Modern Structural/ Systems Theory of Management

Chester Barnard

Oct 24, 1938

In his book, "The Functions of the Executive," Barnard described a cooperative system where organizations integrate the contributions of each participant. Marion, R. & Gonzales, L. D. (2014). Leadership in Education: Organizational Theory for the
Practitioner (2nd Ed). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

Selznick's Tenessee Valley Authority Project

Oct 24, 1949

Selznick applied his idea of institutionalization - how an organization develops its personality - in his TVA study. The study showed how the organization adapted its structural features and functions over time in order for the company to survive.
Leadership in administration: A sociological interpretation. (2010). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://acawiki.org/Leadership_in_administration:_A_sociological_interpretation

Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy

Oct 21, 1951

Considered the founder of the General Systems Theory, outlined in his article "General Systems Theory: A New Approach to the Unity of Science." Bertalanffy, originally basing his ideas on biology but applyng the concept to social theories, wrote that a system is a complex of interacting elements and that they are open to, and interact with, their environments.
Mitchell, G. (2005). Bertalanffy's General Systems Theory: The Topology of Mind Development.

Philip Selznick

Oct 21, 1957

In his publication, “Leadership in Administration” Selznick identifies 4 behaviors of effective institutional leadership: setting goals, embody the purpose of the institution, defend institutional integrity, and order internal conflict.

Rensis Likert

Oct 21, 1961

Rensis Likert dentified four styles of leadership: job-centered, benevolent authorities, consultative managers, participative managers. Rensis Likert: Management Systems and Styles. (2011). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/hrels_04_likert.html

Vroom's Expectancy Model

Oct 24, 1964

Victor Vroom proposes one of the first open-systems theories of motivation suggesting that motivation is the product of what a person wants most and what is actually obtainable. Marion, R. & Gonzales, L. D. (2014). Leadership in Education: Organizational Theory for the Practitioner (2nd Ed). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

Daniel Katz and Robert Kahn

Oct 21, 1966

Katz and Kahn first applied the "open systems" approach identifying organizational behavior by mapping the cycle of input, output, and feedback between an organization and the environment. Mote, D. (2015). Organization Theory. Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Oli-Per/Organization-Theory.html

Victor Vroom

Oct 21, 1973

In "Leadership and Decision-Making," Vroom, with Philip Yetton, showed how different leadership styles can be used in solving different types of problems. Together they developed a set of rules to determine the level and form of participation that should be used in the decision-making process. Vroom, V. H., & Yetton, P. W. (1973). Leadership and decision-making. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.