Some Effects of Fayolism

In the early twentieth century, the French industrialist and writer Henri Fayol argued that management consists of a set of activities that are common to all organizations. This has proved a durable idea. All over the world, universities and business schools, management consultants, and management gurus teach recommendations for good management. Disregarding the complexity and confusion of managerial practice, they recommend order. Recommendations that are found lacking provide arguments for new recommendations and new types of order. In this paper, it is argued that management fashions are a consequence of Henri Fayol's notion of general management and the general acceptance of this notion. It is suggested that a contingent notion of management—as the one proposed by the U. S. engineer and consultant Frederick Taylor—describes managerial practice more accurately.