Lyndall Urwick
Lyndall Fownes Urwick, OBE ( born March 3 1891 in Malvern, Worcestershire, † December 5, 1983 in Longueville, Sydney ) was a British businessman, economist and business consultant.
Biography
Lyndall Fownes Urwick (b. Whitby ) was born as the only child of Sir Henry Urwick and his wife Annis Urwick. He was first enrolled in Malvern and attended from 1900 to 1905 the boarding Boxgrove School, Guildford. From 1905 to 1910, he attended Repton School, from which he received a scholarship to New College at the University of Oxford. He studied history and graduated in 1913 graduated with a " Second Class Degree" in modern history from. Urwick was in Oxford for membership of the " Hanover Club", one of 1911-13 existing German -British debating led by Albrecht Graf von Bernstorff, who should promote mutual understanding. Following his studies, he joined the family-owned company " Fownes Brothers and Company " (founded in 1777), where his father was a partner. In August 1914, he was drafted in the 3rd Worcestershire Regiment as " Second Lieutenant ". During World War II he was employed from 1914 in Mons, Le Cateau, Marne and Aisne. From 1916 he served, among others, in the Battle of Vimy and the Somme front. In 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross for his services. In 1918, he was discharged with the rank of Major. In January 1919 he was Officer of the " Order of the British Empire" in the level awarded.
After his discharge from the army he returned to the family firm " Fownes Brothers", in which he was a partner since 1917. Disagreements with the other shareholders meant that he left the company in late 1920. After a period of reorientation, he joined in the spring of 1922 in the company " Seebohm Rowntree Benjamn " one. He moved to York and was responsible for the development of a loose-leaf to standard instructions regarding business processes, etc. By the end of 1926 he founded together with Seebohm and CF Merriam (Chairman of the British Sylonite ) the Management Research Group, which brought together companies new to the development in management and organization were interested.
In September 1928 moved to Urwick to Geneva and became Director of the International Management Institute ( IMI), an offshoot of the International Labour Organisation ( ILO). He retained this position until the institution was forced to close its doors in December 1933, as the ( U.S. ) Twentieth Century Fund ceased its financial support.
During the Second World War he joined the " Office Research Section" of the British Treasury. He was head of 1940-1942, the first team of specialists.
Importance
Urwick was in the first half of the 20th century one of the most influential British and European management thinkers. He is regarded as one of the key advocates of Scientific Management Movement. Urwick tried more than any of his contemporaries ( with the possible exception of Henri Fayol ) to build the management theory through a set of management principles, be it for erwerbswirtschafliche or for non-profit organizations.