The functions of the executive

Blurb

The Functions of the Executive is a book by Chester I. Barnard that presents a "theory of cooperation and organization" and "a study of the functions and of the methods of operation of executives in formal organizations." It was originally published in 1938; a Thirtieth Anniversary edition, published in 1968, is still in print.
The book is notable for its focus on how organizations actually operate, instead of previous approaches to organizations that emphasized "prescriptive principles." It has been praised for being one of the first books to consider leadership from a social and psychological viewpoint. An article in Public Administration Review reported that an informal advisory panel voted it one of the most influential books in public administration published between 1940 and 1990. It was voted the second most influential management book of the 20th century in a poll of the Fellows of the Academy of Management, behind The Principles of Scientific Management by Frederick Winslow Taylor.