Charles Wrege

Bradley Bowden

Chapter 23 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Historical Organisation Studies, 2026, pp 82-83 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Charles (Chuck) Wrege was an iconoclast, someone willing to throw down any false image. Initially, Elton Mayo and his Hawthorne studies was his focus. Subsequently, and more consequentially, he applied his forensic skills to Frederick Taylor's Principles of Scientific Management. Key aspects of Taylor's account were exposed as more fiction than fact. Wrege and a co-author also charged Taylor with plagiarism. Even if Wrege sometimes overplayed his hand, his influence on management history was immense. A member of the postwar American generation that long defined the discipline, Wrege was always a supportive colleague, maintaining a voluminous correspondence until his death.

Keywords: Charles Wrege; Elton Mayo; Fredrick Taylor; Scientific management; Taylor's ‘pig-tale’; Management history; Hawthorne studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332922
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