Lines of authority: readings of foundational texts on the profession of management

Revisits works considered as foundational to management theory and practice. Argues that Taylor, Fayol and Follett work to legitimize management as a body of knowledge, as a practice, and as a profession ‐ and further, as a utopian resolution of conflicts between workers and managers. Methodology is based on techniques of textual analysis and thus also discusses the contribution of such approaches to management history and the relationship of this analysis of Taylor, Fayol and Follett to contemporary themes in management theory and practice.