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Journal of Leadership &
Organizational Studies
http://jlo.sagepub.com/
The Evolution of the Concept of the 'Executive' from the 20th Century Manager to the 21st Century Global
Leader
Joyce Thompson Heames and Michael Harvey
Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 2006 13: 29
DOI: 10.1177/10717919070130020301
The online version of this article can be found at:
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Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 2006, Vol. 13, No. 2
The Evolution of the Concept of the ‘Executive’
th st
from the 20 Century Manager to the 21
Century Global Leader
Joyce Thompson Heames - West Virginia University
Michael Harvey - University of Mississippi
The purpose of this paper is to take an in-depth swamp the effort.” (McCall & Hollenbeck,
look at the profiles of executive skills and 2002, p. 8)
competencies drawn across the expanse of One of the fundamental questions asked
seventy-five years framed in the backdrop of by scholars and business leaders today is, “How
management philosophy changes. In the early can a company prepare to effectively compete in
1900’s, Chester Barnard outlined the the hypercompetitive, complex, global
competencies he felt the executive of the future environment of the 21st Century?” One of the
th
would need in the 20 Century. At the central precepts in the management literature is
beginning of the 21st Century, Morgan McCall the necessity to have a well developed,
and George Hollenbeck interviewed over 100 experienced management team at the helm, or in
expatriates and reported a list of needed other words, experienced, well prepared
st
competencies for the global executive of the 21 executives (Porter, Lorsch, & Nohria, 2004).
Century. This paper chronicles the changes in However, what constitutes an executive with the
the management arena over that 70 plus year “right stuff” is defined in a variety of ways
period of time to frame the backdrop of these (McCall & Hollenbeck, 2002). There is
two executive skill profiles. The journey is reasonable agreement that much of what
interesting and the outcome is surprising at tomorrow’s executives need to know can be
times. Just as organizations are a product of learned yet, how they gain that knowledge is
their past, so to is the executive of today. He/she another matter and is not a simple ‘cookie
is an anthology of all the things that an cutter’ formula. Each person has individual
executive needed in early 1900’s, with a couple talents and strengths that have to be
dynamic dimensions thrown in to maintain their amalgamated into finely tuned organizational
sustainable competitive advantage in the new and market skills set (Kotter, 2001).
millennium global marketplace. Key Words: It is necessary to continuously assess the
leadership, executive development, global transformation from a good executive to a great
th
management, 20 Century management executive, as well as how to develop leaders that
st
training/development, 21 Century global are able to insure that organizations survive in
managers, differences between traditional today’s multi-faceted multicultural global
managers and global leaders marketplace. To gain insight into what it takes
to be ‘great’ involves comparing past strategies
“Systematic development of global for developing executives with the espoused
leaders requires an even stronger, more focused formula for success today. In 1938 Chester
commitment than does a domestic effort. You Barnard put forth his thoughts on the traits and
have to know what you are doing, why you are skills of the executive in a ‘cooperative system’
doing it, and what you want to get out of it. in order to be successful (Wren, 1994).
Without the clarity of commitment, the Recently, after completing an empirical
complexity of the global environment will qualitative worldwide study, McCall and
Hollenbeck (2002) described their vision of the
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30 Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies Heames & Harvey
uintessential ‘global executive’ and the and procedural in nature, in 1836 James
necessary skills needed to retain a competitive Montgomery wrote what is considered by some
edge in today’s complex global business world. as the first text book on management (Wren,
The purpose of this paper is twofold. 1994). In 1908, Henri Fayol responded to a call
The first objective is to provide a brief historical for a theory of management by developing his
review and draw a parallel of some of the more now universal ‘principles of management’ that
prominent changes in the management allowed for what was thought to be an art
environment across the last 70 years. As we (management) to be studied as a discipline in the
st
enter the 21 Century, it would seem to be an classroom (Rodriques, 2001).
appropriate time to examine the evolution of A glance back through the pages of
desirable characteristics of managers compared management history illustrates that many
to the past. Barnard’s seminal work in the 1930s th Century had
management gurus of the early 20
provides the backdrop for the historic their beliefs about what constituted the qualities
representation of what was thought to be the of a top notch manager. Each writer supported
necessary qualities of ‘successful’ managers. the viewpoint that management as a philosophy
Secondly, we develop a comparative analysis of and practice, which helped to provide a
th
Barnard’s ‘successful manager’ of the early 20 backdrop of executive education throughout the
Century with that of McCall and Hollenbeck’s decades. Perhaps ahead of her time, Mary
(2002) ‘global executive’ of the 21st Century. Parker Follet believed in the communities of
Their empirical research can serve as the creative practice and suggested that employees
foundation of what is thought to be needed for be considered an intrinsic part of the
st
success in the global marketplace of the 21 organization that allowed it to be more
Century and therefore, be used to foreshadow productive (Wren, 1994). Nobel prizewinner
what qualities are necessary to succeed in the Herbert Simon held strong beliefs about the
future. It is important to continue to look at decision-making process of executives and firms
current phenomena through the lens of the past in general as he espoused his ideas about
(Wren, 1994); thus the use of the comparison of “bounded rationality” (1945). Simon believed
the two perspectives should be helpful in linking that no one person, including the executive,
the 70 years of change and development in the could make the complicated decisions of
management conceptualized by Barnard with the running an organization in isolation. He defined
expectations developed by McCall and the organization as “the pattern of
Hollenbeck about developing executives to meet communications and relations among a group of
the challenges in managing in the global human beings, including the processes for
marketplace. making and implement decisions”, (Simon,
1945, p. 19). And, not to be forgotten; Ralph C.
Early Conceptualization of Davis (1951) wrote “Management is defined as
Management & Management the function of executive leadership” (p. 12).
Development Fayol, Follet, Simon, Davis, and many
others made important contributions to our
Discussion about what makes a good understanding of management skills and
manager/executive/leader and how to develop competencies. But, it is the belief of many that
such archetypes of commandership has been an one name prominently emerges from the early
th
ongoing debate for millenniums. As early as part of the 20 Century as having a significant
400 BC, Socrates noted that management skills impact on shaping the business landscape of his
were transferable from one setting to another; it era and defining the roles that executives play in
was just a matter of understanding the key areas creating viable thriving organizations. Chester
of needs by a given group (Watson, 1869). In Barnard (1886-1961), as a great scholar, a
the year 1513, Machiavelli penned the first ‘how notable successful businessman, and a
to’ book for rulers (executives) and listed his consultant, through his imagery of the chief
‘must knows’ for the aspiring ruler (Swain, executive of the 1930’s set the foundation for
2002). Even though the content was technical many to view the development of a world class
leader. Barnard attended Harvard Business
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Evolution of the Concept of the Executive Volume 13, Number 2, 2006 31
School where he studied economics, but through methodology, the amount of data collected for
out his life he earned seven honorary doctorates the study, and the attention given to the holistic
for his contribution to the understanding of global executive.
organizations (Wren, 1994). During his
presidency of New Jersey Bell, he was noted for Managerial and Societal Transitions
his ‘unbounded’ enthusiasm and concern for his across the 20th Century
employees. As a consultant, Barnard assisted
such organizations as the Atomic Energy Perhaps a constructive first step would
Commission, the New Jersey Reformatory, and be to examine changes in society in general, and
the United Service Organization, just to mention the business world specifically, to better
a few (Wren, 1994). Barnard was known for his understand how and why current conceptions of
belief that the executive “carried out his management might different from those of the
functions in a cooperative and democratic early scholars. For clarity and to draw
manner rather than in a unilateral autocratic distinctions between various stages in the
way” (Gehani, 2002). development of management thought, we have
Having acknowledged the contributions th
of a few of the pioneers of management thought, divided the 20 Century into five basic eras,
it is useful to assess the picture as it is presented between which paradigm shifts occurred in both
today. A review of the recent literature on the business arena and more specifically in the
developing executives revealed many prominent conventional wisdom among management
names, too many to capture in this brief note. scholars as to what constituted the practice of
Individuals who will no doubt go down in the management and what managers needed to be
history books as having left interesting and successful: 1.) Era I, 1900-1945; 2.) Era II, 1945
monumental footprints in the sands of – 1970; 3.) Era III, 1971 – 1991; 4.) Era IV,
management development include: Peter 1991 – 2001; 5.) Era V, 2001+. Harvey and
Drucker, Michael Porter, and Victor Vroom, just Buckley (2002) synthesized many of the
to name a few. Drucker, the author of 30 books, changes in the economy and management
touted as being a candidate for being one of the philosophy very effectively over the 70 plus
years. Table 1 outlines the major tenets of their
most influential observers in modern business th st
history was an advocate of giving employees piece in a way that parallels the 20 and 21
responsibility and not empowerment (Galagan, Centuries. Our objective is to tie their
1998). Porter (1980) outlined the ‘Five Factor observations of changes to these specific eras as
Analysis’ that gave a clearer picture of the they emerged as an impetus of change in the
forces that impact profitability in an industry. management arena.
Vroom promoted participative management and
matching decision processes to the nature of the Era I: 1900-1945
problem (Vroom, 2003). In the early part of the last century,
st the United States experienced a major
Also, at the start of the 21 Century, a transition from a basic agrarian economy to
number of management experts published an industrialized society. Technology
articles that specified the skills and focused on the mechanization and the
competencies needed by senior executives in the production of goods, the business and
future (see Aupperle & Dunphy, 2001; economic sectors became contributors to
McKinsey, 2004; Porter, Lorsch & Nohria,
2004). However, McCall and Hollenbeck critical societal issues (i.e., employee rights,
completed an extensive, qualitative, multi- child labor, health/safety in the workplace,
country study in 2002 that generated an all- taxation of corporate entities and the role of
inclusive list of the competencies of the global corporation in a society), and improvements
executive. Their list was chosen for our basis of in communications and transportation
st
the discussion of the 21 Century executive, broadened external perspectives from local
because of the comprehensiveness of their
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