Re‐discovering Barnard: the functions of the … leader? Highlighting Chester Barnard's contributions for the twenty‐first century business executive

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight Barnard's groundbreaking ideas, and to interpret his contributions to the philosophy and practice of business as they apply to the twenty‐first century executive.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper makes use of primary data by focusing on Barnard's The Functions of the Executive, as well as other material written by, and about, him. Barnard's insights on executive management are then reinterpreted in light of Ramey's Leadership Quality Commitments, whose balance is deemed an essential marker of success for twenty‐first century leaders.

Findings

The paper presents Barnard as a pioneer philosopher in the field of management, whose rich contributions have permeated management theory and practice since he first published his seminal work 71 years ago. Barnard's concept of cooperation is re‐discovered as the basis of a leadership framework that places the executive at the center of a system responsible for balancing an unstable equilibrium among life, work, and society.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that Barnard's contributions are as relevant now as they were 71 years ago. Exploring the competencies that make executives effective and efficient, for example, provides insights regarding the combined roles of the executive as leader and manager.

Originality/value

The bulk of Barnard's contributions is found in the field of management, yet his views on cooperation, moral responsibility, motivation, positive interdependence, decision making, authentic self‐hood, strategy and legacy seem incredibly in line with leadership theory. Re‐discovering him as a leadership thinker may help to bridge the conceptual gap that is perceived to exist between management and leadership literature.

Citation

Fernández, S. (2010), "Re‐discovering Barnard: the functions of the … leader? Highlighting Chester Barnard's contributions for the twenty‐first century business executive", Journal of Management History, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 468-488. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511341011073951