Chancellors of the Academy
Professor Harold Koontz, USA, 1976 to 1981
Professor Harold Koontz, started as a professor of Management in the UCLA School of Business (now the Graduate School of Management) in 1950, after extensive business experience and government service. He retired in July 1979.Harold Koontz had a remarkable career in working with top managers in business and government and in teaching and writing in the field of the management of organizations.His first book, (Men, Groups and the Community) was produced in 1939 with T. H. Robinson and others. At the time of his death he had written and revised, with other authors, twenty-five books. A number of his books were milestones in management literature but the most outstanding, written with Prof. Cyril O'Donnell and later Prof. Hans Weihrich, was Principles of Management. The book, first published in 1955, is now in its eighth edition and has been translated into fifteen foreign languages. When published the book immediately became a dominant textbook, a position it still holds, and required reading for students and managers throughout the world seeking a basic understanding of the management processes.A number of his other books broke new paths in management thought. Two are particularly noteworthy. In 1964, with other authors, Prof. Koontz sought to build a unified management discipline from the many different approaches to management with the publication of Towards a Unified Theory of Management. In 1975, with Prof. Robert Fulmer, he published A Practical Introduction to Business, now in its fourth edition, which was an instant success in universities and colleges.He consistently contributed to the analysis and study of management through the publication of ninety articles in professional and scholarly journals.Prof. Koontz's scholarship and professional contributions were recognized with many personal honors of which the most noteworthy was his association with the Academy of Management. In 1957 he was named a fellow of the of Management, and in 1962 a fellow of the International Academy of Management. During his tenure as President of the Academy of Management (1963) he began the work which led to the establishment of regional divisions of the Academy which are now the major organizational strength of the Academy. From 1975 to 1982 he served as Chancellor of the International Academy of Management.In almost a half century of teaching Harold Koontz enriched the lives of thousands of students by bringing to his classes both scholarly and practical insights into the theories and practices of management.Prof. Koontz was a keynote speaker and invited lecturer both in the United States and abroad at numerous universities, scholarly meetings, executive seminars and business conventions. His speaking and writing were based on earlier full-time employment in many companies, service on the boards of directors of several business organizations, and international management consulting.Prof. Koontz was a congenial, valuable colleague who was always available to any colleague needing help, frequently taking the initiative in advancing colleagues' careers.