The production, diffusion and adoption of management theory comprise an active field of study today. Most studies, however, are based on American material since the Second World War. In this article German organization and leadership literature between the 1920s and the 1950s is compared to the...

Objective data are central to quality management. This is expressed in the Danish quality management slogan: “One measurement is better than 1,000 opinions.” This article discusses the truth of this. The data used come from a study of how two companies interpreted customer surveys. More than...

The rapid fashion swings in popular management theory puzzle and alarm many observers and users of management theory. New concepts arrive, experience a sudden popularity, then flatten out and are soon forgotten or appear old‐fashioned. This article presents a model of such short time...

The ISO 9000 series and other management standards have been experiencing a surprising success. This article analyses the possible reasons for this success. Is it because the standards do produce the benefits they promise, or is it just another example of fashion in management? The empirical...