The classics
Many business books have become bestsellers, but few have had
an enduring impact on the conduct of business. These ten titles,
listed chronologically, are must-reads for anyone who wants to
understand how business management has evolved to what it is
today.
- The Theory of Business Enterprise by Thorstein Veblen (1904).
Probably the first book to address management as a legitimate
field of study; surprisingly modern.
- The Principles of Scientific Management by Frederick W. Taylor
(1911). The definitive work on creating efficient companies from the
bottom up.
- General and Industrial Management by Henri Fayol (1916). Defined
the role of the CEO, and how the CEO could create efficient
companies from the top down.
- Economy and Society by Max Weber (1922). The argument for
bureaucracy as an optimal organizational scheme.
- The Functions of the Executive by Chester I. Barnard (1948). His
concepts (though not his writing style) read even better today than
they did in his time.
- The Practice of Management by Peter F. Drucker (1954). A
must-read for understanding this guru's synoptic (not to be
confused with syntopic) view of management.
- The Human Side of Enterprise by Douglas McGregor (1960).
Building on Abraham Maslow's psychological hierarchy of needs, this
is the seminal work on Theories X and Y of how to manage workers.
- Strategy and Structure by Alfred D. Chandler (1962). A
monumental analysis of business histories, leading to his
inferences about the interplay between business structure and
strategy.
- Competitive Strategy by Michael E. Porter (1980). A valuable
application of industrial organization theory to business strategy.
- In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H.
Waterman (1982). Overwhelming popularity makes it a must-read,
even if only to see what all the fuss was about. – A.M.