False Prophets

The Gurus Who Created Modern Management and Why Their Ideas Are Bad for Business Today

Here is a critical reassessment of the ideas that shaped modern management. According to Jim Hoopes, the fundamental principles on which business is based - authority, power, control - are increasingly at odds with principles of life in a democratic society - freedom, equality, and individualism. False Prophets critically examines the pioneering theories of the early management thinkers, such as Taylor, Follett, Mayo, and Deming, who intended to democratize corporate life yet have proved antithetical to the successful practice of business. Hoopes challenges popular management movements that followed in the wake of these thinkers and accuses today's business theorists of perpetuating bad management in the name of democratic values. He urges executives and managers to recognize the realities of corporate life and learn to apply the principles of power. He also unveils a new management agenda that will be of paramount significance to modern organizations.

A rich and lively read, False Prophets provides a refreshingly new and original overview of the history of management in the larger context of the American culture, brilliantly illustrating its evolution - from the ivory tower to the shop floor.