Henri Fayol
Administrative management founder who turned managerial experience into general functions and principles
Henri Fayol was a French mining engineer and executive who built a general theory of administration from long experience running a mining company. He treated management as a system of functions that could be analyzed, taught, and applied, and articulated fourteen principles of management.
Methodologies
- Five-Function Management Cycle - Run every management problem through planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.
- Unity-of-Command Check - Reduce cases where one person receives conflicting orders.
Key decisions and timeline
- 1860 Graduated from the Saint-Étienne School of Mines - Management theory often abstracts from concrete professional practice.
- 1860 Joined the Commentry Mining Company - Deep experience can form general frameworks.
- 1879 Published Work on Spontaneous Heating of Coal - Technical rationality shapes managerial rationality.
Beliefs and mental models
- Management Is a General Function - Management is not a craft limited to one industry but a general capability in organized activity.
- Forecasting and Planning Come First - Organizations must forecast and plan before resources and action can be coordinated.
- Principles Are Guides, Not Rigid Formulas - Management principles must be weighed by situation rather than mechanically applied.
- Five Management Functions - Plan first, then organize, command, coordinate, and control.
- Scalar Chain with Bridge - Keep a clear chain of authority while allowing necessary lateral shortcuts.
- Unity of Command - One person reports to one direct superior to reduce conflicting orders.
Sources
- Administration industrielle et générale / General and Industrial Management
- Daniel A. Wren, Arthur G. Bedeian, John D. Breeze, The foundations of Henri Fayol’s administrative theory
- Management-history biographies of Henri Fayol