Chester Irving Barnard

Who is Chester Irving Barnard

Chester Irving Barnard was an American business executive, public administrator, and the author of pioneering work in management theory and organizational studies.

Chester Irving Barnard

Born: November 7, 1886
Birthplace: Malden, Massachusetts, USA
Death: June 7, 1961

Chester Irving Barnard was born on November 7, 1886 in Malden, Massachusetts, USA and died on June 7, 1961 in New York, USA. He studied at Harvard University but he didn’t reach a degree. He then worked as a statistician at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (now AT&T). In 1927 he became president of the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company. His key work is the book _“The Functions of the Executive” _ from 1938. In it he takes a holistic approach to the organization, which is understood as an open social system. Management of the organization compares to the nervous system and the rest of the organization to the body.

Behavior and actions of people in the organization is described as a “comprehensive cooperative behavior”. The key role attributes to communication.

Key functions of management (executive) are described according to him as follows: