Chester Irving Barnard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1886-11-07)November 7, 1886 |
| Died | June 7, 1961(1961-06-07) (aged 74) |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Harvard University (unfinished) |
| Known for | The Functions of the Executive (1938) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organizational theory |
Chester Irving Barnard (November 7, 1886 – June 7, 1961) was an American businessexecutive,public administrator, and the author of pioneering work inmanagement theory andorganizational studies. His landmark 1938 book,The Functions of the Executive, sets out atheory of organization and of the functions of executives in organizations. The book has been widely assigned in university courses inmanagement theory andorganizational sociology.[1] Barnard viewed organizations as systems of cooperation of human activity, and wrote that they are typically short-lived. According to Barnard, organizations are generally not long-lived because they do not meet the two criteria necessary for survival:effectiveness andefficiency.
In his youth, Barnard worked on a farm, then working as a piano tuner, paid his way through high school at theMount Hermon School.[2] After graduation he studied economics atHarvard University on a scholarship, earning money selling pianos and operating a dance band. He did not obtain his Harvard BA because he did his four-year work in three years and could not complete a science course, but a number of universities later granted him honorary doctorates.[3]
Barnard joined theAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1909. In 1927, he became president of theNew Jersey Bell Telephone Company. During theGreat Depression, he directed the New Jersey state relief system.[1]
He was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1939 and theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1943.[4][5] He was president of theUnited Service Organizations (USO), 1942–45. Upon retiring from business, he served as president of theRockefeller Foundation, 1948–52, and as chairman of theNational Science Foundation, 1952–54.[1] End 1950s he was among the first members of theSociety for General Systems Research.
Barnard viewed organizations as systems of cooperation of human activity, and noted that they are typically short-lived. It is rare for a firm to last more than a century. Similarly most nations last for less than a century. The only organization that can claim a substantial age is theRoman Catholic Church. According to Barnard, organizations are not long-lived because they do not meet the two criteria necessary for survival:effectiveness andefficiency. Effectiveness, is defined the usual way: as being able to accomplish stated goals. In contrast, Barnard's meaning of organizational efficiency differed substantially from the conventional use of the word. He defined efficiency of an organization as the degree to which that organization is able to satisfy themotives of the individuals. If an organization satisfies the motives of its members while attaining its explicit goals, cooperation among its members will last.
Barnard was a great admirer ofTalcott Parsons (1902–1979) and he and Parsons corresponded persistently. The two scholars would send manuscripts for commentary to each other and they would write long letters where they engage in a common theoretical discussion. The first correspondence between Barnard and Parsons began in the end of the 1930s and it persisted essentially to Barnard’s death in 1961.
Barnard's classic 1938 book,The Functions of the Executive discusses, as the title suggests, the functions of the executive, but not from a merely intuitive point of view, but instead deriving them from his conception of cooperative systems.
Barnard summarized the functions of the executive as follows:
Barnard formulated two interesting theories: one ofauthority and the other ofincentives. Both are seen in the context of acommunication system grounded in seven essential rules:
Thus, what makes a communicationauthoritative, rests with the subordinate, rather than with his superior. Barnard's perspective had affinities to that ofMary Parker Follett and was very unusual for his time, and that has remained the case down to the present day. He seemed to argue that managers should obtain authority by treating subordinates with respect and competence.
As for incentives, he proposed two ways of convincing subordinates to cooperate: tangible incentives andpersuasion. Barnard gives great importance to persuasion, much more than to economic incentives. He described four general, and four specific incentives. The specific incentives were:
The general incentives were:
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| Preceded by | President of the Rockefeller Foundation August 22, 1948 – July 17, 1952 | Succeeded by |
