Reading Fayol with 3D glasses

Abstract

Reading Fayol′s Administration Industrielle et Générale entails more than an examination of the text′s apparent meaning and utility to managers today. A text like Fayol′s Administration never comes to us in pristine form. Our reading of it today is shaped both by the author Fayol′s management of the data – his experiences – and by the many subsequent readings of the text which necessarily influence how Administration is read today. Examines briefly Fayol′s decision not to mention in print a long history of conflict with the board of directors of his firm Comambault which was crucial in helping him formulate his ideas. Discusses the reception of Administration in France and the USA and how readings of the text have helped delineate communities of management theorists.

Citation

Reid, D. (1995), "Reading Fayol with 3D glasses", Journal of Management History (Archive), Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552529510095143