Chester Barnard

Chester Irving Barnard (1886–1961) was a telecommunications executive and author of Functions of the Executive , an influential 20th century management book, in which Barnard presented a theory of organization and the functions of executives in organizations.

His most notable work is the development of the Acceptance Theory of Authority which states that managers only have as much authority as they are given by their workers. Thus managers should treat workers respectfully and obtain authority. Managers, thus, should be people of higher intelligence and be better than normal workers. This theory takes the socialist perspective, like that of Mary Follett, and unlike most managment theories of the time.

He emphasised the concept of communication and laid down a few rules:

• Everyone should know of the channels of communication
• Everyone should have access to the formal channels of communication
• Lines of communication should be as short and as direct as possible

He also started the concept of strategic planning by stating that organizations should plan, make goals and stick to them. He is said to have coined the word efficiency in its modern management meaning - the output per unit of input.

External links

• Onepine