Chester Barnard (1886-1961) was an American executive with vast experience, whose fundamental contributions to administrative theory were reflected in his 1938 book, The functions of the executive, considered a classic of organization theory. His contributions include his theory of cooperation, his concept of informal organization and his theory of acceptance of authority. For his ideas he is located within a couple of aspects of administrative thought, the structuralist school and the school of human relations, in addition his postulates are part of the so-called Theory of Organizational Behavior.
Cooperation theory
Employees have free will and therefore choose whether to follow management orders. That is, employees will follow orders if they 1) understand what is required, 2) believe that the orders are consistent with the organization's goals, and 3) see positive benefits to themselves by executing the orders. (Hellriegel, Jackson, and Slocum, p. 136)
Along with Mary Parker Follet, Chester Barnard was one of the first advocates of a more humanistic theory of management, which prioritized knowledge of behavior, needs and attitudes in the workplace, as well as social interactions and group processes.
In the following video, Barnard's contributions to organization theory and managerial thinking are presented very precisely.
Bibliography
- Duncan, W. Jack. Great ideas in business management: lessons from the founders and the foundations of managerial practice, Ediciones Díaz de Santos, 1991. Enrique de la Garza Toledo, Latin American Treaty of Sociology of Work, FLACSO Mexico, UAM, FCE, 2003. Hellriegel, Don; Jackson, Susan E. and Slocum, John W. Administration: A Competency-Based Approach, Cengage Learning Editors, 2005. Reyes Ponce, Agustín. Modern administration, Editorial Limusa, 1992.
