Capitalism, Social Privilege and Managerial Ideologies

Originally published in 2005. This book analyzes the evolution of administrative thought from the nineteenth century to the present, considering it as ideological discourse. Rather than merely being a succession of fads, Gantman shows how each successive discourse about the organization of work serves to legitimate social interests. The book's compelling conclusion is that instead of a tendency towards increasing theoretical refinement, what is more evident is a trend towards fictionalization, which ends in the contemporary paradigm of flatter, more participative and democratic organizational forms. Students and scholars interested in organization theory, management history, the sociology of work or critical management will gain many new insights from this historical reconstruction of the evolution of management thought.