The Triumph and Failure of Albert Speer's Administrative Genius: Implications for Current Management Theory and Practice

Singer, Ethan; Wooton, Leland M.

doi:10.1177/002188637601200108

Cited by 23 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…Mintzberg reflects on the problems of the structure of modern business, a structure which is not designed and often unable to evaluate and reward managerial performance outside the economic realm. And he quotes the extreme example analyzed by Singer and Wooton (1976): Minister of Armaments and War Albert Speer's organization in Germany's Third Reich, which pursued terribly inhumane ends but had many characteristics of an "excellent", and "economically efficient", organization.…”

Section: Implications For (Mis)understanding Csrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Thou Shalt not be Good Enough”: (Mis)understanding CSR

Riese¹

2007

Social Responsibility Journal

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Purpose -The paper's purpose is to improve understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR), by critically examining two assumptions taken for granted in capitalist market economies as well as economic theory, and their consequences for CSR. Design/methodology/approach -The two assumptions of resource scarcity and the necessity to outperform competitors, and their consequences for one's understanding of CSR are discussed. Some criticisms of CSR are reviewed in this context. Findings -The paper argues that the named assumptions put pressure on individuals and induce fear, inhibiting individual reflection on the ends and consequences of economic activity. Moreover, if individuals look to organizations for alleviation of fear, this will inhibit such reflection on the organizational level. This lack of reflection leads to CSR being interpreted and practised in narrow ways, for example, as a public relations measure unconnected to core business. Thus, in order to arrive at a more holistic understanding and practice of CSR, the basic assumptions of scarcity and outperformance must be addressed. Originality/value -The paper positions the CSR concept, as well as the problems and criticisms related to it, in a broader historical, cultural and psychological context. Keywords Corporate governance, Social responsibility Paper type Conceptual paper 1. the assumption of the scarcity of resources as the main threat; and 2. the assumption that nobody, and nobody's work, is ever good enough.Both assumptions can be regarded as self-fulfilling prophecies. I contend that unless both are overcome, CSR will remain a misunderstood concept. A better understanding of CSR by firms and their stakeholders, on the other hand, may lead to improved interaction with civil society. Criticisms of CSRSome people protest against the -in their eyes, misguided -notion that commercial businesses should care about much more than their own business. The line of argument is that undoubtedly necessary tasks like protecting the environment or taking care of social issues should best be handled by other parts of society, legislated upon, etc. As long as organizations abide by the rules society has laid down for them (e.g. laws), they are best at doing what they are there for, which in the case of commercial companies is marketing their products and making a profit. Measures of CSR, then, lead to misappropriation of corporate resources (which go into the CSR programme instead of to their rightful claimants) and to misallocation of corporate resources (which are not used for their original purpose, but for purposes to which they are poorly suited). This argument implies the "neoclassical construal of the firm as a nexus of contracts" between managers and shareholders, which is surely the most prevalent view in management and in scholarship (Margolis & Walsh, 2003; see also Mintzberg, 1983).But could not CSR measures in fact increase profits, for example, because they avoid interference by pressure groups or make a company's products more attractive? Th...

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Section: Implications For (Mis)understanding Csrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Thou Shalt not be Good Enough”: (Mis)understanding CSR

Riese¹

2007

Social Responsibility Journal

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“…Singer and Wooten tell the intriguing story of a highly inventive manager who revolutionized industrial management. 24 This manager argued for "participative" organizations with "collegial decision-making, fluidity of organizational structure,...and industrial selfresponsibility" for local managers. He pioneered "management by objectives," linking rewards to achievement of these objectives and to individual initiative.…”

Section: Case 4: the Good Bigotmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtue Ethics, the Firm, and Moral Psychology

Koehn¹

1998

Bus Ethics Q

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Abstract:Business ethicists have increasingly used Aristotelian “virtue ethics” to analyze the actions of business people and to explore the question of what the standard of ethical behavior is. These analyses have raised many important issues and opened up new avenues for research. But the time has come to examine in some detail possible limitations or weaknesses in virtue ethics. This paper argues that Aristotelian virtue ethics is subject to many objections because the psychology implicit within the ethic is not well-suited for analyzing some problematic forms of behavior. Part One offers a brief overview of the firm and of the good life from a virtue ethics perspective. Part Two develops a number of criticisms of this perspective.

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A review of the participatory management literature: Implications for HRD research and practice

Kahnweiler

1991

Human Resource Dev Quarterly

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This review of 294 articles addresses participatory management from the perspective of several disciplines. Each article was classified across four dimensions: primary thrust, level of focus, audience, and HRD implications. Analyses revealed that the majority of writings have the following characteristics: (1) a conceptual or anecdotal account, (2) promotion of participative strategies, (3) focus geared to human resource professionals, and (4) lack of explicit direction for HRD research and practice. Results suggest the need to conduct empirically based outcome research that measures the effects of participatory practices on divisions or other units rather than on the total organization. Other suggestions for HRD research and practice are discussed.

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The Triumph and Failure of Albert Speer's Administrative Genius: Implications for Current Management Theory and Practice

Cited by 23 publications

References 13 publications

“Thou Shalt not be Good Enough”: (Mis)understanding CSR

“Thou Shalt not be Good Enough”: (Mis)understanding CSR

Virtue Ethics, the Firm, and Moral Psychology

A review of the participatory management literature: Implications for HRD research and practice

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