The Evolution of Management Thought

The sixth edition of author Daniel Wren's classic text provides a comprehensive understanding of the origin and development of ideas in management.  This text traces the evolution of management thought from its earliest days to the present, by examining the backgrounds, ideas and influences of its major contributors. 

Every chapter in the sixth edition of The Evolution of Management Thought has been thoroughly reviewed and updated to convey an appreciation of the people and ideas underlying the development of management theory and practice.  The authors’ intent is to place various theories of management in their historical context, showing how they’ve changed over time.  The text does this in a chronological framework, yet each part is designed as a separate and self-contained unit of study; substantial cross-referencing provides the opportunity for connecting earlier to later developments as a central unifying theme.

Daniel A. Wren, Ph.D., the University of Illinois, is David Ross Boyd Professor of Management Emeritus and Curator of the Harry W. Bass Business History Collection at the University of Oklahoma. He has served as President of the Southern Management Association, Chairman of the Management History Division of the Academy of Management, is a Fellow of the Southern Management Association, as well as of the Academy of Management. He has been honored with the Merrick Foundation Award for teaching excellence and the Distinguished Educator Award from the national Academy of Management for his contributions “as the foremost management historian of his generation.” His research has appeared in numerous scholarly journals.

Arthur G. Bedeian, DBA, is a Boyd Professor and the Ralph and Kacoo Olinde Distinguished Professor of Management at Louisiana State University and A&M College.  A past President of the Academy of Management and former Dean of the Academy’s Fellows Group, he has also served as President of the Foundation for Administrative Research, the Allied Southern Business Association, the Southern Management Association, and the Southeastern Institute for Decision Sciences. He is a Fellow of both the Southern Management Association and the International Academy of Management. He is a recipient of the Academy of Management’s Distinguished Service Award, Ronald G. Greenwood Lifetime Achievement Award, and Richard M. Hodgetts Distinguished Career Award.