False Prophets

by James Hoopes

"In this critical history of American management, business historian James Hoopes offers modern managers a more realistic perspective. He reminds us that the corporations' ability to create wealth depends on managerial authority, so top-down power and its potential abuse are here to stay in corporate America." "The origins of today's misguided management practices are rooted in the influential theories of the early twentieth century gurus, who aimed to temper management's authoritarian power with democratic principles. False Prophets vividly tells the story of these colorful and flawed characters in the context of the ever-changing American political and cultural climate. It introduces us to: Frederick W. Taylor, the first management guru and the father of scientific management who ruthlessly sped up workers by timing their every motion; Mary Parker Follett, the forgotten pioneer whose ideas on "followship" remain vitally useful in corporate life; Elton Mayo, the Australian immigrant w