Fayol

Henri Fayol (1841–1925) was a French mining engineer and management theorist who served as a director of the Commentry-Fourchambault-Decazeville mining company. His work helped lay the foundations of modern administrative theory and management practice, emphasizing the universality of managerial principles across industries.

Fayol is best known for two related contributions: the five functions of management—planning, organizing, commanding (leading), coordinating, and controlling—and the 14 Principles of Management, which provide guidance on how to organize and supervise work. The 14 principles include division of work; authority and responsibility; discipline; unity of command; unity of direction; subordination of individual interests to the general interest; remuneration; centralization; scalar chain; order; equity; stability of tenure; initiative; and esprit de corps (team spirit).

In his work General and Industrial Management (1916), Fayol articulated a systematic approach to management, arguing that management could be taught and learned, not merely learned through experience. He advocated a top-down, formalized view of organizational structure and stressed the importance of clear lines of authority, standardized procedures, and consistent decision-making.

Legacy and critique: Fayol’s Administrative Theory influenced the early development of classical management theory and is widely taught in management education. It provided a framework for organizing large enterprises and formal managerial training. Critics note that Fayol’s principles reflect early 20th-century industrial contexts and may not account for cultural, technological, or contextual variations in modern organizations. Nonetheless, his emphasis on planning, coordination, and a systematic approach to management remains influential in management practice and theory.