A longitudinal analysis of technical and organizational uncertainty in management theory

This study examines the rise of discourse on uncertainty in management during the period 1879-1932. It offers quantitative empirical analyses that are based on primary data collected from the American Machinist and the Engineering Magazine, the central sources of documentation on management during this period. The research provides a critical interpretation of the emergence of uncertainty discourse by linking it to professional, cultural and social forces. The empirical findings lend strong empirical support for the 'professionalization' and the 'labour unrest' arguments. The implications for contemporary organization theory are discussed.