Article Review: Henri Fayol, Practitioner and Theoretician - Revered and Reviled by Mildred Golden Pryor and Sonia Taneja

Abstract

The primary objective of this paper is to review an article titled “Henri Fayol, practitioner and theoretician - revered and reviled” written by Mildred Golden Pryor and Sonia Taneja (2010). Pryor and Taneja (2010) critically evaluate Fayol’s theory within the contemporary business context. They argued that Fayol’s theories are valuable and relevant for organizational leaders because Fayol was a practitioner who documented theoriesthat worked best for him and his co-workers. Even though, there are a few criticisms on Fayol’s theories still his theories are applicable with some advancement as a basement for the management implications for the contemporary business world. Pryor and Taneja (2010) compare Fayol’s work with the contribution of other scholars namely, Follett, Mintzberg, Taylor, and Porter’s, while evaluating the original and current interpretation and application of Fayol’s theories. Finally, Pryor and Taneja (2010) appreciate Fayol’s contribution specially the 14 principles of management due to its more optimistic features. Therefore, it is necessary for the students, teachers, and practitioners to understand the relevance of the theories and be able to utilize, Fayol’s principles and theories for improving the organizational performance and further studies.

Keyword: Article review, Henri Fayol, Practitioner, Theoretician