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Competing perspectives on the 'Managerial Revolution': From 'Managerialist' to 'Anti-Managerialist'

Lookup NU author(s): Professor John Wilson

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Abstract

Debates about the role of capitalist corporations depend ultimately on their response to the enduring question of ‘who controls the large modern corporation’. This article aims to identify various competing schools of thought that can be classified as ‘managerialist’ and ‘anti-managerialist’, ‘mainstream’ and ‘radical’, which have emerged over the course of the last 70 years, moving on to consider how each has impacted on the discipline of business history. The paper utilizes a two-by-two matrix that divides theories along two dimensions to set out four alternative perspectives. Along the horizontal dimension, anti-managerialism is opposed to managerialism; along the vertical dimension, mainstream and radical perspectives are opposed. The article then assesses the extent to which these conflicting perspectives have influenced the work of business historians, from Chandler's earliest work through to more recent thinking on the links between corporate governance, accountability and broader market forces. Empirical examples are included highlighting these competing perspectives and their potential contribution to our understanding of business change.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Rowlinson M, Toms S, Wilson J

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Business History

Year: 2007

Volume: 49

Issue: 4

Pages: 464-482

ISSN (print): 0007-6791

ISSN (electronic): 1743-7938

Publisher: Routledge

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00076790701296100

DOI: 10.1080/00076790701296100


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