The Collapse of the American Management Mystique

Just how good is American management?

Every nation likes to believe myths about itself. Americans' belief in the superiority of their managerial know-how seemed to be among those most solidly based in reality. Yet, Locke argues, despite its universal claims, American managerialism has never been more than a cultural peculiarity, one whose claims to superiority had not been proved but assumed , on the premise that the best economy must have the best management. That premise, moreover, has not served American managerialism particularly well, for in the 1970s a gap opened up between the mystique of American management and the reality of a mediocre American managerial performance. The `mystique' collapsed and those looking for best practice began to look elsewhere.

Locke traces the evolution of American management in the postwar era - once described by Churchill as that `clear cut, logical, mass production style of thought' - and looks in detail at the views of such business writers as Chandler, Reich, Senge, and Deming. He then examines the alternative forms of management, inspired by the American system, that were developed in West Germany and Japan during the past decades - systems that have subsequently eclipsed American approaches. Finally, the author looks forward, suggesting ways that American management can fulfil its original promise and enter the twenty-first century with a management equal to the social and economic challenges the country faces.