German organization and leadership theory--stable trends and flexible adaptation

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 equivalent American literature. The study shows that the long trends and the basic ideational content are similar in the two countries. Minor differences include a different balance between what this study calls the organic and the mechanistic paradigms and an authoritative and a speculative bent in the German material. The possible reasons for similarities and differences between the American and German material are discussed. The study of the German material also demonstrates great flexibility on the part of the researchers in adapting to changing political conditions with the help of reframing of arguments and editorial labeling. The study can serve to make us wonder how blind we may be to similar combinations of "stability" and "flexibility" in contemporary management theory.