Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to take a look at significant contributions of Follett through the lens of critical biography to put her work in the context of her life events, her mentors, and the other major influences on her work. Design/methodology/approach – Critical biography is...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of oral history to teach students about management history and the implementation of principles of management during the evolution of an organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the oral history methodology and...

Purpose – To assist colleagues in tying current ideas to previously established practices. To generate discussion of the current relevance of students' understanding management history. Design/methodology/approach – A review of representative classic theorists with an eye toward matching...

Purpose – To provide a methodology for determining how and when a management fad has become an established paradigm. Design/methodology/approach – The penticulation approach compares the outputs from the five separate research sources of horizontal surveys, experiential rules‐of‐thumb,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present how the past, Fayol's principles of management, is applied to the present, Porter's competitive strategies – cost leadership and differentiation – and in turn how the understanding of this connection between the past and present directs the...

Purpose – This paper aims to examine when and how the main management paradigms have emerged and prevailed in Finnish management research. It seeks to offer a country‐specific case on the diffusion of management paradigms in the field of management research. Design/methodology/approach –...

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine the manifestation of management paradigms in personnel magazines of Finnish metal and forest industry corporations from the 1930s to recent years. Design/methodology/approach – The research data consist of articles of personnel magazines on management....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight Barnard's groundbreaking ideas, and to interpret his contributions to the philosophy and practice of business as they apply to the twenty‐first century executive. Design/methodology/approach – The paper makes use of primary data by...

Purpose – Fayol's theories were the original foundation for management as a discipline and as a profession. Also Fayol was the first to advocate management education. Yet he has critics who revile him (or at least disparage his work) as well as followers who respect and revere him. This paper...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to revisit Igor Ansoff's work and how it interfaces with the various schools of strategic management. Design/methodology/approach – Ansoff's work of 40 years is reviewed and related to other schools of thought in strategic management. Findings –...