The relevant past: why the history of management should be critical for our future

When history is covered in business schools, its simplistic and evolutionary treatment goes largely unquestioned by instructors and students. To demonstrate, we show the representation of Max Weber in management texts to be dubious, a reflection of a peculiar perspective which is driven by a desire to justify the latest management ideas. However, by encouraging students to develop an ability to think critically about historical representations such as these, not only do we foster the benefits others have attributed to a greater historical awareness, we also encourage students to be more creative management thinkers for the future.