo is known far more in the West than in Japan, as a result of his meeting Norman Bodek, an American...
(1909–1990) - Zero Quality Control (Poka-YokePoka-yoke' is a Japanese term that means "fail-safing" or "mistake-proofing". A poka-yoke is any mechanism in a lean manufacturing process that helps an equipment operator avoid mistakes . Its purpose is to eliminate product defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they...
) and Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) - Herbert A. SimonHerbert SimonHerbert Alexander Simon was an American political scientist, economist, sociologist, and psychologist, and professor—most notably at Carnegie Mellon University—whose research ranged across the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, computer science, public administration, economics,...
- (1916–2001) SatisficingSatisficingSatisficing, a portmanteau "combining satisfy with suffice", is a decision-making strategy that attempts to meet criteria for adequacy, rather than to identify an optimal solution...
Nobel Prize, 1978 - Adrian SlywotzkyAdrian SlywotzkyAdrian J. Slywotzky is a consultant and author of several books on economic theory and management. Slywotzky graduated from Harvard College and holds a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School...
- marketing strategyMarketing strategyMarketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.-Developing a marketing strategy:...
(1990s) - Adam SmithAdam SmithAdam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
- economicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, capitalismCapitalismCapitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, free tradeFree tradeUnder a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
(1770s) - Joel SternJoel SternJoel M. Stern is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stern Stewart & Co., and the creator and developer of Economic Value Added . He is a recognized authority on financial economics, corporate performance measurement, corporate valuation and incentive compensation and is a pioneer and leading...
- economic value addedEconomic value addedIn corporate finance, Economic Value Added or EVA, a registered trademark of Stern Stewart & Co., is an estimate of a firm's economic profit – being the value created in excess of the required return of the company's investors . Quite simply, EVA is the profit earned by the firm less the cost of...
(1980s)
T
- Genichi TaguchiGenichi Taguchiis an engineer and statistician. From the 1950s onwards, Taguchi developed a methodology for applying statistics to improve the quality of manufactured goods...
(1924-) Taguchi methodsTaguchi methodsTaguchi methods are statistical methods developed by Genichi Taguchi to improve the quality of manufactured goods, and more recently also applied to, engineering, biotechnology, marketing and advertising...
, quality controlQuality controlQuality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:... - Frederick Winslow TaylorFrederick Winslow TaylorFrederick Winslow Taylor was an American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. He is regarded as the father of scientific management and was one of the first management consultants...
- scientific managementScientific managementScientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. Its main objective was improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineering of processes and to management...
, time and motion studyTime and motion studyA time and motion study is a business efficiency technique combining the Time Study work of Frederick Winslow Taylor with the Motion Study work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth . It is a major part of scientific management...
(20th century) - Henry R. TowneHenry R. TowneHenry Robinson Towne was an American mechanical engineer and businessman.-Early life:Henry R. Towne was the son of John Henry and Maria T. Towne. He attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1861 to 1862, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall, but did not complete a degree...
- scientific managementScientific managementScientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. Its main objective was improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineering of processes and to management...
(1890s)
W
- James WattJames WattJames Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
(1736–1819) - Industrial RevolutionIndustrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, division of labourDivision of labourDivision of labour is the specialisation of cooperative labour in specific, circumscribed tasks and likeroles. Historically an increasingly complex division of labour is closely associated with the growth of total output and trade, the rise of capitalism, and of the complexity of industrialisation...
, standard operating procedures, cost control (1810s) - Max WeberMax WeberKarl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
- a founder of the modern study of sociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and public administrationPublic administrationPublic Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
(1900) - Joseph WhartonJoseph WhartonJoseph Wharton was a prominent Philadelphia merchant, industrialist and philanthropist, who was involved in mining, manufacturing and education...
(1826–1909) - protective tariffs, business cycleBusiness cycleThe term business cycle refers to economy-wide fluctuations in production or economic activity over several months or years...
s, Wharton School of Business - Eli WhitneyEli WhitneyEli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South...
(1765–1825) - interchangeable partsInterchangeable partsInterchangeable parts are parts that are, for practical purposes, identical. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any device of the same type. One such part can freely replace another, without any custom fitting...
, cost accountingCost accountingCost accounting information is designed for managers. Since managers are taking decisions only for their own organization, there is no need for the information to be comparable to similar information from other organizations...
(1810s,1820s) - Oliver Williamson - transaction costTransaction costIn economics and related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost incurred in making an economic exchange . For example, most people, when buying or selling a stock, must pay a commission to their broker; that commission is a transaction cost of doing the stock deal...
s, theory of the firmTheory of the firmThe theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that describe the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behavior, structure, and relationship to the market.-Overview:...
(1960s)
Harvard Business Review Survey
The Harvard Business Review asked 200 management gurus—the business thinkers most often mentioned in the media and management literature—who their gurus were. Below are their responses.Eight Mentions Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker
Peter Ferdinand Drucker was an influential writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist.”-Introduction:...
: Management theory
Seven Mentions James G. March
James G. March
James Gardner March is Jack Steele Parker professor emeritus at Stanford University and the Stanford University School of Education, best known for his research on organizations and organizational decision making.- Biography :...
: Social scientist at Stanford
Six Mentions Herbert Simon
Herbert Simon
Herbert Alexander Simon was an American political scientist, economist, sociologist, and psychologist, and professor—most notably at Carnegie Mellon University—whose research ranged across the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, computer science, public administration, economics,...
(1916–2001): Nobel laureate economist and organizational theorist at Carnegie Mellon
Five Mentions Paul Lawrence: Organizational researcher at Harvard Business School
Four Mentions Richard Beckhard
Richard Beckhard
Richard Beckhard was a pioneer in the field of organizational development. He co-launched theAddison-Wesley Organization Development Series and began the Organization Development Network in 1967. His classic work, Organization Development: Strategies and Models, was published in 1969. Beckhard...
(1918–1999): Management theorist at MIT • Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel was a French historian and a leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects, each representing several decades of intense study: The Mediterranean , Civilization and Capitalism , and the unfinished Identity of France...
(1902–1985): French historian • Ian Koshnick: Attorney organizational designer at the University of Maryland; Henry Mintzberg
Henry Mintzberg
Professor Henry Mintzberg, is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management. He is currently the Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he has been teaching since...
: Management writer and critic at McGill • Joseph Schumpeter
Joseph Schumpeter
Joseph Alois Schumpeter was an Austrian-Hungarian-American economist and political scientist. He popularized the term "creative destruction" in economics.-Life:...
(1883–1950): Economist at Harvard • Karl Weick
Karl Weick
Karl E. Weick is an American organizational theorist who is noted for introducing the notions of "loose coupling", "mindfulness", and "sensemaking" into organizational studies. He is the Rensis Likert Distinguished University Professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan...
: Social psychologist at the University of Michigan
Three Mentions Russell Ackoff: Operations and systems theorist at Wharton • Warren Bennis
Warren Bennis
Warren Gamaliel Bennis is an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies....
: Leadership theorist and writer at the University of Southern California • Ronald Coase
Ronald Coase
Ronald Harry Coase is a British-born, American-based economist and the Clifton R. Musser Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Chicago Law School. After studying with the University of London External Programme in 1927–29, Coase entered the London School of Economics, where he took...
: Nobel laureate economist at the University of Chicago • W. Edwards Deming
W. Edwards Deming
William Edwards Deming was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer and consultant. He is perhaps best known for his work in Japan...
(1900–1993): Statistician and quality consultant • Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman was a Canadian-born sociologist and writer.The 73rd president of American Sociological Association, Goffman's greatest contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction in the form of dramaturgical perspective that began with his 1959 book The Presentation of Self...
(1922–1982): Sociologist • Gary Hamel
Gary Hamel
Dr. Gary P. Hamel is an American management expert. He is a founder of Strategos, an international management consulting firm based in Chicago.-Early life:...
: Consultant and management writer • Jay Lorsch: Organizational researcher at Harvard Business School • Michael Porter
Michael Porter
Michael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...
: Professor of strategy and competitiveness at Harvard Business School • C.K. Prahalad: Management theorist at the University of Michigan • Jack Welch
Jack Welch
John Francis "Jack" Welch, Jr. is an American chemical engineer, business executive, and author. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001...
: Former CEO, General Electric • Oliver Williamson: Organizational economist at the University of California, Berkeley
Two Mentions Chris Argyris
Chris Argyris
-Bibliography:* Chris Argyris: Personality and Organization, 1957* Chris Argyris: Some Limitations of the Case Method: Experiences in a Management Development Program.” Academy of Management Review 5: 291–298, 1980...
: Organizational psychologist at Harvard • Kenneth Arrow
Kenneth Arrow
Kenneth Joseph Arrow is an American economist and joint winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics with John Hicks in 1972. To date, he is the youngest person to have received this award, at 51....
: Nobel laureate economist at Stanford • Gregory Bateson
Gregory Bateson
Gregory Bateson was an English anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, visual anthropologist, semiotician and cyberneticist whose work intersected that of many other fields. He had a natural ability to recognize order and pattern in the universe...
(1904–1980): Anthropologist • Daniel Bell
Daniel Bell
Daniel Bell was an American sociologist, writer, editor, and professor emeritus at Harvard University, best known for his seminal contributions to the study of post-industrialism...
: Sociologist at Harvard • John Seely Brown
John Seely Brown
John Seely Brown is a researcher who specializes in organizational studies with a particular bent towards the organizational implications of computer-supported activities....
: Former chief scientist at Xerox • Alfred Chandler: Historian at Harvard Business School • C. West Churchman
C. West Churchman
Charles West Churchman was an American philosopher and systems scientist, who was Professor at the School of Business Administration and Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California, Berkeley...
: Systems theorist • James C. Collins
James C. Collins
James C. "Jim" Collins, III is an American business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth. Jim Collins frequently contributes to Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune and other magazines, journals, etc...
: Management writer and consultant • Eric Erikson (1902–1994): Psychological-growth theorist at Harvard • Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
(1926–1984): French polymath • Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern contributors in the field of sociology, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29...
: British sociologist • Andrew Grove
Andrew Grove
Andrew Stephen Grove , is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American Businessman/ Engineer, Author & a science pioneer in the semiconductor industry. He escaped from Communist-controlled Hungary at the age of 20 and moved to the U.S., where he finished his education...
: Former CEO, Intel • Everett Hughes
Everett Hughes
Everett Cherrington Hughes was an American sociologist best known for his work on ethnic relations, work and occupations and the methodology of fieldwork. His take on sociology was, however, very broad...
(1897–1983): Sociologist • Michael Jensen
Michael Jensen
Michael Cole "Mike" Jensen is an American economist working in the area of financial economics. He is currently the managing director in charge of organizational strategy at Monitor Group, a strategy consulting firm, and the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at...
: Organizational strategist and former professor at Harvard Business School • Stuart Kauffman
Stuart Kauffman
Stuart Alan Kauffman is an American theoretical biologist and complex systems researcher concerning the origin of life on Earth...
: Biologist, chaos and complexity theorist • Kurt Lewin
Kurt Lewin
Kurt Zadek Lewin was a German-American psychologist, known as one of the modern pioneers of social, organizational, and applied psychology....
(1890–1947): Social psychologist • Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
(1818–1883): German economist and social theorist • Douglas McGregor (1906–1964): Management theorist at MIT • Robert K. Merton
Robert K. Merton
Robert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor...
(1910–2003): Sociologist at Columbia • Geoffrey Moore
Geoffrey Moore
Geoffrey Moore is a Silicon Valley based high technology consultant, venture partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures and author.His books are derived from his Silicon Valley consulting work at The McKenna Group and The Chasm Group , and earlier work by Everett Rogers on adopter categories and diffusion...
: Management writer and consultant • Richard Pascale: Management writer and consultant • Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jeffrey Pfeffer, Ph.D., is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, and is considered one of today's most influential management thinkers...
: Business professor at Stanford • Paul A. Samuelson: Nobel laureate economist at MIT • Edgar Schein
Edgar Schein
Edgar Henry Schein , a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, has made a notable mark on the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development, group process consultation, and organizational culture. He is generally credited with inventing the term...
: Psychologist and management scholar at MIT • Adrian Slywotsky: Management writer and consultant • Frederick Winslow Taylor
Frederick Winslow Taylor
Frederick Winslow Taylor was an American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. He is regarded as the father of scientific management and was one of the first management consultants...
(1856–1915): The “father of scientific management” • John Van Maanen
John Van Maanen
John Van Maanen is an organization theorist, best known for his contributions to qualitative studies in management and to organizational ethnography.At present, he is Erwin Schell Professor of Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management...
: Ethnographer at MIT • Sidney Winter: Economist at Wharton
See also
- Top 50 Business IntellectualsTop 50 Business IntellectualsIn 2002, the Accenture consulting company compiled a list of the top 50 business intellectuals. From a list of 300 brainstormed by their staff, they found the top 50 by summing of the ranks of these rankings:* Google hits...
- list of economists
- list of people
- list of management topics
- list of marketing topics
- list of economics topics
- list of finance topics
- list of accounting topics
- list of production topics
- list of international trade topics
- list of business law topics
- list of business ethics, political economy, and philosophy of business topics